The Story of the Atlantic Cable

The narrative chronicles the conception, manufacture, and laying of a transatlantic submarine telegraph cable, explaining insulated cores, armoring, paying-out machinery, and shipboard stowage. It follows engineering trials and expeditions that encountered failed attempts, storms, cable breakages, and the techniques developed to locate, pick up, and repair lost cable. The account describes the instruments and testing that advanced underwater telegraphy, the establishment of a working commercial Atlantic link, and the later expansion of cable systems. Illustrated technical descriptions and chronological chapters combine operational detail with discussion of practical improvements that made long-distance submarine telegraphy practicable.