r r 



II 



THE SUBMARINE CABLE 



HE story of Robert Bruce and the spider, and 

 the story of Bruces' own perseverance and per- 

 * sistence in the face of adversity, have become 

 classic ; but in recent years Bruce's traditional efforts have 

 been equaled, if not eclipsed, by the persistent efforts and 

 unwavering faith of the handful of men who projected and 

 finally perfected the Atlantic cable. Bruce, fighting on 

 the defensive, had conditions forced upon him ; but the 

 heroes of the Atlantic cable not only took the initiative 

 but were obliged to keep it in the face of most discourag- 

 ing public sentiment, financial difficulties, and worst 

 of all, the bare fact that attempt after attempt proved 

 unsuccessful. Contending against defects in the cable 

 structure, broken cables, cables fouled and destroyed 

 by vessels before they could be laid; and finally, after 

 heartbreaking efforts, when a cable was successfully 

 laid across the Atlantic, to have it "burned out" and 

 destroyed by an electrician all this makes a story 

 rivaling the most vivid imaginings of the novelist. 

 Happily, like the endings of most novels, the last word 

 of this story is a complete triumph for the heroes of the 

 plot; and the names of Cyrus W. Field, Sir Charles 

 Bright, John W. Brett, and Lord Kelvin, must go 

 down in history as having accomplished one of the 



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