272 ON THE TRACK OF THE MAIL-COACH 



costs of the arbitration alone largely exceeded the 

 prime cost of construction. I went over to Ireland 

 to negotiate the purchase, but ^Yas aghast at the 

 value attached to the enterprise, and soon saw that 

 labour to bring about an amicable settlement, which 

 both sides should deem just, would be entirely fruit- 

 less. 



The importance of Eoche's Point as a telegraph- 

 station dates back to a time before the laying of the 

 second Atlantic cable. At that j)eriod the latest news 

 from the continent of America was obtained from the 

 homeward-bound American steamers, which called off 

 the Point to land mails and passengers for Queens- 

 town. 



In order that not a moment should be lost, a boat's 

 crew of five men was ready at all hours to board the 

 steamers and obtain from the pursers the messages 

 which the captain, crew, and passengers wished to 

 forward to friends at home — or through the British 

 Isles to those abroad — announcing their safe arrival 

 off Cork. A staff of four telegraphists was main- 

 tained for the sole purpose of despatching private 

 and press telegrams thus landed. 



The Times newspaper also kept a boat and crew in 

 readiness for the collection of despatches. When the 

 weather was too severe to allow of the vessels being 

 boarded outside the harbour, the pursers had the 

 telegrams and money, in prepayment of charges, 

 enclosed in air-tight canisters and thrown overboard, 

 to be picked up by the boats. Such canisters often 



