44 A SAGA OF THE SEAS 
ocean. . . . Scarcely can a gun be fired in war on the Euro- 
pean shore ere its echoes will reverberate among our own 
mountains.” 
Such were Congressional debates in the 1850's. Apparently 
politics change very little through the decades. In this case, 
the more distinguished and broad-minded members were in 
favor of the project; the sectional and narrow-minded ones 
were opposed. Senators Seward and Douglas were among the 
celebrated men of their time; Senators Hale and Rusk also 
were well known. It is interesting to note that when the bill 
asking for a charter was debated in the English House of 
Lords, criticism was made that it gave to the United States 
important advantages that properly should be reserved for 
Great Britain. Lord Redesdale, for example, stated that it 
would have been far better policy if the British had under- 
taken the whole guarantee themselves, rather than allow a 
foreign government to join it. To this Lord Granville said 
that this telegraph was intended to connect two great coun- 
tries, and it seemed only reasonable that both should have 
the same rights. 
The political and financial difficulties were finally smoothed 
out, and the stage was set for action on other problems that 
awaited solution. The technical aspects of the enterprise 
were underestimated at first. It was not appreciated that a 
small fault in the engineering or electrical procedure could 
nullify a splendid financial scheme or a cordial political 
agreement. As was later demonstrated by costly mistakes and 
depressing failures, a cable designed too small in diameter, 
or an electric current too strong and powerful, could wreck 
a year’s work of a thousand men. Even a puncture in the 
cable by a nail or a piece of wire could set progress back dis- 
couragingly. 
The initial attitude was to trust that nature would be kind. 
The favorable soundings of the ocean bottom had encour- 
aged this trust. Between Ireland and Newfoundland the 
