PETER COOPER AND SUBMARINE TELEGRAPHY 
10 !) 
Avas organized, Avith ]\[r Cooper as its president and Mr Field as 
its actiA’e manager. The other gentlemen concerned in the un- 
dertaking AA'ere INIoses TaAdor, Marshall 0. Roberts, Chandler \\'. 
MTiite, and, at a later period, Wilson G. Hunt. DaA’id Dudley 
Field also took an interest and Avas legal adAusor of the company. 
“Arrangements AA'ere made for the construction of the land 
line AA’ithout delay, and later, AAdien the experience of the Euro- 
pean submarine cables established the practicability of longer 
lines, it Avas decided to lay the cable across the gulf of St. LaAA'- 
rence, a distance of about eighty miles. The first attempt to lay 
this cable AA*as a failure, OAAung to the imperfect arrangements for 
transporting the calde across the gulf, and the occurrence of a 
storm AA'hich caused the seA^erance of the cable AAdren the A^essel 
engaged in laying it AA'as midAA^aA'^ betAA^een the tAAm termini. It 
AA'as determined. liOAA'eA'er, to reneAV the attempt, and in the fol- 
loAA’ing year a cable AA'as successful!}^ laid, and the original plan 
of the company for intercepting neAA'S at cape Race Avas carried 
into effect. As a matter of course, the enterprise AA'as not a com- 
mercial success, but its adA’antages AA’ere so apparent that the 
parties in interest concluded that the time had come to make 
the attempt to continue the cable from NeAA'foundland to the 
coast of Ireland. Tiie idea AA'as a daring one, but the highest 
electrical authorities concurred in opinion that it AA'as feasible. 
Mr Field proceeded to England to organize a company, in Avhich 
he succeeded, and AA'hich resulted in the attempt to lay the cable 
in 1857, made by the Agamemnon on the British side and by the 
Niagara on the American side. I need not rehearse the story of 
the successiA'e failures, but the first one occurred in 1857, during 
the panic of that year, AA’hich spread AA'ide ruin throughout the 
country. Among others, Mr Field Avas comj)elled to succuml), 
and it seemed prol)able that any further attempt to construct 
and lay the cable aa'ouUI l)e abandoned. It Avas at thisjuncture 
that tlie strong common sense and unshaken faith of Peter 
Ctjoper came into ]>lay. When the financial storm had abat(‘(l, 
ho urged Mr Field to undertake the resuscitation of the enter- 
}»rise, and he oflered to advance, and actually did advance, the 
money n;fiuired for Mr Field’s expenditures, until such time as 
the success of the cable might be demonstrated and assured. 
Some of the oth(;r gentlemen deelim.-dto participate in these ad- 
A’ances, and hence the burden U))on Mr Cooper was very onerous 
and gave great concern to his family. Nevertheless Mr Field 
soon recovered his confidence, and Avith indomitable courage 
