A Thread Across the Ocean: The Heroic Story of the Transatlantic Cable – An Epic 19th-Century Achievement that United America and Europe

by John Steele Gordon

Today, in a world in which news flashes around the globe in an instant, time lags are inconceivable. In the mid-nineteenth century, communication between the United States and Europe -- the center of world affairs -- was only as quick as the fastest ship could cross the Atlantic, making the United States isolated and vulnerable. But in 1866, the Old and New Worlds were united by the successful laying of a cable across the Atlantic. John Steele Gordon's book chronicles this extraordinary achievement -- the brainchild of American businessman Cyrus Field and one of the greatest engineering feats of the nineteenth century. An epic struggle, it required a decade of effort, numerous failed attempts, millions of dollars in capital, a near disaster at sea, the overcoming of seemingly insurmountable technological problems, and uncommon physical, financial, and intellectual courage. Bringing to life an overlooked story in the annals of technology, John Steele Gordon sheds fascinating new light on this American saga that literally changed the world.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Technology, Science, American History, World History, Business

272 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2002

About the author

John Steele Gordon is an American writer who specializes in the history of business and finance. Born and raised in New York City, he graduated from Vanderbilt University.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wireless communication is not really wireless. Unless you're talking about radio, that is. Sure, your laptop is wireless to your router and your cell phone is wireless to the nearest phone tower. But that router and that tower are connected under and over land to the rest of the continent you're on and then under seas and oceans to other land masses. That's right, the internet is basically in the ocean.

This is the story of the first transatlantic telegraph cable and the brilliant man - and truly good and generous man - who was determined to lay it, against all odds. The story is remarkable because it begins as an idea in 1854 and ends (with many attempts and so much invested money) in 1866 with the laying of a permanent working cable from Newfoundland to Ireland. At the time it was used for telegraphy and allowed for communication via Morse code at $10 per word, minimum 10 words. So you pretty much had to be wealthy to use it.

The amount of detail in this book is amazing. I recently watched the episode of "Engineering That Changed The World" on this topic (it's called "The Cable Across the Sea"). It's good, but barely touches on the real background of the story and years of trials and tribulations experienced by the people involved, on both sides of the Atlantic.

The cable did change the world because it reduced communication between North America and England from 4-8 weeks to seconds, thereby changing the commercial and political landscape forever. Today there are hundreds of cables across oceans and seas and these old telegraph cables have been replaced by fiber optics. You can still see the old cables where they come up on shore. For example, Heart's Content, Newfoundland is where this very first cable was landed.

This book was amazing. Highly recommended for geeks like me.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a lot of interesting information about the first Trans-Atlantic cable, but there is also a lot of information I didn't really care about as well. It comes out a bit dry. Not a bad book overall, but I'd really only recommend it for people who are really interested in the subject matter/time period.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was well written with just enough detail to keep it interesting without bogging down in minutae. It's obviously written for a mainstream audience, but is a great introduction to the subject.

[Ian Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant story about the beginning of the modern era and all the hilarious things Victorians were into

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never in my entire life did I ever stop and think about how landline phonecalls are made. They really ARE land lines that criss-cross the oceans! This is a great story about Cyrus Fields, the man with a vision of connecting Europe and the US by submarine telegraphic cable. Where it used to take months for news to cross the ocean, he was responsible for crunching it down to minutes.

There was a LOT of trial and error -- years of it. Lots of money lost and lots of cable gone. Several times the ship would be midway of laying the cable in the middle of the ocean the cable would snap and go overboard and all those hundreds of miles of cable were lost. I think we've all had that sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach that freezes the heart where we'd give anything to have those 10 seconds of our lives back. Poor Cyrus had that feeling a LOT.

Great book. Two thumbs up.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story, but a mediocre book. The laying of the transatlantic telegraph cable was the Internet revolution of the 19th century, and the tale of how this enterprise was completed is very compelling.

But that tale isn't enough for the author, who pads his book with numerous tangents about ancillary subjects that add nothing to the main story...often these tangents don't even provide much relevant background information (which is why I think the author included them in the first place). The frequent footnotes are particulalry useless and annoying.

Other problems: The author is prone to hyperbole when describing the significance of the entire venture and of the various components that accounted for its success, and I often found his descriptions of the science and technological innovation involved to be unclear (though that might be more my challenge than the author's). Finally, though the author lists about thirty books and other materials in his bibliography, he only appears to have used about six of them....these six books seem to account for over 80% of his source notes. The author often seems to pad the book with lengthy but not very useful quotes from these sources when there isn't much action going on.

But, despite the author's many shortcomings, this is a neat story, and one that I have always been interested in. I considered the laying of the first telegraph cable across the ocean to be a major technological and business accomplishment, but this book opened my eyes to exactly how challenging this endeavor was. The companies that collaborated on this enterprise undertok a major attempt in 1857, two in 1858, and one in 1865 before finally achieving true success in 1866 (the second 1858 attempt succeeded in laying a cable across the ocean, but it stopped working after a few weeks).

Entreprenurs and others interested in business will be inspired by the commitment and confidence of the leading figure of the entire venture, Cyrus Field. From start to finish, he oversaw the entire project, and was instrumental in raising the funds, securing the permission and cooperation of the governments involved, finding the scientists and technicians with the right attitude to get the job done, and maintaining a belief in all concerned that the enterprise would eventually be both successful and porfitable. In the end he was right on all counts.

P. S. My paperback edition of the book has some great maps and some very good photos and illusrations. Kudos to the author for including those; they enhanced my understanding of the story.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just getting into this book, and finding it a great read so far. Moves along at a nice clip, with great details that illustrate the climate of entrepreneurial spirit, industrial development, and political relations, and even the evolution of business-as-we-know-it of the time (mid-1800s, just before the Civil War).

A story I certainly hadn't given much thought before - but now I can see right away how it affected so much in so many places. If the book continues in this vein, it will be a definite recommendation.

---

Finished and loved it. Learned so much and have had many many great conversations since, triggered by this book and the things I learned from it. Some of the things that were invented in the late 1800s to make this happen are *still* the standard today. Amazing!

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gordon breathed life into the movers and shakers of the 1800's - an era when dreamers with access to money were encouraged to do. And Cyrus Field was such a dreamer. His vision was "instant" communication between Europe and the US. The way to achieve that was to lay telegraph cable along the floor of the ocean from Ireland to NewFoundland - a fete requiring creating cable that would sink to the bottom of the ocean, finding a ship that could carry tons of cable, regulating the weather (Ha!), raising money after the first attempts failed..... But a project that started in 1855 was finally completed in 1866 and within a generation submarine telegraphy made it possible for most countries to be in instant communication with each other.

[VeganMedusa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read about an amazing endeavour. Interesting to read something positive about corporations - I'm so used to thinking of them negatively, but in the 1800s the invention of corporations let people try things like this without risking their own fortunes, so much easier to get investors.
Even though I knew they succeeded, it was still pretty nerve-wracking as each attempt fell apart. Great to see how they changed over time, became more professional and learned from their mistakes. Just amazing to think of how it changed the world forever.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of the laying of the Atlantic cable. It is a testimony to the preserverance of the men of that era. I think the story is well written and the footnotes a wealth of information -- adding so much to the understanding of the men, attitudes and events of the time. It was a remarkable accomplishment made by men of innovation, intelligence, means and determination. Inspiring!

[Kacee Delauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a very compelling and awe-inspiring story. The audacity and wherewithal it took to complete a trans-atlantic cable-crossing amazes me. This was enough drama in this book to translate well into a movie.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but a bit dry, I wish they went more in depth about the effect the cable had on the modern world

[Micah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read at least one other of Gordon's books and loved it, and the Transatlantic Cable was a topic I had some interest in, so of course I picked this up. Unfortunately the book was handled so poorly that I had to force myself through it, which was still a challenge as the book is hardly bigger than a pamphlet.

What should have been an intriguing story about 19th century engineering, progress, and man's fight against nature, was instead full of padding that just seemed like the author trying to show off his knowledge of the period. I'm always sucked into footnotes, but the ones included here are so irrelevant and uninteresting that I found myself groaning whenever my eye was automatically drawn to one. Gordon takes us on tangents to discuss women's fashion, high society drama, and the textile industry, or even footnotes to discuss how people think the moon landing was faked.

Yet despite all of this information, what is more egregious is the information left out. For a book on the telegraph, he has hardly information about the history of the telegraph or how it works- details that would have certainly helped the cohesion and understanding of the cable laying process. He doesn't even include what the first message across the ocean on the first truly successful cable was. All of these absences made it feel like a high schooler's report simply telling who was where and what happened without any explanation or care.

Ultimately, the book raised more questions than it answered, which I had to go find answers to on Wikipedia. For example, why was there retardation in the first cable's signal? Why were they worried about seawater's effect on the cable if it was already insulated? For the cables that broke and were already connected on shore, why couldn't they go back to the start point and pick it back up? I can come up with my guesses to all of these conundrums, but it certainly would have been better to address them head on. I know Gordon is primarily an economics writer (and he hardly touches on the cable's economic impact) but for a period so heavy in scientific advances, he certainly comes up short.

Read the Wikipedia article instead or find the American Experience episode and watch that, it will be more enjoyable.

[Roberta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fascinating, nerve-racking account of laying the first transatlantic telegraph cable in the late 19th century. It was spearheaded by an entrepreneur, Cyrus Field who, luckily for all involved, did not know exactly how expensive and difficult the venture will turn out to be, so he kept his enthusiasm and drive for almost 15 years, finally seeing it through to completion. There were dozens of highly knowledgeable and very rich men involved in laying that first cable (which was actually a succession of 3-5 cables, most of which remained in pieces on the ocean floor), which required the technology of the time to improve very quickly - there were matters of understanding and codifying electricity, learning to work with nature, creating better cables and learning how to test them before losing them on the ocean floor, and even building better ships. It was only through the combined perseverance of everyone involved (and a huge amount of investment) that a working cable was finally laid. And once that first cable was finally in place, many many cables followed almost immediately after, as the mistakes and experiences of Field's team were analyzed and used to improve the technology at every new attempt.
While perhaps a somewhat idealized narrative, the book is a great tale of humans working together and learning from their mistakes in order to achieve something that was considered impossible.

[David Sharp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read on the foreshadowing of the Internet and it's effect on globalized communication.
I think engineers would appreciate the technical magnitude of the accomplishment more than I ever could - though I do grasp it to some degree. The the unstoppable resilience of Cyrus Field, who I had never before known of, is remarkable. Men and women with a grand vision, undaunted in the the face of continual failure, are to be admired and emulated.

After 11 years of multiple failures, scores of transatlantic crossings to garner support from both England and America, and millions of dollars of investment including his entire fortune, Field, the son of a preacher, wrote: I left the room, I went to my cabin, I locked the door; I could no longer restrain my tears -- crying like a child, and full of gratitude to God....." From Isaac Newton to Cyrus Field and beyond, some of the greatest scientific achievements were attained by those who knew that "every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from the father of lights" and so does not boast as if he did not receive everything that he has.

[Irene Taschek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knowing full well that global communications had its origins with the laying of underwater transmission cables in the mid-1800s, I was gobsmacked to learn that more than 90% of all global communications TODAY continue to use the same pathways (albeit with advanced cabling material).

With cellular, satellite, and other wireless communication advances being at the forefront of our everyday lives, I have admittedly taken for granted the simple act of picking up a phone to make a call or hitting the send button to send an email, or even searching the internet while hundreds of millions of other global users do so simultaneously.

This book was a fascinating read on the history of how the entire globe became forever connected together through decades of rigorous and tireless collaboration between geniuses, financiers, and laborers. Highly recommend this book!

[Andy Dorsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although not a revolutionary reexamination of the Atlantic telegraph cable laying, this tome nonetheless delivers what it promises: a heroic story, one which is entertaining from start to finish. I would have preferred a little more focus on the societal implications of the cable -- I enjoyed the brief mention of the fact that critics scoffed at getting news of royal family colds faster, while enthusiasts were excited at the prospect of getting news of European wars faster (royalty and wars, the two things Europe is always good for). But John Steele Gordon sets out to tell the technical and financial story of the cable, and that's legitimate, too.

It's fun how, although you know that a cable was eventually laid, you don't know when or how, so the book remains intriguing although everything happened more than a hundred years ago.

[Steve Catto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sometimes find factual stories difficult to stick with, but the author makes this very entertaining.
You don't require technical knowledge to understand it, but it doesn't talk down to you if you have a scientific mind.

It's hard to appreciate the scale of the problems involved in running a cable in the pioneering days. Nobody really knew much about electricity, never mind communications and it's more of a tribute to the early business entrepreneurs that the first transatlantic cable eventually succeeded.

This is a story that is worth telling, and worth reading. I bought the hard copy book many years ago and read it twice. I would read it again.

It's a gem.

[Prajakta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very informative, entertaining and engaging book. It tells the story of how Atlantic cable was laid.

Due to the courage, perseverance of an American named Cyrus Field United States was connected to Britain, the communication distance between these two important nations was reduced to mere hours due to this long and arduous endeavor.

This project led the foundation for today's global village. We owe it to Cyrus Field's sheer doggedness for today's ubiquitous communication technologies.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was inspired to read this after finishing a book on the story of the transcontinental railroad. Even though the transatlantic telegram changed the world, I didn't find its story as awe-inspiring. There were financing problems, labor issues, bad luck with the weather, and huge engineering challenges, but they were typically overcome in straightforward ways: through sheer persistence by a team of great workers and innovators. It's a short book, and worth a read, but I didn't learn as much from the details as I had hoped.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad book. Story and characters are very interesting and the author does a good job of telling the story with pace.

Main downside is after spending a week or so reading this book, I realized I’m a little too afraid to say I read a book about a cable in public or in social circles. Wires are cool, but haven’t been able to bring myself to tell any of the coworkers.

There are a lot of famous 19th century engineers dropped in this book, but there are better stories to read for that. This one is all able the cable. Still a fascinating tale about this mega project. Classic “it can’t be done” and then five years later it’s the norm type of shift technology brings.

[Kate - The BookSirens Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must for history aficionados, especially those interested in the lesser told stories. The laying down of the transatlantic cable in 1866 might seem boring for many. But it’s a story of outstanding achievement that led to remarkable technological progress on both sides of the ocean. Informative and fascinating, the book is an easy and quick read.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of amazing perseverance and innovation. I am fascinated by the transformation this technology unleashed. The author does a fine job of bringing us along on the harrowing ride with so many disappointments, temporary successes, and failures it seems almost unbelievable. Makes me wonder if we have examples of that kind of determination today.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of my favorite genre, the deep dive into some foundational aspect of contemporary life. It’s a story of the triumph of humanity’s audacious ambition. The laying of the transatlantic cable is one of those achievements so impactful and foundational that it is inevitable that it will be forgotten in the same way one forgets the foundation of their house

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wouldn't have thought to pick this up, however it was recommended on a podcast that I enjoy. I must say that it was surprisingly interesting! A great story of entrepreneurship, grit, and political savvy.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read only on lunch breaks which I rarely get to take, this book has taken me an age to read, but it kept my attention and interest throughout. I love reading a non-fiction book on a topic that it hadn't even occurred to me to wonder about, and then gain insight and perspective.

[Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but satisfying history of the efforts to lay the Transatlantic Cable, which revolutionized global communications. Gordon focuses on the technical difficulties to be solved and the personalities of the people facing the challenges, with particular emphasis on Cyrus Fields.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a story! Very nicely done.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating!

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Success comes to those who are passionate and never give up their goals and dreams.