retroelectro
had significant health issues and stayed behind. According to him, everybody was aware of this when they started this endeavor.
through winter. Despite a significant reevaluation of techniques and better preparation, the cable broke again after a thousand miles had been laid. They tried to ‘fish’ the cable out with a grapple, coming close a few times, but they couldn’t hook it after trying for several days. (Spoilers: this cable would later be miraculously recovered in 1866 and spliced with another cable, allowing for two lines when the second cable was installed eight years later.)
Attempt 3: August 1858 The third and ultimately successful attempt occurred in August 1858. This time, the two ships met mid- Atlantic, spliced their sections, and laid the cable simultaneously toward their respective shores, Valentia Island, Ireland, and Trinity Bay, Newfoundland. Despite these attempts, Wildman Whitehouse didn’t get on the boats. According to reports, he
The cable is a success
After two failed attempts, the cable was successfully completed on August 6th, 1858. The next ten days seemed crazy. Immediately, Whitehouse abandoned all of Thomson’s equipment and began
Figure 12. Map of 1858 Cable
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