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(SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING.) Saward, George. Letter to inventor Samuel Morse concerning the first trans-Atlantic telegraph cable. Autograph Letter Signed as Secretary of the Atlantic Telegraph Company to "Professor S.F.B. Morse, Arroyo, Porto Rico, West Indies." 2 pages, 10 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches, on one folding sheet of Atlantic Telegraph letterhead; offsetting from second page onto first, coffee stain affecting signature. London, 15 January 1858 [1859]
Samuel Finley Breese Morse (1791-1872), inventor of the telegraph, played a key role as a supporter of Cyrus West Field and the Atlantic Telegraph Company in their efforts to create the first trans-Atlantic telegraph service. The first cable became operational in August 1858, but went dead after only three weeks. In this letter, Saward addresses a rumor that Morse is now opposed to Atlantic Telegraph's efforts. He also describes the current state of the cable: "The cable, I am sorry to say, continues much in the same position as when you were here. Twelve miles of the thick shore cable have been laid, but no fault has been found within that distance & the season of the year has prevented us from going further out at present." He also describes the efforts of W.T. Henley, who "has been for some time at work upon a series of electrical apparatus from the use of which encourages us to hope for some result. It will be sent out on the 4th of next month to Newfoundland in order to make a final trial." The trans-Atlantic service would not be restored until 1866.
