The first Atlantic telegraphs

Outlines the history of the development and laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cables, from County Kerry on the West Coast of Ireland to Heart's Content in Newfoundland (from which it was relatively easy to take a telegraph line to New York). Problems included waterproofing, signal attenuation, the breaking of the cable during laying, and the carrying of so much cable on ships. The first cable was laid in 1858, but it failed within a few weeks. The successful cable was laid in 1866.