Circuits in the Sea: The Men, the Ships, and the Atlantic Cable

(Hardback)

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Description

In 1855, an American visionary named Cyrus West Field, who knew nothing about telegraphy, sought to establish a monopoly on telegraphic revenues between North America and Europe. Field and the wealthy New Yorkers who formed the first Atlantic cable-laying company never suspected that spanning the vast and stormy Atlantic would require eleven years frustration and horrific financial sacrifice. It would eventually engage some of the most brilliant minds in England, Scotland, and the US, attracting men of science, men of wealth, and men of curiosity. Message time would eventually be cut from more than four weeks to about two minutes. Such a feat would not have been possible without the massive ship the Great Eastern, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Britain's foremost engineer, or the financial backing of Thomas Brassey, the era's greatest builder of railways. This is the story of the men, their ships, and the technology that made it all possible. Behind the scenes were tough and worthy competitors who tried to beat them to the punch, adding a sense of urgency to their monumental task. Some called the Atlantic cable the greatest feat of the 19th century - with good reason. It perfected transoceanic communications and connected the world with circuits in the sea.

Reviews

"An exciting and dramatic story that pits the challenges of advancing technology with dynamic personalities to produce the energy that was the mid-19th century!"-Dr. William B. Cogar, Vice President for Collections and Research Mystic Seaport
"This new account by Chester G. Hearn tells the story from the point of view of Cyrus W. Field, the American businessman and entrepreneur whose energy and perseverance drove the project through numerous disappointments and disasters to ultimate triumph....[t]he story is well told, providing the basic technical details in a heroic narrative of one of the greatest adventures of modern science and technology."-The Historian
"This volume is most appropriate for the college classroom. It clearly illustrates the dynamic balance between science, technology, and society, and how developments in one influence applications in the other. It also shows how the advancement of a technology sometimes depends on the personalities of those involved and their ability to persuade others to work toward its development. The almost obsessive drive that some of the protagonists exhibit could be illustrative of the good and the bad in all personality-driven endeavors. This would be a good book to read and analyze--especially in terms of how the parallel development of wireless communications ultimately made this monumental undertaking obsolete. It could easily serve as a cautionary tale for all the blind optimism that may exist around any particular technology today....[a] welcome addition to the literature. For those students interested in history of technology, I highly recommend this book."-NSTA
[R]elates the technological and cooperative efforts of two nations that joined forces to create the first transatlantic communication cable. From the efforts of wealthy new Yorkers who formed the first Atlantic cable-laying company to the participation of England's best, chapters detail failures, enmity, cooperation and 11 years of hard effort....[a] unique history.-MBR Internet Bookwatch
For the researcher, each chapter has many notes giving the source of information and quoted material, and the book also has an extensive list of sources and a comprehensive bibliography.-Current Bibliography and Reviews
General readers; graduate students; faculty and researchers.-Choice
This new account by Chester G. Hearn tells the story from the point of view of Cyrus W. Field, the American businessman and entrepreneur whose energy and perseverance drove the project through numerous disappointments and disasters to ultimate triumph....[t]he story is well told, providing the basic technical details in a heroic narrative of one of the greatest adventures of modern science and technology.-The Historian
This volume is most appropriate for the college classroom. It clearly illustrates the dynamic balance between science, technology, and society, and how developments in one influence applications in the other. It also shows how the advancement of a technology sometimes depends on the personalities of those involved and their ability to persuade others to work toward its development. The almost obsessive drive that some of the protagonists exhibit could be illustrative of the good and the bad in all personality-driven endeavors. This would be a good book to read and analyze--especially in terms of how the parallel development of wireless communications ultimately made this monumental undertaking obsolete. It could easily serve as a cautionary tale for all the blind optimism that may exist around any particular technology today....[a] welcome addition to the literature. For those students interested in history of technology, I highly recommend this book.-NSTA
"Relates the technological and cooperative efforts of two nations that joined forces to create the first transatlantic communication cable. From the efforts of wealthy new Yorkers who formed the first Atlantic cable-laying company to the participation of England's best, chapters detail failures, enmity, cooperation and 11 years of hard effort....a unique history."-MBR Internet Bookwatch
"[R]elates the technological and cooperative efforts of two nations that joined forces to create the first transatlantic communication cable. From the efforts of wealthy new Yorkers who formed the first Atlantic cable-laying company to the participation of England's best, chapters detail failures, enmity, cooperation and 11 years of hard effort....[a] unique history."-MBR Internet Bookwatch
"For the researcher, each chapter has many notes giving the source of information and quoted material, and the book also has an extensive list of sources and a comprehensive bibliography."-Current Bibliography and Reviews
"General readers; graduate students; faculty and researchers."-Choice

Author Bio

Chester G. Hearn retired from industry as a vice president in 1990 and has since written and published eighteen books. He lives in Erie, Pennsylvania.