Thomson, Brunel And The Atlantic Cables Of 1865 And 1866

Abstract

When the attempt to lay a working trans-Atlantic telegraph cable was renewed in 1865 after the failure of the 1858 cable, the Atlantic Telegraph Company and its contractor, the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company, decided to use only one ship instead of starting midocean with two and laying the cable in opposite directions. William Thomson’s connection with the enterprise was as a member of the five-strong Scientific Consulting Committee, which also included Charles Wheatstone and Joseph Whitworth.