Research topic: Cyrus West Field

Cyrus West Field 1819-92, American merchant, promoter of the first Atlantic cable, b. Stockbridge, Mass.; brother of David Dudley Field and Stephen J. Field . As head of a paper business, he accumulated a modest fortune, and in 1853 he retired. In 1854 he conceived the idea of the cable. He secured a charter, organized the English and American companies, and obtained the British and American naval ships Agamemnon and Niagara to lay the cable. Five attempts were made in 1857-58 and the first message came over Aug. 16, 1858, but the cable ceased working three weeks later. It was... Read more