Volume 14: Webster & Horsfall & the Atlantic Cable

The laying of the Atlantic cable in 1866 revolutionized communications between the Old World and the New. Instead of days by ship, it now took hours for messages to be sent by telegraph across the Atlantic. Drawing on a rich collection of letters and journals only recently made available, this book tells the story of the part played by the Birmingham wire-manufacturer Webster and Horsfall in this remarkable triumph of Victorian science, engineering and sheer perseverance. The reader will also get to know well two men who were at the heart of all this. Baron Dickinson Webster was amiable, a lover of conversation and a leading figure in local affairs. James Horsfall was stern and lived quietly and privately. Yet, in business, these two very different men complemented each other perfectly - and their business continues to thrive to this day.