Punch,  49 (1865), 73.

Messages from the Great Eastern  [4/4]

Anon

Genre:

Serial, Diary, Spoof

Subjects:

Telegraphy, Accidents, Engineering, Monstrosities, Physical Geography, Travel, Instruments


    Written from 'Lyndhurst Square, Peckham' on the author's return from his voyage on the Great Eastern. Notes that the cable has been 'put at the bottom of the sea' and describes how 'those who go out on the next expedition' will be able to locate the sunken cable by a buoy that has been attached to it. Later he describes how the ship's gun was fired at the 'great sea serpent, who had several times risen in all his terrors', and how the crew managed to disentangle the ship from the 'equinoxial line'. He makes several other droll observations relating to the laying of the cable, including the fact that his messages from shore had become 'crystallised and electrotyped' and looked like 'copper nails', and the Sphynx sounded the ocean floor so loudly 'that clouds were brought on'.



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