By Atlantic Telegraph!

Augusta, Maine
1858

When the transatlantic cable was finally pulled ashore in 1858, celebrations erupted across the nation, marked by the ringing of church bells, torch-light parades, and a hundred-gun salute in New York City. For some it may have seemed like only yesterday, when in 1844, inventor Samuel Morse demonstrated that signals could be transmitted by wire. However, the technology, which allowed people to communicate almost instantly across great distances, had already transformed society. By the early 1850s, there were 20,000 miles of cable crisscrossing the country, prompting financier Cyrus W. Field to undertake the next step, establishing the Atlantic Telegraph Company to connect North America to Europe.

With the aid of British and American naval ships, work began laying a cable across the ocean floor in 1857. Despite utilizing the relatively shallow submarine plateau between Ireland and Newfoundland, the line often ran at depths of more than two miles, causing setbacks and delays. Nevertheless, success was finally achieved and on August 16, 1858, telegraph messages were exchanged across the Atlantic Ocean.

Revealing the high level of excitement, the first transmissions were widely reported the following day, including on the table d'hote menu at the Stanley House in Augusta, Maine. Under the jubilant heading “By Atlantic Telegraph!,” two telegrams are shown on the menu below, beginning with the congratulatory message that Queen Victoria sent to President James Buchanan, followed by his response. Interestingly, it took over seventeen hours to transmit the president’s reply, the reception across the Atlantic being so poor that it required over two minutes on average to transmit each character, using the dots and dashes of “Morse code.”

Although banquets are often held to celebrate the anniversary of historic events, it is rare to find a daily menu, especially one from such humble surroundings, reflecting momentous events as they are happening. Contributing to our general understanding of the times in which this world-shrinking achievement took place, the details of everyday life reflected on this menu include the illustration of the hotel and other establishments on Water Street (many identified by name) and the simple bill of fare, showing dishes like cod’s head and shoulders, potted pigeons, and baked cracker pudding.

The cable failed in early September 1858 after only nineteen days of service. The insulation, already having begun to deteriorate, failed soon after the voltage was boosted to increase the speed of transmission. The next attempt to lay a transatlantic line would have to wait until after the Civil War. By the time a new cable went into service in July 1866, the materials were much improved, allowing the transmission time to be increased to eight words per minute. It was called the “Eighth Wonder of the World.”