Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 04.djvu/95

 FIELD

FIELD

and encouraged the project. It was necessary to form submarine connection between Cape Breton and Newfoundland and this led Field to exclaim " If between these two points why not between Newfoundland and Ireland?" and the Atlantic cable was tlien first conceived. With Peter Cooper, Moses Taylor, Marshall O. Roberts and Chandler White, he organized and obtained chartered rights for the New York, Newfound- land and London telegrajih company and the in- corporators subscribed §1,500,000 to the stock. For thirteen years Mr. Field devoted his entire time to the i^roject, visiting Europe thrice each year, watching the manufactiu-e and testing of cables and obtaining subscriptions from capital- ists, concessions from Parliament, and advice from leading electricians and engineers. The Atlantic telegraph company was formed with a capital of $1,750,000, Mr. Field jjersonally pur- chasing one-fourth of the capital stock and sell- ing three-foiu-ths to English capitalists. In 1858 after one unsuccessful trial a cable was laid, but after a few days it suddenly became useless. The civil war interfered with the immediate contin- uance of the project, but in 1866 the Great Eastern,

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after one partial failure, safely deposited a larger cable on the "telegraph plateau" or bed of the ocean. The cable of 186.'), which had parted in midoceah, was repaired and the Atlantic cable was a success. The congress of the United States voted Mr. Field a gold medal and the thanks of the nation; the prime minister of Eng- land declared that only the fact of his alienshiij prevented his receiving the highest honors in the power of the British government to give; the commissioners of the Paris exposition of ISOT gave him the grand medal, the highest prize tliey had to bestow; kings decorated him, and states and cities vied with each other in doing him honor. While Mr. Field was employed with the cable his firm in the paper business failed in 1H5T, Ids warehouses were destroyed by fire in 1859, and the panic of 1860 forced him to compro- mise with his creditors. He again paid off his obligations and before the successful accomplish- ment of his projected scheme he had placed him-

self in good financial standing with the world. He afterward directed his energies toward pro- jected submarine telegraphs between India, China, the Sandwich Islands. Australia and San Francisco, between the United States, Cuba, South America, and toward the solution of the question of rajiid transit in New York city. He accomplished the construction of the New York elevated railroad and on May 16, 1877, owned a majority of the stock and was elected its presi- dent. Having demonstrated the practicability of the project and its value as a money-earner he was mercile.ssly robbed b}' his associate, to whom he trusted the control of the enterprise during his absence in Europe, and he was left during his declining j^ears with a few shares of ocean telegraph stock and the semblance of ownership of his home, " Ardsley-on-the-Hud- son," but even this was of no material benefit to his heirs. Severe domestic afflictions added to the distress of his closing days. His medals, decorations, plate, letters of congratulation and paintings, the souvenirs of his successful accom- plishment in ocean telegraphy, were deposited in the Metropolitan museum of art. New York city, and he was honored by election to fellowship in various learned societies in both Europe and America. Williams college conferred on him the honorary degree of A.M. in 1859 and that of LL.D. in 1875. He died at -Vrdsley, near Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., July 12. 1892.

FIELD, David Dudley, clergyman, was born in East Guilford, Conn., May 20, 1781; son of Capt. Timothy and Anna (Dudley) Field. His first American ancestor, Zachariah Field, emi- grated from England about 1631 and settled in the colony of Plymouth, Mass. Zachariah's son Ebenezer removed to Guilford. Conn., and his son David died there in 1770. David's son. Cap- tain Timothy, an officer of the American army during the Revolution, was the father of David

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Dudley, who was graduated at Yale in 1802, jiay- ing his way througli college by teaching school, was licensed to preach by the a.ssociation of New Haven east in 1803 and received his M..A.. degree from Y''ale in 1805. He had charge of the church at Somers in 1803, a:id while there was married