From The Alexandria Gazette and Virginia Advertiser, August 7, 1865
The last steamer from England brings the following:
The shore end of the Atlantic cable was landed and successfully connected with the instruments on board the Great Eastern. The Knight of Kerry invoked success on the undertaking, and in conclusion called on Sir Robert Peel, who made an admirable address. Cheers were then given for the President of the United States, when paying out of the heavy shore end of the cable commenced. The splice was completed in the most successful manner, and the cable worked perfectly. The gunboats Terrible and Sphynx accompanied the Great Eastern. A telegram from Valencia, dated the 24th of July, says : “Insulation defects took place on Monday afternoon. The mischief is supposed to exist three miles west of the shore-end splice, and it is believed that it was caused by too much strain from the Great Eastern. She hove too [sic] ten miles from the shore. The Caroline is picking up and underrunning the splice and repairing the fault. It is expected that the damage will be rectified immediately.
The rest of the cable remains perfect. A telegram from the Great Eastern, dated the 25th of July, says: “The cable is all O. K. again.” The signals are perfect. A small fault was discovered and cut out. The Great Eastern is now paying out the cable in lat. 52, long. 12.”
From this end of the line we have the following: Aspy Bay, Aug. 5. – We have succeeded in getting on board three miles of the Newfoundland cable after great labor; the cable, however, is so much corroded that we have no hopes of repairing it. In underrunning it parted three times. We get no tidings of the steamship Great Eastern as yet.
Source: Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.), 07 Aug. 1865. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85025007/1865-08-07/ed-1/seq-4/>