Groups keyboard shortcuts have been updated
Dismiss
See shortcuts

Inspirations - cable engineer Cyrus West Field and the character of Cyrus Smith in Jules Verne's Mysterious Island.

42 views
Skip to first unread message

John Lamb

unread,
Dec 22, 2024, 4:31:45 AM12/22/24
to Jules Verne Forum
Hello everyone,

please find attached my mini biopic of cable engineer Cyrus West Field, who knew Jules Verne and according to William Butcher is at the very least the name inspiration for engineer Cyrus Smith in The Mysterious Island (1873). 

 Although I did not contribute to the last thread on pneumatic tubes I was struck by Quentin's comparison to Field's 1866 Transatlantic cable, so I thought this was a good time to put this on. I hope you enjoy reading it and any comments are very welcome.

The mini biopic includes Field's business partner Thomas Brassey and I think the two of them really combined to inspire the character of Cyrus Smith in Jules Verne's Mysterious Island .

 Brassey was the more 'all round engineer' - a celebrity in France and paid a back handed compliment by Verne in his Backwards to Britain (1859). One thing to note are the close  linkages between major players, politicians authors and scientists. I have tried to 'name drop' as many as possible. They all knew each other, were members of the same clubs and so on. 

 My home town of Birkenhead near Liverpool not only contributed to the hull of Captain Nemo's Nautilus (via its Lairds shipyard) in Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, but played a major role in the development and financing of both of Field's submarine cables. 

best wishes and a Merry Christmas!

John Lamb
 
More cables! Cyrus West Field and the character of Cyrus Smith in Mysterious Island.pdf
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages