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The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from Memoir of Fleeming Jenkin by Robert Louis Stevenson: submarine telegraph from Sardinia to Africa failed three times in
the attempt. The distance from land to land is about 140 miles.
On the first occasion, after proceeding some 70 miles, he had to
cut the cable - the cause I forget; he tried again, same result;
then picked up about 20 miles of the lost cable, spliced on a new
piece, and very nearly got across that time, but ran short of
cable, and when but a few miles off Galita in very deep water, had
to telegraph to London for more cable to be manufactured and sent
out whilst he tried to stick to the end: for five days, I think,
he lay there sending and receiving messages, but heavy weather
coming on the cable parted and Mr. - went home in despair - at
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