Before we had cell phones, messaging apps, text messages, email, pagers, or even landline telephones, the telegraph was the quickest way to communicate over distances. The first long-distance semaphore telegraph line was established in 1792.
In the second half of the 19th century, The Anglo-American Telegraphic Company used cables laid across the Atlantic Ocean to connect North America to Great Britian and other parts of Europe. You can learn more about this company here: Link
I recently came across the telegraph pictured below that was meant to be sent from America to France in 1877. Unfortunately, one of the four cables laid by AATC had ceased working, and it never reached its intended recipient. Rumor has it that it was meant for a French spy who was coming to America later that year. It told him the location of a package containing a mission log he was to find, review and sign to indicate his intent to continue his mission. Maybe you can decipher the message to find where that package is hidden.
