The story of transatlantic communications in Newfoundland began with the arrival of Frederick Gisborne in 1851 with plans to telegraphically connect the island with the Nova Scotia mainland. Gisborne established a company named Newfoundland Electric Telegraph, which became insolvent in late 1853, after constructing its telegraph line only from St. John's to Brigus. Subsequently, however, Gisborne met New York businessman Cyrus Field, who seized the grander notion of not only constructing a telegraph line across Newfoundland, but extending it even further - across the Atlantic Ocean, connecting Europe with North America. Field organized a number of companies to pursue this objective, including the New York, Newfoundland and London Telegraph Company, the Atlantic Telegraph Company, and Anglo-American Telegraph, all of which were involved with early transatlantic cables.