Why did E.O.W. Whitehouse disagree with William Thomson about the transatlantic cable?

E.O.W. Whitehouse, the chief electrician for the Atlantic Telegraph Company, disagreed with William Thomson regarding the feasibility and technical requirements of the transatlantic cable because he believed that practical experience refuted Thomson’s theoretical findings.1

While Thomson used mathematical analysis—specifically an analogy between the flow of heat in solid bodies and the flow of electricity in conductors—to explain the delay of electric currents in long cables, Whitehouse argued that his own empirical observations contradicted these calculations. For a period, the company's directors favored Whitehouse’s position over Thomson’s theoretical model. However, the company eventually dismissed Whitehouse, adopted Thomson’s design recommendations, and implemented his mirror galvanometer for the project.1