midnight
In five minutes more all San Francisco had the news . An hour later , the newspaper boys were shrieking it through the great cities of the States . Before bed-time every man , woman , and child in the country had heard it and gone into ecstasies over it . Owing to the difference in longitude , the people of Europe could not hear it till after midnight . But next morning the astounding issue of the great American enterprise fell on them like a thunder clap . We must , of course , decline all attempts at describing the effects of this most unexpected intelligence on the world at large . The Secretary of the Navy immediately telegraphed directions to the _ Susquehanna _ to keep a full head of steam up night and day so as to be ready to give instant execution to orders received at any moment .