The first big step in underwater cables was a relatively short one: across the English Channel.
In 1850 the Brett brothers laid their first line - a copper wire covered only with gutta percha - across the Channel from Britain to France. It broke within a few hours and could not be repaired. A year later, they tried again with a heavier armored cable containing four separate copper conductors. It worked. On September 25, 1851, nations separated by water were linked by cable for the first time.
In 1851 an electric telegraph cable successfully crossed the English Channel, ending the dominance of optical semaphore systems. A century and a half later, electric cables are being replaced by a new optical system.
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The cable of 1850 was just a copper wire covered with gutta percha. Within hours, a fisherman snagged the lightweight line and broke it. From then on, engineers protected their cables with a sheath of iron wires. |
| Sample of 1850 English Channel cable. | |
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Sample of Atlantic cable, 1866 National Museum of American History, from Western Union | |
| In 1845, John and Jacob Brett of England became the first to register a company for the purpose of laying underwater telegraph cables. The brothers had their eyes on the English Channel, but they also boldly proposed a line across the Atlantic. |
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Proposal for English Channel cable, 1845 From Charles Bright, Submarine Telegraphs, 1898 Smithsonian Institution Libraries | |
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| "New Siamese Twins" The telegraph links England and France British political cartoon, Punch magazine, 1851 |
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As soon as the electric telegraph was invented, people tried to extend its reach across water. Numerous short underwater cables were laid around Britain and in the Mediterranean in the 1850s. This box holds samples from some of those projects.
The cables share the same basic construction: copper wire, surrounded by gutta percha insulation (a dark plastic-like substance) and a sheath of iron wires. Heavier sheathing was used near the shore, as protection against anchors and fishing gear. |
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Selection of early cables in presentation box, 1850s National Museum of American History | |
