Section of cross-Channel telephone cable, 1897

Made:
1897 in Europe
Section of cross-Channel telephone cable, Europe, 1897

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Section of cross-Channel telephone cable, Europe, 1897
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Section of cross-Channel telephone cable, unknown maker, Europe, 1897.

From the 1890s, telephone cables could successfully be laid across narrow seas, where the distance was sufficiently short that the signals did not deteriorate unduly. This is a specimen of the telephone cable laid across the English Channel in 1897 and is very similar to the first cross-Channel telephone cable which was laid in 1891. It was also similar to the medium-length telegraph cables of the time and differed only in the rather heavier copper conductors and the thicker insulation. The cross-Channel cables were owned by the British Post Office

Details

Category:
Telecommunications
Object Number:
1950-129
Materials:
copper (metal), metal (unknown) and plastic (unidentified)
Measurements:
overall: 140 mm x 53 mm diameter, .73kg
type:
cable
credit:
Donated by G Hawkes Field