Portion of the first submarine cable between Dover and Calais, 1850

Made:
1850 in Islington
maker:
Gutta Percha Company
1913-230 Pt1: Portion of the first submarine cable laid between 1913-230 Pt1: Portion of the first submarine cable laid between

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

1913-230 Pt1: Portion of the first submarine cable laid between
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

1913-230 Pt1: Portion of the first submarine cable laid between
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Portion of first submarine cable laid between Dover and Calais in glass presentation tube with ivorine label, recovered in 1875, made by the Gutta Percha Company, Islington, 1850.

This cable consists of a single copper wire, with gutta-perch insulation, but no armouring. It was held down to the bed of the sea by lead weights attached at 100-yard (91.4 m) intervals. It was laid between Dover and Cap Gris Nez on 28 August 1850, and failed during the first night, reportedly because a fisherman had caught the cable with his anchor and, without realising what it was, cut it free. The cable was not expected to be a permanent success, and the action of the tides soon destroyed the insulating material. It was intended as a test of the possibility of the idea of laying a cable between England and France. Having proved that it was possible, a second cable was laid the following year in 1851.

Details

Category:
Telecommunications
Object Number:
1913-230
Materials:
gutta-percha, copper (alloy), glass and ivorine
Measurements:
Glass tube: 185 mm x 30 mm diameter, 2.2 kg
ivorine label: 50 mm x 155 mm .01 kg
type:
cable
credit:
Donated by the General Post Office

Parts

Ivorine label for portion of the first submarine cable between Dover and Calais, 1875-1913

Ivorine label for portion of the first submarine cable between Dover and Calais, 1875-1913

Measurements:
overall: 50 mm x 110 mm .016 kg
Materials:
ivorine
Object Number:
1913-230 Pt4
type:
label