The five subsequent cables - 1869 to 1909.
- Australia 1901-1988
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Tasmania
- Victoria
- Western Australia
- International
- Special aspects
The history of the Tasmanian cables after the 1859 failure can be briefly summarised as follows:
1. The aftermath of the 1859 failure to lay an operative cable.
After the 1859 cable had been unsuccessfully laid, the two Governments reviewed the use and operation of the cable. It was some time before discussions recommenced about the possibility of duplicating the cable.
In summary of what had happened, The Herald wrote just before the 1869 attempt commenced:
"about ten years ago, a submarine cable was successfully laid between Cape Otway and Launceston by way of King's Island and, for some time, messages were regularly interchanged between the two colonies; but the cable was not strong enough to stand the rocky coast from which it was launched and, after being in operation for a short time, the stream of electricity gradually became more and more feeble, flickered and eventually expired. After some unsuccessful attempts to repair the broken cable, the enterprise was abandoned for several years. Captain Gilmore, however, from time to time brought the matter before the Tasmanian Government and two years ago it was determined to make another attempt".
Soon after the cable was finally declared inoperative, the Tasmanian House of Assembly recommended that "concurrently with the Victorian Government, the (Tasmanian) Government is prepared to transfer the submarine cable to any person or company on the guarantee of its being kept in working order". Details of the possibility for this transfer are provided elsewhere. Understandably there were no takers. Parts of the cable were however used elsewhere (e.g. in South Australia across Lake Alexandrina and in Queensland).
2. Re-emergence of hopes for a cable.
In his Report of the Victorian Electric Telegraph Department for the year 1862, McGowan noted (p. 5)
"no practical advance has been made towards renewing or re-establishing the telegraphic connection across Bass's Straits. In the month of March last (1862), a gentleman bearing the authority of the Tasmanian Government endorsed by yourself (on behalf of this colony) proceeded to England, empowered to receive propositions from competent and responsible persons in that country for the renewal or repair of the communication".
In July 1864, a Select Committee was established to recommend if it were possible to restore a cable connection between Tasmania and Victoria. That prompted a series of discussions between the two Governments.
In August 1867, proposals were made by the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company to lay a cable between Low Head (Tasmania) and Flinders (in Western Port Bay, Victoria). The Government of Tasmania accepted the company's terms on 23 August 1867, which were a guarantee of 6 per cent interest on the amount expended (£70,000) for 30 years. Again the Eastern Extension Cable Company were to be the project managers and operators of the Inter-Colonial company. The agreement included provision for a £1,200 annual subsidy from the two Governments until the profits exceeded 100%. Discussions on these details actually continued for a year after the cable was laid.
3. The second Tasmania-Victoria cable: 1869.
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After much discussion, the route for the 1869 cable was selected to be east of the 1859 cable - so between Flinders in Victoria (on the Southern Coast line) and Low Head in Tasmania. |
4. Preparations for laying the 1869 cable.
The Argus 6 April 1869 cites the following:
We find the following in the Hobart Town Mercury, on the subject of the Bass Strait electric telegraph cable, which is daily expected from England by the steamer Investigator:
"The cable is about 200 knots in length, and the conductor is composed of seven copper wires, twisted into one strand, so that in case one of the wires were to break, the continuity would not be destroyed. The whole is imbedded in a coat of Chatterton's composition and covered with gutta percha. Again there is another layer of Chatterton's patent, and again gutta percha, and the process is repeated four times. The partly completed cable is then swathed in stout Manilla hemp or jute, and an external sheeting of extremely strong galvanised wire finishes the manipulation of the manufactureThe present cable is much stronger than its predecessor. Indeed, it is heavier than that laid across the Atlantic, which weighs 37 cwt to the knot, while that which it is proposed should connect Victoria and Tasmania weighs 40 cwt to the knot..
Mr. D. Fisher, who arrived in Victoria by the last mail, will superintend the laying of the cable. During the last few days, he has been actively engaged in examining the coast of Victoria for the purpose of laying the shore end; and, in all probability, Flinders, which is only seven miles from Cape Schanck and has the advantage of being very well sheltered will be the spot selected as a starting point.
If the weather is fair, the cable, which is about 500 tons, will be laid in about thirty six hours and it is intended that the arrangements shall be very complete. Mr. Fisher intends to ask the Victorian Government to grant the use of the steamer Pharos to act as consort.
One great advantage that the new cable has over the old one is that it possesses about six miles at the shore ends extremely strong, for the purpose of resisting any rock action that may be near the land. The total value of the cable will be, when laid, £80,000".
The following day, The Argus also carried the followig:
"We have papers of one day's later date from Hobart Town. Discussing the best place for landing the Victorian end of the Bass's Straits telegraphic cable, the Mercury status that the electricians who have come out to lay the cable are quite satisfied with the Cape Schanck site, but the Times agrees with us in thinking that if the station were at Wilson's Promontory, the line would be more useful.
On the Tasmanian side, the cable will be landed a little to the eastward of the lighthouse, at the entrance to the TamarSo at Low Head., and the bottom is reported to be of sand and shelving rock and of a favourable character. The papers again report the fact of salmon having been seen in the Derwent, but add that we are not likely to hear more of them for some days, as the river is now in high flood".
The cable was brought to Tasmania by the Eastern Extension's Company ship Investigator. On 13 April 1869, the Shipping Notices in the Argus noted under the heading IMPORTS:
"Investigator, S.S., from London. 16 packages, containing telegraph paper, sulphate of copper, instruments, battery plates, tools, copper earth plates and battery cells for Tasmanian submarine cable".
It is interesting that this manifesto does not reference the cable itself - but maybe the listing was only the items to be unloaded in Victoria.
On 15 April 1869, the Launceston Examiner carried a much longer announcement also from the Argus of the 13th:
"ARRIVAL OF THE INVESTIGATOR. The S. S. Investigator, the arrival of which has been looked for here for some days past, anchored in the bay yesterday about noon. Seeing that she is freighted with the submarine telegraph cable for connecting this colony with Tasmania, a special interest attaches to her safe arrival in these waters, and it will be gratifying to the promoters of the project for joining the two colonies to know that, although the voyage from London to Port Phillip has been rather tedious, yet the weather throughout has been singularly fine, too fine indeed for the making of a rapid passage, but by no means too fine for the safe conveyance of the cable during so long a voyage. She is under the command of Captain Cruikshank....
The delay which occurred on the voyage out is attributable in no small degree to the light winds and calms which prevailed throughout, but more especially from the channel to lat. 43 deg. S. Add to this that she left London with some 950 tons of deadweight on board, while her gross tonnage is only 700 tons, and it will be seen that a rapid passage was altogether out of the question. In addition to the submarine cable plant, which is some 220 miles In length and weighs about 450 tons, the steamer had also about 600 tons of coal on board besides her stores and, on leaving the Thames, she was loaded almost to the water's edge.
The Investigator left Greenhithe on 8 January and met with light winds and calms to St. Vincent where she put in for a supply of coals and remained for three days. After leaving the island, light winds continued to the line which was crossed on 5th February, in long. 14 deg. W. The same provoking light weather, with frequent calm, was experienced to lat. 43 deg. S, in which parallel the meridian of the Cape of Good Hope was passed on 3rd March.
From the pitch of the Cape until about 100 miles west of Cape Otway, the Investigator had to depend solely on her canvas and, when a slant of favorable wind was obtained, she was equal to ten knots and that too with the encumbrance of the screw propeller dragging through the water.
The voyage in fact, may be summed up in few words - fine weather and calms being the almost daily record. So flue, indeed, was the weather that the barometer, except on three occasions, never ranged under 30 in (about 1015 hPa). The arrangements on board for the safe conveyance of the cable are complete. After necessary consultation with all parties immediately concerned , the Investigator will proceed to Western Port to commence the laying of the cable".
The Investigator apparently sailed from Melbourne on 20 April to begin laying the new cable. The Navy survey ship Pharos and the Launceston tug Tamar assisted in laying the cable.
A report of part of the operation was provided by the Captain Woods of the S.S. Derwent: "at 2:15 p.m. on Friday, 23 April when about eight miles from Tamar Heads, a boat from the S. S. Pharos came close along-side. Lieutenant Stanley reported that the work of laying the cable had proceeded satisfactorily until the Investigator was within fifty miles of Tamar Heads when the weather, which had hitherto been moderate, became so rough and unfavourable that Captain Cruikshank was reluctantly compelled to cut the cable. This was accordingly done and the end buoyed. The Investigator cruised about in the vicinity while waiting for finer weather in which to resume operations. The Pharos, in anticipation of the weather becoming stormier, left the Investigator and steamed for Tamar Heads. Captain Woods kept a look out for the Investigator on the passage across the Strait but he saw nothing of her". (Argus 26 April 1869).
On 28 April, the Investigator anchored off East Beach at Low Head where a trench had already been dug to receive the shore end. The cable was brought ashore on 1st May and connected to the transmitting and receiving equipment already installed at the Low Head Cable Station - which was later to become a nunnery. Fuller and interesting details can be accessed elsewhere.
Communications with Flinders commenced on 1 May and the Governor of Tasmania (Mr. Charles Du Cane) exchanged greetings with the Victorian Governor Sir Henry Manners-Sutton ... the line was opened for private communications on 3rd May 1869 (Branagan (1987, p. 18-20)).
An enduring cable link was established between Flinders, on the Victorian mid-south coast, through to King Island and via Low Head to Launceston - the £70,000 final price being paid fully by the Tasmanian Government.
This cable was critical for Tasmania because, if it worked, future communications to England via either Western Australia or Adelaide would be facilitated within a few years.
To underscore the importance and tthe dependability of the 1869 cable, it was used for many socially important events - for example to announce the results of 1875 Tasmanian Horse races in Victoria - see the Argus of 2 February 1875.
Branagan (1987, p. 15) records "It is interesting to note that a scientific method of quickly locating a fault had been evolved by 1879. Mr. Robert Henry, Superintendent of Telegraphs in Tasmania demonstrated to a meeting of the Royal Society the use of the Wheatstone Bridge to test the resistance of a cable and so calculate the exact position of a break. This method allowed the damage to be quickly repaired by a properly equipped cable ship".
The Henry strategy was used to locate and repair a serious break 70 miles off Low Head in 1884. The reliability of the 1869 cable is reflected by this demonstration in that it was the first major break to that cable in the 15 years since it had been laid.
The cable was duplicated in 1885, 1898 and 1909.
The 1869 and 1885 cables were very successful and continued to operate until 1909. At that time, the Australian Government put pressure on the Eastern Extension Cable Company (which still operated the cable) to reduce its rates or sell the cable to the Government at a fair price. When the Company refused, the Government laid its own cables in 1909 over almost exactly the same routes.