Transatlantic Cable, 1881

01

Artifact Overview

This cable is part of a display of transatlantic telegraph cables dating from 1858-1928. This cable section was part of a system laid from Sennen Cove, England and Canso, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1881.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Transatlantic cable

Date Made

1881

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

2016.0.33.1.6

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Wire
Metal

Color

Black (Color)
Silver (Color)

Dimensions

Length: 12 in
Diameter: 1 in

Inscriptions

stamped in black on ferrule: 1881
02

Related Content

  • Exide News, Electric Power Control Edition, August 1937 (front cover)
    Set

    Signals Under the Ocean

    • 15 Artifacts
    This publication contains the article "Trouble Shooting the Atlantic Telegraph Cables." It discusses the difficulty of maintaining the large network of undersea communication cables. Safety challenges include: uneven topography on the ocean floor, interference from marine life, and trawling fishing boats accidentally severing cables. Damaged cables are found using echolocation and electrical equipment and drawn to the surface for repair.