The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 16, No. 97, November, 1865 / A Magazine of Literature, Science, Art, and Politics

by Various

A line from Calcutta to Canton is already undertaken by an English company, with due authority from the British Government.

In Australia there are now in operation twelve thousand miles of telegraph-wire. This Australian system, which is at present so purely local and isolated, is nevertheless expected to be brought into combination, by alternating submarine and island wires, with the Chinese and Russian line above described.

The statistics of the telegraph-lines in Great Britain show not only an increase in the number of lines, but a great augmentation in the amount of business transacted. In 1861 there were 11,528 miles of line open for public use; in 1862, 12,711 miles; and in 1863, 13,892 miles, comprising 65,012 miles of wire. Last year, the number of stations was augmented in like proportion; and facilities were offered for the transmission of telegraphic dispatches at no fewer than 1,755 stations, containing 6,196 instruments, through which about 3,400,000 telegrams were sent. In addition to the lines on British soil, the Submarine Telegraph Company has cables stretching to Calais, Boulogne, Dieppe, Jersey, Ostend, Hanover, and Denmark, with which the other lines are more or less in connection, covering 887 miles with 2,683 miles of wire. This company has upwards of 3,000 stations on the Continent. The messages sent by it to and from foreign countries were, in 1861, 230,000; in 1862, 310,595; and in 1863, 345,784.

France possesses a system comprising 71,034 miles of wire and 1,301 stations, which transmit about 1,500,000 private dispatches annually, and nearly 175,000 official ones. Russia has 36,663 miles of wire; Austria, 22,230; Italy, 20,120; Prussia, 24,149; Spain, 17,743; Belgium, 3,773; Switzerland, 3,720; Turkey, 6,571; Persia, 2,500; Greece, 3,000; India, 10,994, and 136 stations; Australia, 12,000; South Australia, 2,000; the United States, 120,000; the British Provinces in America, 20,000;—making a total of upwards of 440,000 miles of aërial wire in operation in all parts of the world.

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The following tables give the details of the principal cables hitherto laid by all makers. They are divided into three heads: 1st, Those which have been wholly successful, and are now working (September, 1865); 2d, Those which were partially successful, having worked for a time; 3d, Those which wholly failed, or never worked after their submergence.

Table I.

Submarine Telegraph Cables which are now in Successful Working Order.

No.	Date when laid.	From	To	Number of conducting wires.	Length of cable in statute miles.	Length of insulated wire in statute miles.	Maximum depth of water in fathoms.	Weight in tons per statute mile.	Length of time the cables have worked. Years.
1	1851	Dover	Calais	4	27	108	30	6.00	14
2	1852	Keyhaven	Hurst Castle	4	3	12	..	..	13
3	1853	Denmark	Across the Belt	3	18	54	15	4.00	12
4	1853	Dover	Ostend	6	80-1/2	483	30	5.75	12
5	1853	Firth of Forth	...	4	5	20	..	7.00	12
6	1853	England	Holland	1	120	120	30	1.75	12
7	1853	Portpatrick	Donaghadee	6	25	150	160	6.00	12
8	1854	Portpatrick	Whitehead	6	27	162	150	6.00	11
9	1854	Sweden	Denmark	3	12	36	14	6.00	11
10	1854	Italy	Corsica	6	120	660	325	8.00	11
11	1854	Corsica	Sardinia	6	10	60	20	8.00	11
12	1855	Egypt	...	4	10	40	..	6.00	10
13	1855	Italy	Sicily	1	5	5	27	6.00	10
14	1856	Prince Edward Island	Cape Breton	1	12	12	14	2.50	9
15	1857	Norway across Fiords	...	1	49	49	300	2.75	8
16	1857	Across mouth of Danube	...	1	3	3	..	1.75	8
17	1857	Ceylon	India	1	60	60	45	2.75	8
18	1858	Italy	Sicily	1	8	8	60	5.25	7
19	1858	England	Holland	4	140	560	30	9.75	7
20	1858	England	Hanover	2	280	560	30	3.00	7
21	1858	Norway across Fiords	...	1	16	16	300	2.75	7
22	1858	Dardanelles	Scio	1	115	115	200	1.00	7
23	1858	Scio	Syra	1	85	85	200	1.00	7
24	1859	Alexandria	...	4	2	8	..	5.25	6
25	1859	England	Denmark	3	360	1,104	30	4.00	6
26	1859	Scio	Smyrna	1	40	40	40	1.00	6
27	1859	Syra	Athens	1	105	105	150	1.00	6
28	1859	Sweden	Gottland	1	64	64	80	2.50	6
29	1859	Folkestone	Boulogne	6	24	144	32	9.50	6
30	1859	Across rivers in India	...	1	10	10	..	4.50	6
31	1859	Otranto	Avlona	1	50	50	400	1.00	6
32	1859	Malta	Sicily	1	60	60	79	3.25	6
33	1859	Jersey	Pirou in France	1	21	21	15	3.75	6
34	1859	South Australia	Tasmania	1	140	140	60	2.00	6
35	1860	France	Algiers	1	520	520	1,585	1.14	5
36	1860	Denmark	(Great Belt)	6	14	84	18	8.00	5
37	1860	Denmark	(Great Belt)	3	14	42	18	6.00	5
38	1860	In Arracan	...	1	116	116	50	1.00	5
39	1860	Barcelona	Port Mahon	1	198	198	1,400	1.25	5
40	1860	Minorca	Majorca	2	35	70	250	2.00	5
41	1860	Iviza	Majorca	2	74	148	500	2.00	5
42	1860	San Antonio	Iviza	2	76	152	450	2.00	5
43	1861	Corfu	Otranto	1	90	90	1,000	2.75	4
44	1861	Norway across Fiords	...	1	16	16	300	2.75	4
45	1861	Toulon	Corsica	1	195	195	1,550	1.14	4
46	1861	Malta	Alexandria	1	1,535	1,535	420	1.85	4
47	1861	Beachy Head	Dieppe	6	80	320	30	8.00	4
48	1862	Abermawr	Grenore	4	63	252	58	5.25	3
49	1862	England	Holland	4	130	520	30	9.00	3
50	1862	Across rivers in Ireland	...	1	2	2	..	..	3
51	1862	Firth of Forth	...	4	6	24	7	..	3
52	1862	Fortress Monroe	Cherrystone	1	23	23	..	..	3
53	1862	Fortress Monroe	Newport News	1	3	3	..	..	3
54	1863	Sardinia	Sicily	1	243	243	1,200	..	2
55	1864	Gwadur (Persian Gulf)	Fao	1	1,450	1,450	..	..	1
					_____	______
					6,979	11,127