History of the Atlantic Cable & Submarine Telegraphy - 1876 Australia

	History of the Atlantic Cable & Undersea Communications from the first submarine cable of 1850 to the worldwide fiber optic network
1876 Australia - New Zealand

The route was La Perouse (Botany Bay), Sydney, Australia, to Wakapuaka, Nelson, New Zealand. The cable was made and laid by Telcon for the Eastern Extension Australia & China Telegraph Co. using CS Hibernia and CS Edinburgh.

System length 1283 nm. HMS Challenger surveyed the route. The Sydney end of the cable was diverted into Bondi Beach in 1917. Withdrawn from service in 1932.

John Seymour was First Mate on CS Hibernia for this expedition.

Illustrated London News: Volume LXVII, page 323 (1875)

The Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company is rapidly performing its task of making the submarine cable to be laid down between Sydney, New South Wales, and Nelson, New Zealand, a distance of nearly twelve hundred miles. This line, its construction, and its future working, was undertaken five months ago by the Eastern Extension Telegraph Company, making an agreement for that purpose with Sir Julius Vogel, Prime Minister of New Zealand, jointly with a representative of the New South Wales Government, which latter province bears one third of the guaranteed yearly interest upon the whole cost.

Sir Julius Vogel, accompanied by several other gentlemen, visited the works of the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company at East Greenwich, on Wednesday afternoon. He was received by Admiral Richards, a director of that company, Mr. Clifford, engineer in charge of the works, Mr. Shuter, and others. He minutely inspected every process of the manufacture, which is in a most satisfactory state.

The steam-ships Edinburgh, and Hibernia, belonging to the company, are to be employed in carrying out and laying the cable, under the command of Captains Manning and Cato. The Edinburgh, now lying off the company’s wharf at East Greenwich, has received her load, consisting mostly of the heavy shore ends, and will probably leave the Thames on Monday next. The Hibernia, of 3200 tons burden, will convey a thousand-miles’ length of the deep-sea cable, which is of slighter make than the shore ends.

It is hoped that both vessels will reach Australia early in December; and that in January or February, the best summer months of that region, the telegraph will be successfully completed. There is already a complete system of land telegraphs all over both the principal islands of New Zealand.

Laying the cable, Botany Bay, Feb 1876

Last revised: 14 November, 2009

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