Chapter 71 Submarine Cables
March 22, 1867.
On the vast surface of the Indian Ocean.
An ocean-going submarine cable-laying ship flying the German flag is about to set off from the port of Mombasa and head north towards the Red Sea.
The sudden outbreak and end of the East-Southern War made Ernst believe that the current information communication between the East African colonies and Europe was too backward.
Even from the outbreak to the end of the Eastern-Sangladesh War, the colonies made their own decisions. After all, they relied on ships to send messages, and there was no time to report to Europe. This is understandable.
The colonies are far away from Europe, so they are relatively independent and have relatively high authority. They can decide their own countermeasures when encountering some special situations.
However, the war in East Africa still sounded the alarm to Ernst, who was already cautious, and he could not allow the East African colonial government to gain more independent powers.
Therefore, in order to strengthen the connection and control of the East African colonies, Ernst invested heavily in laying a telegraph line from East Africa to Europe to direct the development of the East African colonies.
As early as 1858, the world's first transoceanic submarine cable was built, which was the Atlantic submarine cable from Newfoundland to Ireland laid by the United Kingdom and the United States.
After so many years of development, the laying of submarine cables has long been no longer a major technical problem, and this time Ernst chose to cooperate with Siemens in Germany.
Siemens laid an underground telegraph line from Berlin to Frankfurt in 1848, which was also the world's first telegraph line.
So it has rich experience, but most of Siemens' business is on land. Ernst doesn't know whether it has any experience in laying submarine cables.
However, Berlin Electric Power Company, the only two well-known companies in Germany, has a good cooperative relationship with Siemens and has been in contact with Siemens since its establishment.
For example, in the field of generators, the lighting system of Berlin Electric Company uses Siemens products.
After Ernst's Berlin Electric Power Company proposed cooperation, Siemens engineers calculated that the technical conditions for this cooperation were mature.
Siemens does not have no experience in laying offshore lines. It also has business around the Baltic Sea.
There are four main sections of the line that Ernst wants to lay. One is from East Africa to Egypt, passing through the Somali waters of the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden, and the Red Sea, and landing in Egypt. This section of the line is the longest and most difficult. .
The second is the route on land in Egypt. This distance is short, and Egypt is an important transportation node. The infrastructure is pretty good for the same era, so there is nothing to say.
The third is to cross the Mediterranean, pass through the Adriatic Sea, and land from Trieste. This section is all at sea, but it is less difficult.
The fourth is the European section, from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to Berlin.
Egypt itself has a telegraph line laid by the French to communicate with the mainland, but due to direction issues, Ernst could not directly access it.
European lines can rely on existing mature lines. For example, the telegraph lines in Germany can be built directly using Prussia and Austria.
During the last Prussian-Prussian War, Prussia built a large number of telegraph lines. After the war, Austria also learned its lesson and followed up in large numbers.
So Ernst can completely use these mature lines to complete the transmission of information, but he has to pay some fees.
"Woo..."
The steamer roared on the sea, and the workers laying the cables stood at the stern, carefully unraveling the coiled cables, and slowly sank into the sea.
Cables are provided by Berlin Electric Company, while other facilities, including engineers and workers, are mostly provided by Siemens. As the undisputed leader in the power industry in Germany, Siemens cannot be touched by Berlin Electric Company. That is to say, the recent invention of the electric light has made the Berlin Electric Power Company very popular, but if you look at the entire power field, Siemens is undoubtedly full of dominance.
Especially wires, generators, basic components... Siemens has an absolute advantage.
Before the invention of the electric light, the Berlin Electric Company was actually a OEM factory for Siemens, producing products through patent licensing.
The dark cables slid down the stern of the boat and slowly submerged into the sea water. Excessive force may break the cables, so experienced workers must keep an eye on them and make adjustments at any time according to the speed of the boat.
Due to the limitations of the times, the laying of submarine cables is relatively simple and rough, and is almost done by skilled workers relying on the power of "I Xunsi".
The world's first submarine cable was fished out of the sea and cut by French fishermen.
In this era, it is impossible to dig a hole for the cable on the seabed. At most, it will be successful if the cable is sunk into the seabed.
Seafarers carefully control the ship to create a good working environment for submarine cable layers. Wind and waves in the Indian Ocean are the biggest obstacle to the laying work.
......
"Frank, put the thread faster and don't let the threads get pulled together." Siemens engineer Duden directed the workers.
“Turn the handle faster to increase the gear speed evenly.” Duden said to the worker controlling the pulley.
“In the back, install all the counterweights and don’t cut corners. If these lines cannot sink to the bottom of the sea, there will be no wages.”
Duden ordered the workers to sink the cable into the sea in an orderly manner, and at the same time strictly followed the procedures to supervise the workers' work.
This work must not be sloppy. A mistake in a detail may cause all previous efforts to be wasted.
This ship came all the way from the German region to the Indian Ocean. Because it was going around the west coast of Africa, it had been resting in the port of Dar es Salaam.
This work will take at least one or two months. All the crew members’ daily necessities, food, clothing, housing, food, drink, and toilets must be carried out on the ship.
One ship of cables could just complete the laying work from East Africa to Egypt, so no ships followed.
At the same time, there is also a Hechingen Consortium's own ship in the Mediterranean responsible for this work, but their conditions are much better. The laying distance is short, the workload is small, and supplies are easier to replenish.
So this ocean-going submarine cable laying ship in the Indian Ocean must strive for one-time success, and finally it can dock in Egypt to rest.
……
The laying of submarine cables from East Africa to Europe went quite smoothly, with basically no major accidents or mistakes.
Three months later, the entire line was laid, and the information sent from Berlin to the East African colonies passed through Trieste and Egypt, and was finally transmitted to the colonial government.
The communication time between the two places was greatly reduced. Any situation that happened in the East African colonies that day could be reported to the telegraph center in Berlin through submarine cables.
Ernst's remote control capabilities for the East African colonies were greatly enhanced, which facilitated the arrangement and decision-making of the colonies' daily work and affairs.
(End of this chapter)