History of the True Story of The Cable

Prior to the laying of the Transatlantic Cable, it took approximately two weeks for a message to reach North America from Europe… weather permitting as all communications were sent via boat.

The idea of a transatlantic cable was first proposed in 1845, but the distances and depths presented formidable problems. In 1856 the Atlantic Telegraph Company was registered with a capital of £350,000 (then about $1,400,000). On the American side, Cyrus W. Field was the driving force; on the British side, it was Charles Bright and brothers John and Jacob Brett.

After a few failed attempts, the final, successful, cable was laid with virtually no problems. On 27 July 1866, the cable was pulled ashore at a tiny fishing village in Newfoundland known by the charming name of Heart’s Content. The distance was 1686 nautical miles from Valentia Island. The Ship – Great Eastern had averaged 120 miles a day while paying out the cable.

The first message sent on this, finally successful, cable was: “A treaty of peace has been signed between Austria and Prussia”. Queen Victoria, then at Osborne, in the Isle of Wight, sent a message to the President of the United States. “The Queen congratulates the President on the successful completion of an undertaking which she hopes may serve as an additional bond of Union between the United States and England.”

Almost immediately, the cable opened for business but only the very wealthy could afford it – the initial rates were a startling $1 a letter, payable in gold – at a time that a monthly wage for a labourer might be $20.

It is interesting to note that even though later cables could carry large numbers of signals at the same time, it was not until the 1960s that the first communication satellites offered a serious alternative to the cable when in 1966 the Transatlantic Cable Station closed its doors for the last time.

UNESCO World Heritage Bid

In May 2016, the Valentia Transatlantic Cable Foundation Board was established to assist the Valentia Island Development Company with fundraising for the Transatlantic Cable UNESCO World Heritage Designation project.

The foundation was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee in December 2016 with the objective of raising and application of money and other resources to advance the scientific heritage of, and community development on, Valentia Island and to promote Valentia Island as a site which should be included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

The foundation’s goal is to secure the required support and funding (estimated to be approximately €4.5m) by raising the profile of the project at the national and international level while engaging with state funding opportunities and private donors.

You can find out more about the UNESCO World Heritage Project and the Valentia Island Lecture Series at valentiacable.com and the Valentia Island Lecture Series at valentiacable.com

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