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 was about to depart from the port of Mombasa and head north towards the Red Sea.
The sudden outbreak and end of the East African War made Ernst believe that the current information communication between the East African colonies and Europe was too backward.
Even the outbreak and end of the Dongsang War were all decisions made independently by the colonies. After all, since messages were sent back and forth by ships, there was no time to report to Europe, so this was understandable.
The colonies are far away from Europe, so they are relatively independent and have greater authority. When encountering some special situations, they can decide on their own countermeasures.
However, the East African War still sounded a wake-up call to Ernst, who was already cautious, that the East African colonial government should not be allowed to gain more autonomous power.
Therefore, in order to strengthen the connection and control over the East African colonies, Ernst invested a huge amount of money to lay 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 laid by Britain and the United States, which ran from Newfoundland to Ireland.
After so many years of development, laying submarine cables is no longer a major technical problem, and this time Ernst chose Siemens in Germany as his partner.
In 1848, Siemens laid the underground telegraph line from Berlin to Frankfurt, which was also the world's first telegraph line.
So he has rich experience, but Siemens' business is mostly on land, and Ernst is not sure whether Siemens has any experience in laying submarine cables.
However, as one of the only two well-known companies in Germany, Berlin Electric Company 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 the Berlin Electric Company uses Siemens products.
After Ernst's Berlin Electric Company expressed its intention to cooperate, Siemens engineers calculated and believed that the technical conditions for this cooperation were mature.
Siemens is not completely without experience in laying offshore lines; it also has business around the Baltic Sea.
The route that Ernst wanted to lay mainly consists of four sections. The first section is from East Africa to Egypt, passing through the Somali waters of the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and landing in Egypt. This section of the route is the longest and the most difficult.
The second is the land route in Egypt. This section is short, and Egypt is an important transportation hub. The infrastructure is pretty good for its time, so there is nothing much to say.
The third is to cross the Mediterranean Sea, pass through the Adriatic Sea, and land in Trieste. This section is entirely at sea, but it is less difficult.
The fourth is the European section, from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to Berlin.
Egypt itself had a telegraph line laid by the French to communicate with the mainland, but due to the direction problem, Ernst could not use it directly.
Europe's lines can make use of existing mature lines. For example, the telegraph lines in Germany can be directly built by Prussia and Austria.
During the last Austro-Prussian War, Prussia built a large number of telegraph lines. After the war, Austria learned from the lesson and followed suit.
Therefore, Ernst could completely use these mature lines to transmit intelligence, but he would have to pay some fees.
“Woo…”
The steamship roared on the sea. The cable-laying workers stood at the stern, carefully unrolling the coiled cable and slowly sinking it into the sea.
The cables were provided by the Berlin Electric Company, while other facilities including engineers and workers were mostly provided by Siemens. As the undisputed leader of the power industry in Germany, Siemens is not something that the Berlin Electric Company can challenge.
It was the recent invention of the electric light that made the Berlin Electric Company extremely popular, but if we look at the entire power industry, Siemens is undoubtedly dominant.
Especially in terms of electrical wires, generators, and basic components... Siemens has an absolute advantage in these areas.
Before the invention of the electric light, the Berlin Electric Company was actually a contract manufacturer for Siemens, producing products through patent licensing.
The pitch-black cable slowly sank into the sea as the stern slid down. If too much force was used, the cable might be torn off, so experienced workers had to keep an eye on it at all times and make adjustments at any time according to the speed of the ship.
Due to the limitations of the times, the laying of submarine cables was relatively simple and crude, and was almost entirely done by skilled workers relying on their own thinking.
The world's first submarine cable was fished out of the sea and cut off by French fishermen.
In this era, it is impossible to dig holes for cables on the seabed. The most that can be done is to sink the cables into the seabed.
The seafarers carefully maneuvered the ship to create a good working environment for the submarine cable laying workers. The wind and waves in the Indian Ocean were the biggest obstacle to the laying work.
…
"Frank, unwind the wires faster and don't let them get pulled together." Siemens engineer Duden directed the workers.
"Turn the handle faster so that the gear speed increases evenly." Duden said to the worker operating the pulley.
"In the back, install all the weights properly. Don't cut corners. If these lines don't sink to the bottom of the sea, you won't get paid."
Duden directed the workers in an orderly manner to sink the cables into the sea, while strictly supervising the workers' work in accordance with the procedures.
This work cannot be done carelessly, as a mistake in a detail may lead to all the previous efforts being wasted.
The ship came to the Indian Ocean from Germany, and had been resting in Dar es Salaam before because it had to sail around the west coast of Africa.
This work will take at least one or two months, and all the crew members' food, clothing, housing, transportation, eating, drinking, defecating and urinating must be done on board.
One shipload of cable was just enough to complete the laying work from East Africa to Egypt, so no ship followed.
At the same time, there is a ship of the Black Xingen Consortium in the Mediterranean Sea responsible for this work, but their conditions are much better. The laying distance is short, the workload is small, and it is easier to replenish materials.
Therefore, this ocean-going submarine cable laying ship in the Indian Ocean must strive for one-time success and finally dock in Egypt for rest.
…
The laying of the submarine cable from East Africa to Europe was quite smooth, with basically no major accidents or mistakes.
Three months later, the entire line was completed, and intelligence sent from Berlin to the East African colonies was transmitted to the colonial government via Trieste and Egypt.
The communication time between the two places was greatly reduced, and any situation occurring in the East African colonies that day could be reported to the telegraph center in Berlin via submarine cables.
Ernst's remote control command capabilities over the East African colonies were greatly enhanced, facilitating the arrangement and decision-making of daily work and affairs in the colonies.
(End of this chapter)
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