Item ST 7068 Cable Samples - Submarine Telegraph, Victoria & Tasmania, 1875 to 1905

Summary

A short section of telegraph cable used between Victoria and Tasmania, 1875-1905, including fragments of cable covering

Physical Description

Cable has a stranded central conductor, covered with a layer of insulation. The insulation is covered by two layers of fibrous material (probably hemp), in strands of about 5 mm diameter. The two layers are laid in opposite directions. The outer layer of fibrous material carries the imprints of possibly 12 armouring wires, each wire of about 6 -- 8 mm diameter. The covering of fibrous material is missing from about half the length of the cable sample. A short length of insulation is missing from the conductor.