African Entrepreneurship Record-Chapter 75 - 71: Undersea Cable

March 22, 1867.

On the vast surface of the Indian Ocean.

An ocean-going submarine cable-laying ship bearing the German flag was about to set sail from the port of Mombasa, heading north towards the Red Sea.

The sudden outbreak and conclusion of the East Sango War made Ernst realize that the current communication between the East African colony and Europe was far too outdated.

So much so that from the outbreak to the conclusion of the East Sango War, the colony made autonomous decisions. It was understandable because relaying messages via ships between continents made it unreasonable to report to Europe in time.

The colony is far from Europe, thus having a relatively strong independence and higher authority, allowing them to devise countermeasures under certain special circumstances.

However, the East Sango War sounded the alarm for the already cautious Ernst, indicating that the East African colonial government should not be allowed more autonomous power.

Therefore, to strengthen ties and control over the East African colony, Ernst decided to invest heavily in laying a telegraph line from East Africa to Europe to direct the colony’s development.

Back in 1858, the world had its first transoceanic submarine cable, laid by the British and Americans, extending from Newfoundland to Ireland under the Atlantic Ocean.

With years of development, laying submarine cables was no longer a major technical challenge, and this time Ernst chose Siemens from the German region as his collaborator.

Siemens had laid the first telegraph line in the world in 1848, running from Berlin to Frankfurt, bringing them rich experience, although most of Siemens’ operations were on land, leaving Ernst unclear about their proficiency in laying submarine cables.

However, the Berlin Power Company, one of the only two renowned companies in the German region, maintained a good cooperative relationship with Siemens, having connections from its establishment.

For example, the lighting system of the Berlin Power Company utilized products from Siemens in the field of generators.

After Ernst’s Berlin Power Company proposed a cooperation, Siemens’ engineers concluded, after calculations, that the technical conditions for this collaboration were mature.

Siemens was not entirely without experience in maritime line-laying, as they also operated around the Baltic Sea.

The line Ernst wanted to lay comprised four main sections: first, from East Africa to Egypt, passing through Indian Ocean’s Somali waters, Aden Bay, and Red Sea to land in Egypt, being the longest and most challenging section.

The second was on Egyptian land, a relatively short distance as Egypt, being a significant communication junction, had a decent infrastructure for its time.

Third crossed the Mediterranean Sea, through the Adriatic, landing in Trieste, entirely over water but with less difficulty.

Fourth was the European section, running from Austria-Hungary to Berlin.

Egypt already had telegraph lines laid by the French for domestic communication, which Ernst could not directly use due to directional differences.

The European lines could leverage existing mature lines, like the telegraph lines within the German region established by both Prussia and Austria.

During the previous Prussia and Austria war, Prussia built numerous telegraph lines and, post-war, Austria also learned a lesson and followed up significantly.

So Ernst could fully utilize these mature lines to complete intelligence transmission with only some expenses.

"Woo..."

The steamship roared across the sea, with the cable-laying workers standing at the stern, carefully unwinding the coiled cables, allowing them to slowly sink into the ocean.

The cables were provided by the Berlin Power Company, while most other facilities, including engineers and workers, were supplied by Siemens, the undisputed leader in the German electric industry, not to be slighted by the Berlin Power Company.

It was only recently, with the invention of electric lighting, that the Berlin Power Company enjoyed any fame. However, considering the entire electric sector, Siemens undoubtedly dominated.

Especially in wires, generators, basic components... Siemens had an absolute advantage.

Before the invention of electric light, the Berlin Power Company was practically a subcontractor for Siemens, producing products under patent authorization. freēnovelkiss.com

The pitch-black cables slid off the stern, gradually disappearing into the water. Excessive force could snap the cables, so experienced workers kept constant watch, adjusting to the ship’s speed accordingly.

Due to the era’s limitations, submarine cable-laying was relatively straightforward, almost relying on the ’I reckon’ power of skilled workers to operate.

The world’s first submarine cable was actually picked up and cut off by French fishermen from the sea.

In this era, digging trenches under the sea for cables was impossible; simply submerging them at the seabed counted as success.

Sailors carefully maneuvered the ship, creating a favorable working environment for the submarine cable layers, with wind and waves on the Indian Ocean being the biggest obstacles to laying operations.

...

"Frank, speed up the line, don’t let the cables tangle." Siemens’ engineer Duden directed the workers.

"Turn the crank faster, even out the gear speed," Duden instructed the worker controlling the pulley.

"At the back, make sure all the weights are well-installed, no skimping; if these cables don’t sink to the seabed, there won’t be any wages."

Duden commanded the workers in an orderly fashion, sinking the cables into the sea while strictly observing procedures and supervising their work.

This task allowed no room for negligence, as any minor error could lead to wasted efforts.

This ship traveled all the way from the German region to the Indian Ocean, having previously rested at the port of Dar es Salaam because it had to detour the western coast of Africa.

The entire operation would take at least one or two months, with all crew members eating, living, and attending to their needs on the ship.

A full load of cables on one ship was enough to lay the segment from East Africa to Egypt, requiring no accompaniment ship.

Meanwhile, in the Mediterranean, a ship from the Heixinggen consortium was responsible for this task, though they had far better conditions with shorter distances, smaller workload, and easier replenishment of supplies.

Therefore, this ocean-going submarine cable-laying ship in the Indian Ocean had to strive for a one-time success, finally able to dock and rest upon arriving in Egypt.

...

The laying of the submarine cable from East Africa to Europe proceeded smoothly, with no significant mishaps or accidents.

Three months later, the entire line was completed, allowing intelligence sent from Berlin to the East African colony,passing through Trieste and Egypt, to finally reach the colonial government.

Communication time between the two locations dramatically reduced, enabling any situation in the East African colony to be reported to the Berlin telegraph center via the submarine cable on the same day.

Ernst’s remote command capabilities over the East African colony were greatly enhanced, facilitating the arrangement and decision-making regarding the colony’s daily operations and affairs.

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