Paper, 'An account of some experiments made with submarine cable of the Mediterranean electric telegraph' by Charles Wheatstone

Description

Wheatstone describes experiments on submarine cable laid across the Mediterranean Sea, from Spezia [Italy] to Corsica. The cable in question is 110 miles in length, and contains six copper wires, each separately insulated with gutta-percha [thermoplastic latex]. The whole is surrounded by 12 thick iron wires twisted in a spiral around it. Wheatstone's experiments show that the iron envelope of the compound conductor gives rise to the same phenomena of induction which occur when the insulated wire is immersed in water as in experiments undertaken by [Michael] Faraday.

Subject: Electricity / Marine engineering

Received 29 March 1855.

This paper was published in full in volume 7 of the Proceedings of the Royal Society as 'An account of some experiments made with the sub­marine cable of the Mediterranean electric telegraph'.

A version of this paper was published by Wheatstone in the Journal of the Franklin Institute: Wheatstone, Charles. 'An account of some experiments made with the submarine cable of the Mediterranean Electric Telegraph.' Journal of the Franklin Institute, volume 60, number 6 (1855), pp. 397-400.

Reference number

AP/37/27

Earliest possible date

1855

Physical description

Ink on paper

Page extent

13 pages

Format

Manuscript