BACK REFLECTION
STORIES FROM THE NEWFOUNDLAND POLE LINE BY PHILIP PILGRIM
H
appy New Year 2023! I wish all a safe and enjoyable year ahead. Over the Christmas break, I thought about Back Reflection topics for 2023 and decided to focus on the terrestrial route across Newfoundland that was constructed between 1851-1856 and ran for over 50 years. This was a critical path for success of the first three Atlantic Cables (1858, 1865, and 1866) but very little has been published on this link. During the period from 1856 to 1866, when there were no transatlantic submarine cables in service, the terrestrial path across Newfoundland, along with the Gulf of St Lawrence cable, and the terrestrial route through Cape Breton remained very active. These systems, from Plaister Cove to St. John’s/Cape Ray, were leased to the Associated Press by Cyrus Field’s New York, Newfoundland and London Telegraph company. The AP leased the remaining path all the way to NYC (in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York) and partnered with fast steamship lines across the Atlantic to run the news to and from Europe via Cape Race and St. John’s (the most eastern tip of North America). In contrast to the fort-like shelter of St. John’s harbour, Cape Race is akin to the Cliffs of Moher. News was exchanged on the calm wharves of St. John’s but at Cape Race, news packets would be exchanged between passing steam vessels and small boats departing from the treacherous shores to inter-
cept. (Digression: after wireless radio was invented, the Cape Ray station was still working and was the first to receive signals from the Titanic in distress). All historical events in Europe and America, including the Civil War in America (1861-1865), and the tragic announcement of the death of President Lincoln (1865), travelled on this line across Newfoundland. While researching submarine telegraph cables, I have come across many snippets of interesting information on this link that are seemingly lost in the back pages of long forgotten books. These snippets can tell a great story if collated and shared. I will attempt to do this by covering the planning, the exploration, the execution, the success-
es, the failures, and the people involved in this route. Just as the recent STF November 2022 issue was a glimpse into the lives of two linesmen who worked this route, this issue will look at two more linesman and their incredible dedication to ensure communications between London and NYC endured. The people of Newfoundland and their government were proud to be part of the first communication wonder of the world and it was very serious business for all Newfoundlanders.
BACKGROUND
Communication between England and her colonies was first conducted by written word via ship. England’s first colony, JANUARY 2023 | ISSUE 128
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