Commercial Cable Company (souvenir of)
Atlantic Cable Specimen
American: c. 1923
Telegraph cable on brass overlaid iron molded paneled tapering rectangular paperweight base
3 inches long, inch diameter, approximate cable size
2 inches high, 3 x 4.5 inches, approximate size overall
Price On Request
Section of the Atlantic Cable
American: c. 1923
American: c. 1923
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Section of the trans-Atlantic telegraph cable from 1923 mounted on a brass and iron base and made into a paperweight souvenir. The cable itself is one inch in diameter.
The Commercial Cable Company was formed in 1883 to compete with other trans-Atlantic services. Founded by John W. Mackay (1831-1902), an Irish immigrant to the U.S. who made his fortune in silver mining, and J. Gordon Bennett (1841-1918), owner of the New York Herald, the company laid six telegraph cables between 1884 and 1923. In 1928, the company merged with two other businesses to form the American Cable and Radio Corporation. All the cables except the 1884 one were still in use in 1961, when they were finally abandoned for newer technology.
Brass base impressed front: DEEP SEA SECTION/ 1923/ ATLANTIC CABLE
Brass base impressed back with company world globe and ribbon logo: 1884/1923/THE MACKAY SYSTEM "THE PULSE OF THE WORLD"
Condition: Generally very good with the usual oxidation.
References:
Glover, Bill. "The Commercial Cable Co." 17 January 2003. http://www.atlantic-cable.com/CableCos/CCC/ (3 March 2003).
"James Gordon Bennett." Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2003. Online at Encyclopedia.com. http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/B/BennttJ1S1on.asp (3 March 2003).
"John W. Mackay." Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2003. Online at Encyclopedia.com. http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/M/Mackay-J1.asp (3 March 2003).