Centenary of Indo-European Telegraph Line 1967

The year 1867 constitutes an important landmark in the history of International Telegraphs services between Europe and India.  Prior to 1867, there was no direct telegraphs communication between India and Europe.

There were several Independent Telegraphs lines in different countries :  Messages had to repeated many times with the result that they often took weeks in transmission and reached their destination in an altogether unintelligible mutilated state.  The great lead for a quick and reliable telegraphic communication between England and India could only be satisfied by a line through Prussia, Russia and Persia planned as a connected whole, and under an undivided management. 

To commemorate the centenary of the Indo-European Telegraph which was celebrated in 1967,  the Posts and Telegraphs Department brought out a special postage stamp on the 9^th of November, 1967.

With the rise of industrialization in the 19th century, people needed not only rapid modes of transport for themselves and their products but also modern means of transmitting all kinds of news. Reliable communication could be decisive for accessing colonies as well as linking markets and trade partners. Turning such communication into reality necessitated major investment in new technologies and infrastructure projects, many of which were offered and implemented by only a handful of specialized companies. The establishment of telegraph networks had been proceeding apace throughout Europe since 1845, with numerous companies active in this new area. However, in order to achieve lasting success, a combination of competitive technology, sound financing and, above all, the necessary authorizations from the governments involved were required. In Prussia, the budding enterprise Siemens & Halske was one of the leading telegraph companies.

The line from London to Calcutta was to be 6,900 miles in length. Of the 3,725 mile circuit between Emden and Teheran the Company were required to build 2,900 miles as new, consisting of two 6mm gauge iron wires suspended from Siemens’ patent iron-capped earthenware insulators on 70,000 posts, having wood shafts in Poland and Russia and Siemens’ patent cast-iron shafts in the Caucasus and in Persia. A 100 mile submarine cable was laid in the Black Sea between Djulfa and Suchum, with a further 15 mile cable for the Straits of Kertch. The bulk of the materials were provided from Britain by Siemens Brothers, including the armour for the Black Sea cable; Hooper’s Telegraph Works Company provided the india-rubber insulation.

The Indo-European telegraph line was in operation for more than 60 years, until 1931. It was not technical deficiencies that ultimately caused its decline, but the rise of wireless radio connections after World War I.