Fraser’s Calendar and Telegraphy Notebook 1872

 This is a real gem of a find from the Internet Archive courtesy of Alberta MTC member Marian Gibbard.

Fraser’s Calendar and Telegraphy Notebook from 1872 is fascinating look at the telegraph in British India in the latter half of the 19th C.

You can check out the Internet Archive copy here:
https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.02181/mode/2up

The book is a calendar/log book for those working for the Indian Telegraph which was under the control of the Colonial Government much as the Postal Telegraph was in Britain. However, what makes this book particularly interesting is the wealth of information on the state of telegraphy at that time, theory, practice, and practical information on running a telegraph line across such a diverse country as India.

 At 101 pages, a third of which is the log book with a page for each month of 1872 and 1873, there is an amazing amount of information here, weights and measures, calculating distances for mapping, strengths of wire, problems with escapes caused by damp spider webs, electrical theory, regulations, rates, legislation from the government etc.

There is also very practical and useful information ranging from how to load a cap and ball pistol in damp conditions to how to treat "strangles", a dangerous disease of horses Marian tells me.

Also of interest is the Morse Code being referenced. It is the Continental Code not our American/Railway code which, given that this was published in 1872 makes it one of the earlier references to that code that I have seen! Of course by 1872 the globe was crisscrossed with undersea cables most of which used that code .

Worth a perusal.

73
Ciao
Kevin Jepson
Editor