Publications
Publications
- November 2009
- Business Archives
Telegraphs—Shrinking Economic Distances? A Preliminary Enquiry, 1870s-1912
By: Felipe Tamega Fernandes
Abstract
This is a very preliminary report on sources and data for my research on telegraphs. Telegraphs are usually analysed in the context of railway expansion and the literature has somewhat neglected the role of telegraphic communication for the development of steamship navigation. Telegraphs meant that the owners of a cargo ship could communicate with its captain whenever it reached a certain port and shippers could keep track of their shipments. Since steamships were very costly to build and operate, cable communication would then allow profitability as ships could be continuously transporting full loads of cargo. Without a cable connection in the port, it would have been difficult for ship owners to maximise their profitability and hence fewer steamships would have touched that port. It is possible then that telegraphic communication was at the heart of diminishing transport costs across the Atlantic. Despite the allegedly importance of telegraphs, there are very few works published on its economic history.
Keywords
Economic History; Communication Technology; Rail Transportation; Ship Transportation; Telecommunications Industry
Citation
Fernandes, Felipe Tamega. "Telegraphs—Shrinking Economic Distances? A Preliminary Enquiry, 1870s-1912." Business Archives, no. 99 (November 2009).