We Heard the News First/Nous étions les premiers à avoir les nouvelles

Photographed by Steve Stoessel, August 25, 2019

1. We Heard the News First Marker

May 23, 1881, the steamer Faraday landed a transatlantic telegraph cable at Dover Bay. The cable allowed the news of Europe to flash underneath the ocean for 2,531 nautical miles.

The European news arrived in Canso and Hazel Hill before it reached the major cities. By 1888, these two communities had become the North American relay stations for the Western Union Company located in Canso, and the Commercial Cable Company, located in Hazel Hill.

The cable companies trained many of the telegraph operators in England. They brought both their skills and way of life to our communities. The cable operators occasionally sent dance invitations between stations by transatlantic cable.

Le 23 mai 1881, le vapeur Faraday posa un câble télégraphique transatlantique à Dover Bay. Ce câble de 2 531 mies marins, posé au fond de l'océan, permettait de recevoir des n velles d'Europe. Les nouvelles d'Europe arrivaient à Canso et à Hazel Hill avant d'arriver aux grandes villes. En 1888, ces deux localités étaient devenues les stations de relais nord-américaines de la Western Union Company installée à Canso, Sailors Rest Park

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image. Click for full size. 2. Sailors Rest Park et de la Commercial Cable Company, à Hazel Hill. Les compagnies câblières faisaient venir un grand nombre de leurs télégraphistes d'Angleterre. Ceux-ci amenaient avec eux leur savoir-faire, mais aussi leurs coutumes. Il leur arrivait de s'envoyer des invitations à un bal par câble transatlantique.

Workers lay cables for the Commercial Cable Company. At one time seven transatlantic cables ran through the Hazel Hill headquarters.
Pose de câbles pour la Commercial Cable Company. Il y eut un temps où sept câbles transatlantiques passaient par le centre de Hazel Hill.

(Above) Operators' office of the Commercial Cable Company in Hazel Hill.
(Ci-dessus) Bureau des télégraphistes de la Commercial Cable Company à Hazel Hill.

(Below) Western Union office in Canso
(Ci-dessous) Bureau de la Western Union à Canso.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Communications. A significant historical date for this entry is May 23, 1881.
 
Location. 45° 20.173′ N, 60° 59.721′ W. Marker is in Canso, Nova Scotia, in Guysborough County. It can be reached from Union Street. Marker

Photographed by Steve Stoessel

2. Sailors Rest Park

is in Sailor’s Rest Municipal Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Canso NS B0H 1H0, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the marine drive. It is also in the Maritimes and in Atlantic Canada. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, and Acadia.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 19 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Canso (about 120 meters away, measured in a direct line); Welcome to Canso Harbour/Bienvenue au Port de Canso (about 150 meters away); Harbour Traffic/Le traffic du port (about 150 meters away); Where Fishermen Meet / Lieu de rencontre des pêcheurs (about 210 meters away); The Canso Islands/ Les îles Canso (approx. 0.2 kilometers away); In Memory of Tusker 914 En mémoire de (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Canso Soldiers Memorial (approx. 0.7 kilometers away); Folklore & Trivia (approx. 18.5 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all

Photographed by Steve Stoessel

3. Sailors Rest Park

markers in Canso.
 
Additional keywords. Technology

 

 
Credits. This page was last revised on October 7, 2019. It was originally submitted on October 3, 2019, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York. This page has been viewed 270 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on October 3, 2019, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.