Charles Todd's Magnificent Obsession
The epic race to connect Australia to the world
Published on 3. September 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-1-76147-135-3 (ISBN)
Description
It was the greatest feat of engineering in nineteenth century Australia, but it very nearly collapsed in the face of monumental obstacles.
The year was 1870, and letters took six weeks to get to England by sea. Australians hungered for the speedy communication a telegraph connection would bring. Engineer Charles Todd promised that he could string up wires on poles from Adelaide over 3,000 kilometres to an undersea cable in Darwin harbour in just eighteen months. It was a wild gamble that became an epic race against time.
This is the extraordinary story of the building of the Overland Telegraph. Three teams of workers followed the rough maps that John McDouall Stuart had brought back from his final expedition, crossing deserts, mountains, and rivers in flood. They encountered Aboriginal people who had never seen a European, and battled crocodiles, mosquitoes, mysterious illnesses and hunger. Drawing on original letters and journals, David Dufty has uncovered never before published details about this groundbreaking project.
This is a tale of obsession and heroism, violence and tragedy, and above all, it's a totally compelling yarn.
The year was 1870, and letters took six weeks to get to England by sea. Australians hungered for the speedy communication a telegraph connection would bring. Engineer Charles Todd promised that he could string up wires on poles from Adelaide over 3,000 kilometres to an undersea cable in Darwin harbour in just eighteen months. It was a wild gamble that became an epic race against time.
This is the extraordinary story of the building of the Overland Telegraph. Three teams of workers followed the rough maps that John McDouall Stuart had brought back from his final expedition, crossing deserts, mountains, and rivers in flood. They encountered Aboriginal people who had never seen a European, and battled crocodiles, mosquitoes, mysterious illnesses and hunger. Drawing on original letters and journals, David Dufty has uncovered never before published details about this groundbreaking project.
This is a tale of obsession and heroism, violence and tragedy, and above all, it's a totally compelling yarn.
Reviews / Votes
'The story of how it was finally done, overcoming the perils of deluge and desert, endless political infighting and contractual chicanery, is told with flair and contagious enthusiasm' - Sydney Morning Herald'David Dufty's lively and well-researched book tells the story of the singing wires and poles and the man who built them, an English grocer's son named Charles Todd.' - The Australian
'The story of Todd and the Overland Telegraph Line is brilliantly retold in Charles Todd's Magnificent Obsession...The great joy of Dufty's book is not only its remarkably authentic sense of place, but its attention to detail so necessary to retelling this oft told story with authority, and the sense of forward motion such a "race" deserves.' - The Centralian Today
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
St Leonards
Australia
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 154 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
376 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-76147-135-3 (9781761471353)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
David Dufty is a historian and researcher. He is the author of Nabbing Ned Kelly; The Secret Code Breakers of Central Bureau, winner of the 2017 Nib Military History Prize; and of Radio Girl, winner of the Best Non-fiction, 2020 ACT Notable Awards.
Content
List of Maps
Part I: Rising Stars
1 The Lightning Line
2 Samuel McGowan
3 Charles and Alice
4 Battle Lines
5 The Intercolonial Link
6 Todd's Progress
7 The Race to Cable the World
8 Alice
9 Escape Cliffs
10 The Cable Cometh
Part II: The Deal
11 The Captain's Company
12 To Port Darwin, and Quickly
13 Double Deals
14 First Contracts
Part III: The Great Work
15 Explorers for Hire
16 The Plan
17 Go North, Young Man
18 A Surprise for Port Darwin
19 From Port to Peake
20 Poles in the Jungle1
21 Number Two Depot
22 Doubters
Part IV: The Sunburned Country
23 The Sweeping Plains
24 The Flooding Rains
25 The Ragged Mountain Ranges
26 The Steady, Soaking Rain
27 A Wilful, Lavish Land
28 The Far Horizon
29 The Grey Clouds Gather
Part V: Patterson's Journey
30 The Ghost of Expeditions Past
31 The Wreck of the Gulnare
32 The Cable Has Landed
33 Heart of Darkness
34 The Voyage of the Bengal
35 The Pitiless Blue Sky
36 Hart Tumbles
37 Tidings on Birdum Creek
38 The Drovers
39 The Bengal or Bust
Part VI: Todd's Journey
40 The Estafette
41 The Black Prince
42 Todd's Fleet
43 The Mighty Roper
44 The Arrival of the Tararua
45 Sending Supplies
46 Providence Knoll
47 The Mystery of the Missing Boat
48 Black and White
49 To the End of the Line
50 Across the Gap
51 The Join
52 The Long Ride Home
53 Goodbye to the Roper
Part VII: Connection
54 Homecoming Hero
55 Patterson's Curse
56 The Fate of the Black Prince
57 A Link to the West
58 Barrow Creek
59 The Open Heart
60 Charles and Alice
61 The End of the Line
Acknowledgements
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Part I: Rising Stars
1 The Lightning Line
2 Samuel McGowan
3 Charles and Alice
4 Battle Lines
5 The Intercolonial Link
6 Todd's Progress
7 The Race to Cable the World
8 Alice
9 Escape Cliffs
10 The Cable Cometh
Part II: The Deal
11 The Captain's Company
12 To Port Darwin, and Quickly
13 Double Deals
14 First Contracts
Part III: The Great Work
15 Explorers for Hire
16 The Plan
17 Go North, Young Man
18 A Surprise for Port Darwin
19 From Port to Peake
20 Poles in the Jungle1
21 Number Two Depot
22 Doubters
Part IV: The Sunburned Country
23 The Sweeping Plains
24 The Flooding Rains
25 The Ragged Mountain Ranges
26 The Steady, Soaking Rain
27 A Wilful, Lavish Land
28 The Far Horizon
29 The Grey Clouds Gather
Part V: Patterson's Journey
30 The Ghost of Expeditions Past
31 The Wreck of the Gulnare
32 The Cable Has Landed
33 Heart of Darkness
34 The Voyage of the Bengal
35 The Pitiless Blue Sky
36 Hart Tumbles
37 Tidings on Birdum Creek
38 The Drovers
39 The Bengal or Bust
Part VI: Todd's Journey
40 The Estafette
41 The Black Prince
42 Todd's Fleet
43 The Mighty Roper
44 The Arrival of the Tararua
45 Sending Supplies
46 Providence Knoll
47 The Mystery of the Missing Boat
48 Black and White
49 To the End of the Line
50 Across the Gap
51 The Join
52 The Long Ride Home
53 Goodbye to the Roper
Part VII: Connection
54 Homecoming Hero
55 Patterson's Curse
56 The Fate of the Black Prince
57 A Link to the West
58 Barrow Creek
59 The Open Heart
60 Charles and Alice
61 The End of the Line
Acknowledgements
Notes
Bibliography
Index