point, with spectacular results. Fresh-water springs that once flowed over the land may have become submerged, possibly giving rise to stories of sailors diving into the sea to collect fresh water in leather bags. The Persian Gulf Telegraphic Cable Background The expansion of the British Empire in the 19th century required a fast and reliable system of communication to enable the British government in London to issue instructions and receive information quickly. The Indian Mutiny of 1857, followed by the annexation of India in 1858, emphasised this need. By 1856, cables had been laid linking Britain with North Africa and the Ottoman Empire. A scheme to lay a cable through Mesopotamia to the head of the Persian Gulf failed when the Turks refused to grant permission. By 1858, the British government, through grants and subsidies, was actively encouraging schemes to establish a telegraphic link between Britain and India. In 1859, the Red Sea Telegraph Company laid a submarine cable through the Red Sea and Indian Ocean to Bombay. It became apparent that the cable was not sufficiently robust to withstand the conditions, and that too little slack had been built into the cable, leading to breaks in the line. The cable was a failure, and no messages were passed between London and Bombay. The British government created the Indo-European Telegraph Department in 1862 to connect a telegraphic link between Karachi and lines in the Ottoman Empire. It planned to run the cable along the Makran coast between Fao, Bushire, and Gwadar. A number of local agreements were made with tribal leaders along the proposed route and a cable laid from Karachi as far as Gwadar. However, the Persian government declined to grant permission to extend the line to Ottoman territory. Attention was focused on the Persian Gulf and, following a report by Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Stewart, a decision was taken to lay a cable to Musandam from Gwadar. Laying the cable In 1864 the Government of India contracted the Gutta Percha Company to manufacture the core. Henley’s Telegraph Works was to construct the armouring, and Sir Charles Bright was appointed the consulting engineer. Because telegraph signals tended to fade over distance, it was necessary to build a series of repeater stations along the cable route to boost them, hence the decision to build a repeater station at Musandam. The cable was landed on a small rocky island in the Elphinstone