The message shown is a record of an early test of the working speed of the longest section of the Pacific cable that from Fanning Island in mid-Pacific Ocean to Vancouver Island. Critics of the cable had argued that due to its record length operation would be much slower than for the shorter undersea cables. The tests proved that the criticism was inaccurate and speeds of twenty words per minute were common. Sandford Fleming, to whom the test record was sent, had been an advocate of the Pacific Cable since the late 1870s. During the intervening years he had worked tirelessly to convince government officials and the public that a telegraph connection between Canada and Australia and New Zealand was of vital importance. He also was a staunch supporter of government ownership of communication facilities at a time when such views were not popular. He was so elated at the completion of the project in October of 1902 that he sent two messages, one east and one west, from Ottawa around the world. The first message took ten hours and thirty minutes while the second, delayed due to the transmission of news, required fourteen hours and twenty-five minutes. These are thought to be the first telegraph messages ever sent around the globe.
