This Wheatstone ABC telegraph was used on the landlines of the River Plate Telegraph Company. It was designed for use by untrained operators.

THE RIVER PLATE Telegraph Company was formed by John Proudfoot, a Glasgow engineer. Proudfoot obtained concessions from Argentina and Uruguay to lay a 24 mile cable across the mouth of the River Plate and operate a telegraph service through connecting landlines between Buenos Aires and Montevideo. The River Plate Telegraph Company was formed for this purpose in 1865 with a capital of £40,000 and its Head Office in Scotland. The service opened on the 1st December, 1866 and was one of the first steps towards linking the countries of South America.

Mr John Oldham, Manager of the River Plate Telegraph Company, was decorated with the Order of the Rose by the Emperor of Brazil for his pioneering work in introducing the telegraph to the River Plate region.

See Also
Western Telegraph Company Cooke & Wheatstone and the Telegraph South America – Early Links