The announcement came in the second week after the Southsea test, when Phillip's coastal line had already reached Fort Cumberland and crews were preparing the next stretch toward Dover. The weather had been harsh the night before, heavy winds pulling against the poles, but the lines held. The improvements Phillip demanded had worked. Stronger resin, deeper anchoring stones, brass connectors sealed twice over. The Navy sent word that the signal remained clear through the worst of the storm.
Then Parliament acted.
It happened faster than expected. Newspapers had begun printing stories about the telegraph trials, though most writers misunderstood the technology entirely. Some called it an electric semaphore. Others claimed it was a railway-only device. One paper insisted the Navy was secretly testing a lightning-based weapon. Public confusion grew, but so did public interest.
