The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-02-15
In Senate of the United States.
FEBRUARY 1883 Ordprrd In bo a,,;,foJ

| FEBRUARY 8, 1853 - Ordered to be printed.
Mr.. WELLER made the following report:
The Committee on Territories, to whom was refer.
red the memorial of Hiram O.. Alden and James
Eddy, asking for the right of way for teIe-
graph to the Pacific, and grant of land in aid
of the construction of such telegraph, having
considered the same, beg leave to report:
The memorialists practically acquainted
with the construction and working of teIegraphs,
having built one of the most permanent and eff
cient lines in the country, of them being pre-
sident and the other superintendent Of the line.
Inquiries satisfactorily answered have established
the competency of these persons to build and man
age line to the Pacific, should Congress deem it
expedient that such line should be constructed
under national auspices.
| The telegraph which the memorialists propose to
build Is to be subterranean, made of imperishable
materials, and perfectly insulated. A line on poles
in the ordinary manner, is, for the tract of country
over which it is proposed to build simply useless
Atmospheric electricity the prairie thethun
| derstorms among the mountains, herds of buffalo
the necessities of the einigran, are considerations
sufficient to establish that the working of line in
the air would be impracticabe. Subterranean tel.
egraphs, tried with indifferent success in this
country, have been found to work well abroad
Long lines in the kingdom of Prussia especially
attest the practcability and superior working ca.
pacity OF the subterranean telegraph.
As to grant of land along the line of the tele-
graph, your committee decidedly disposed to
recommend it. The land is worth nothing now to
the Government but doubtless will be of value in
the hands of these emoriaiss and their associates
when the line shall have been built. Your COM
mittee are advised, in regard to telegraph enter
prses in this country, that they are by no means
certain paying investments. They understand
| that on the stock of some of the most important
lines In the country no dividend is paid. On the
other hand, other lines pay handsome dividend
Some lines are yalneless. Many of them have been
dead failures, and the lines have been taken down
Such being the character Of telegraph stock it will
be seen that the request of these eInorialists for
grant Of land by which they may call capital to
their aid considering the national character of the
work, is by no means unreasonable; and vour
committee do not hesitate to recommend such an
appropriation, with the best conditions which are
wont to be annexed to such grants. f
The cost of the line cannot, of course at this
time, be accurately fixed. The memorialists seem
to have paid close attention to the details of the
matter, and present welLdigested plan Five
hundred dollars per mile, making the whole cost
in round numbers, ope and quarter millions Of
dollars, has been named, an estimate which your
committee are disposed to consider well founded,
save however, that they believe it does not give
sufficient margin tor contingencies. They deem
it, however, to approximate what will be found to
be the actual cost, and sufficient for the purposes
Of this report and the accompanying bill.
The advantages Of this telegraph to the Govern