Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1853-03-02
From the Washington Union.
Telegraph to the Pacific.

bill for the construction of a telegraph to
the Pacific was reported to the Senate on Tues
day by Mr.. Weller, from the Committee on
Territories 1t provides for the completion
of the line from st. Louis to San Francisco in
eighteen months from the passage Of the bill.
Althosg Oh the plan for a railroad 10 the Pacific
embraces the features of II telegraph, the bill re-
ported by Mr. Weller conflicts in no degree
with that. since of nece ss,y many years must
elapse before the road and the concurrant tele'
graph can be completed. In the meantime the
business intercourse of the two shores Of the
continent will have SO increased that there will
be sufficient business for two lines at least.
The report and bill of the committee are has.
ed upon the memorial Of Mcssrs. Hiram Q.
Alden and James Eddy, whom the report
states to be persons. from their antecedents
and position, in every way competent for the
accomplishment of this enterprise. The bill
provides for the free and prior of the line
to the governmental provision of the first i'm.
portance, and of great value to every depart.
ment Of the public service Weeks now clapse
before any e1isency in the pubic business on
the Pacific shore can be known at " ashngton,
and weeks again before the proper directions
to meet such exigency can reach their distant
destination. BY aid of the Telegraph one day
will suffice to communicate with the Pacific
and to receive an answer. 1t requires no ar
gument to show 'Aka. such u result will be Of
immense advantage to the government, and that
the telegraph may be the means, in many un.
forseen. but not less unlikely contingencies, Of
saving much of difficulty and expense to the
ma: ion. In one particular branch of the SER
vice-,he c,ast survey-the aid Of the tele.
graph is invaluable. Thereport states that one
nights work with the telegraph is worth the
labor of a month with all other contrivan
ces in determining the distances and position
Of points along the coast. Professor Walker, IN
| whose recent demise science met with great a
loss was the first We beiieve.to apply under the
superintendent of Professor Bache. the tee
graph to The uses Of the survey. He has been
heard to say that in one hour in a clear night,
more could be done with the telegraph in deter
mining the longitude Of given points than in
three hundred years by the old methods. In an
article written by him upon 'rhe use Of the
telegraph in the co asst survey" he stated that
in few evenings work, between two points
on the New England coast where the tee.
graph was put in requisiton, he was enabled
to tlx the longitude of those two points more
accurately than that between Greenwich and
Paris was known. though observations had
been compared between those two places for
t,co centuries, and at an erpcnse Of q MILLION OF
DOLLARS at each.
In return for the services rendered to the
nation, it is proposed to grant to the Messrs.
Alden and Eddy fifteen hundred thousand
acres of land along the line Of he telegraph
land worthless now to the country, but which
will doubtless attain fair compromising value
in the hands Of the grantees, who are to be
put in possession of it when they shall have
completed the line. The telegraph is to be
subterranean, perfectly insulated. and, to in
sure its working through from St. Louis to San
Francisco, is to have operating stations at
every hundred miles. For the purposes Of
repairs testing tubes are to be established at
every five miles. ..
ofthe value Of the line to the commercial
world, and to those whose kindred dwell on
the shores Of either ocean, nothing need be
said. Their appreciation of its value will be
shown in the use to which they will put it.