, 1864-06-12
GRAND TELEGRAPH LINE.
A LINE ROUND THE W ORLD
The United States, Russia AMI ct.
Britain Cooperating.
gEcHETARY SEWARD TO HON z. CHANDLER.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE, /

!
70 she Honorable Zachary Chandler, Chairman o
the Committee OF Commerce, in the Senate O.
the United Ststes:
slz: hare The honor to reply to your letter ol
mortal which has been subjected to Congress BY
Mr.! Perry McDonongh Collins:
Mr.Cotltns is an American citizen, residing in
California. He has been, since 1853, commercial
| agent Of this Government for the Amoor River.
The public archives as well Is th e records OF Con-
Eress furnish satisfactory eYdeoee that the couu.
and faithful representative. *2e1
The project which he submits for tho conside-
ration Of Congress- IL the construction OF line OF
/ Telegraph from some point On the Pacific Te!e-
| Eraph line, or the northern extension thereof, In
one Of the Northwestern States OF Territories,
geIoss TIE border Of the United States, and through
| British Columbia and Russian America to Cape
Prince Of Wales; thence By an inland route around
the eea Of ohkotak to the mouth Of tbe Amoor
River.
The telegraph line thus proposed is intended,
primarily. to connect the last named place with 4
ire to be extended rom thence to Irkoutsk, the
capital OF Eastern Siberia. -
| gfne, which stretches through TomBk and 0mek,
IN Western StbeHa, Kathes1nburg on tho Asiatic
European frontier. Pirm, KasEu,, Eijn1- -Noyogorod
apd Moscow to st. Petersburg, the capital 81 tho
The line projected by MT. Collins, from. the pa-
pated extension by The RusssS GoSernaat us 70
1rkcusek, would be- the ono link now wanted to
sp SUPPLY difsct and unbroken telegraph communities
| uoh Rom Cape Race to Newfoundland on the East.
ern cost OF America, acrosa the Eastern and West.
sIp e9ntinents a3d the Pacific Ocean to capa Clear,
IN ireland, The Westosamoat projection Of Europe.
y laid between Cape Clear and Cape Race, 1t will,
together With the link hare last before described,
| complete telegraph circuit around the earth be
nEe degrees Of north latitude
These qnestions arise from Mr. Collins memori-.
a; xsa!si:;tse as2s'E; enterprise eee.,s,.,
| Seoond-Wou1d II be usaful2
Thif"ly-Has It 1ust claim on the Govern
rha thsse Mfa ponts 81 II ei1
,;a,e E,i,xx-Ihe feasibility Of the enterprise. The
d,tilcnlt1es to be surmounted may By classified
The most prominent physical difficulty ts the
extent OF territory to be trayersed. The starting
point must be chosen IN either Nebsasks,. kan.
eas, Colorado, Utah. Montana, Idaho. OREGON OF
Washington. Thence the distance to be tn
yersed th1oueh British America to the line OF
Kusslan America: about too miles; the dlst1nce
about 1stU miles; the length Of 3 submarine ca
bic across Behring's Straits would be a miles
md the distance from Fast Cape. BY an inland
the settlements OF Okhotsk, Ayan and shanter's
Bay, which are we'll known stations Of the whale
sSSyt fe 6 es %Gnh 81 The A@Ho5 Mee w9gd
would be about 6,Ul0 miles. Operative telegraph
wires la5e already been stretched on this CONT
similar wires bsss been Stretched On the h'ss Esse9a a9a
Continent Of the aggregate length Of $1,000 miles.
Operative submarine telegraph wires have been
sa mts 1s st q e miles and
Malta to Tripoif.
Thus # viii be seen that the mere extsnt of the
route to be ttaversed In the present dtes not
constitute an In suzmountabie. nor eren serious
difficulty.
The ply s1cal obstacle which next presents itself
eTsed. That portion of tte route which lies With
i'll our own territory ia chiefly moun,aiuoua and the
p'Gejsssed teseiap6 must at least cons along d.
fonnd necessary, in any case, to turmount them
British Columbia presents s1nilar topography.
bnt there the mountains are divided luto three
ranees. whose courses arc from north to south,
Whls intess enng vaeys invite the introduction Of
te!eeraphe and roads. The Pacific coast Of Russiaa
AmssiSa i chiefly lsve The portion q Siberia
sea Of 0lhotsk y, for large extent, a steppe or
plain, With gentle eevattons, occasionally Using
At the head or The Sea ct okhotak rauee of
monnsains must be crossed, and the region lying
between that range and the mouth Of the Amoof
TONED, which extends from tho same range NORTH.
yard to Last Cape. The highest elevation to be
eTereome on the whole line would be found tn the
to ten thousand feet
stretched o!er stcppes, IN both continents. similar
10 those Thus described. Tho Pacinc Telegraph
Line, IN crossing the Sierra Nevada, riscs 10 an
mounted on The line now undcr examination.
ofa tsieg7aph ine are Il ut and portable. aetsis
With the materials for Insulation. weighs not mora
than four hundred pounds. Suts1clent timber |
Ented tas sR9sF ee he
also found In those portions Of the projected line
which lie within the Rqeslan domains each con-
M Mtinept, With The exception Of timbs,less sseppe
1Te hundred miles wide. on each slde OF Behring's
strait. There the needful timber cen be brought |
near to the line, either By eea or hum the forest
81 e.
the northern part Of the line would pass, is very
low. Nevertheless, Winter IL less severe than {.
Atlantic coast. The teleg1aphic line which con
nects s., Petersburg. with Archangel on the \
Mhts sea aad j., aso Ih the teesaphle line which
st. Petersburg With Tornes, are maintained in op-
esat1on, without difficulty, ulshough they cross as
h,Eh parallels Of lati1nde as thosa which lie in l
TIE wascrs Of Behring's Strait are about one /
innaIed and eigl.y fec deep, and they are frozen
hsese Tbsp s % e: s @
a1.otber ice, and not that Of 1cabergs. Thus cll-
mate seams to oger no serious obstacle to the en-
R;deEaton hat In cold lasitudes. stmher used IN
any necessary structure Is less pe1ishable than |
timber ursd IN warm latitudeB, willie less Of nsu-
lsttng mate1ial Ia demanded In high latltudes than
is required in more genial climates.
enterprise Is the fact that It requires concerted
States, Great Britain and Russia. The two last |
aud tFntsrnal iberaity towards the United states,
maGe all the concessions which were demanded.
therefore, ii Congress shall gran. the application
Of Ar, Collins. no political obstacle will remain.
That PORTION Of our own country in which the
as hnrdiy to require description more minute
than !, hare already given. + is newly and as
1nh Columbia Indian tribes are found along the
American part OF the route. but they have been
SO well subjected 10 the tnauerces Of society and
government, through the operations OF the 1ur
Isude, that no serious resistance from them need
The iuhahitants Of Aelatic Ruse1a, who dwell
dependence. They are, nevertheless not sevages,
nkc the American natiVte. After centuries OF In
tst1al Wal. they haze now scttled lutte state Of
seml-ciTilization, In which they arc accustomed
10 bar!ez With whalcrs. with exploring parties,
aEd q With the tsoyern1ent AGENTS Of Russia, and
theS sIe Hospitality inclined BY that in1er:ourse
is That there are no insuperahle ob=tac1cs either
physical political, social in the way Of the pro
jecied line OF telegraph.
In regard to The expense which IT requires, !
nluet be Content to refrr the COMMITTEES Of tbs
6enate the estimatc. which havo been submit
ted by Mr. Collins. They have been made with a
FieW 10 secure from private sources all advance Of
the noEeys to be expended and at the sane time
to obtain from the Goyetnments Of Great Britain,
Rntsi: and The United States, the necessary poll
were prepared honestly and cautiously. and with
rs near approach to scczuracy Is possible IN re.
doas is under Conditions never before tried. liz.
Collins eettmates the Whole cost at i've millions OF
dollare. 4 just Legislative caution would proba-
by induce Congress 10 doub!e that estimate.
.ern.a VII sPi.a! eften millions. to he dsyet.
ed to the enterprise. an, therefore, Of opinion
that 1t Is entirely ,easlble.
proceed. in the next place, to consider the pro.
bahlc ueefalnees OF the enterprise Il Is needful
fere to assume that the line Of telegraph prop0s
co viii ke extended immedlste1y from Amoor |
River to 1tkoutfk, a. to complete the telegraph
with knssa leaves no room Of Doubt On this |
point
Setting aside the temporary disturbance Of war,
farmer, the miner, or tho fisherman OF Halifax,
Quebec, Portland, Boston, New York. Phiiadel.
pbta, Baltimore, Charleston. New ofleane, Gal
Teston Mont{sa Bq5IaS s nttsb5urg chGseo, g.
Franc1sce, Sacramento, Portland, with the aid Of
an intez.eonttnental telegraph, would be in daily,
and, in case OF need, IL hourly correspondence
where the fur trade Of Asia ls gathered up: with
Sovi1sk. TIC depot for the overland t.atnc be-
tween Russia and Japan and the mineral tre.anres
Of Nerchinsk: with RIakhta. the centre-ot the tn.
tcruattonal commerce Of Russia and China; with
Irknntsk. Moscow, st. Petcrshmkh: with alI the
cities Of Western Europe. including Conatantino-
pie: with the cities Of Alexandria, 0airo and suez;
either continent, now in teiessraphtc connsetioa
with The several ma1ts Of trade which have been
enumerated
Every one knows. however, that neither the
American nor the European system. has Jet attain
I'd 10 its ultimste Development Transtena wars
now delay tho establishment Of wires IN Pensacoss,
Havana, San Joan, Panama, QGlto, L ma Valps-
suiinsm, Caracas and Mexicn, and the facorpo-
tatlru of them with all thGir local rnmincatfon5,