Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-05-31
Telegraphing Around the World.

-
the least thought TO the subject
doubts that the earth will soon b,
eRcircled by Geographic lines. How
much remains to be done to that end
and how TO do it, are the very top
les which the United States Senat,
Committee on Foreign Relations ha
recently been considering, under th,
suggestion of arguments made BY
Cyrus w, Field and others, who pre-
sent definite plan of their own
Before we come to that, however
let W glance at the present stat,
ofinter-continental telegraphing. A
| telegraph map of the world shows
no LEES than five grand hines travers
log the face Of Europe from east tt
west, striking over into Asia in three
lines, which are under contract fol-
completion, to the eastern shores oil
China, off against our Pacific coast
Returning to Western Europe, VT
find three lines running across the
Atlantic, and connecting with our
American system, extending to Cuba
on the one hand, with additions un-
der contract to carry it TO Buenos
Ayers in South America and To
San Francisco and Puget Sound on
the other.
Here we come to the gap--and q
considerable gap it is, reaching across
the Pacific Ocean-which Mr.. Field
and his company propose to fill. He
suggests two routes between San
Francisco and the city of Yokohama
In Japan. One extends north west to
the Aleutian Islands, and then south
west to Yokohama the other. which
is longer, but offers more commercial
advantages, runs to the Sandwich
Islands, and thence to Japan and to
China. Admiral Porter, in letter
to Mr. Field, greatly prefers this
route. It's distances would be about
as follows From San Francisco to
the Sandwich Islands, 20s0 miles
thence to the Midway Islands, l140
miles thence to Yokohama, in Jap
an, 2260 miles thence to Shanghai,
China, l035 miles. 10 this is to be-
added one-sixth Of the whole, TO
make statute miles, 1856 miles, and
also twenty per cent. of the whole
for slack, 1929 miles, thus making
the entire length of cable from San
Francisco to Shanghai, 1921 miles.
II il stupendous enterprise, IN
doubtedly, but the success of the At
lantic cables has abundantly demon
stratedIts feasibility. It's realization
is only a question Of time. The ext
gencies of commerce are fast making
it a necessity, and the need of it is
particularly felt by our Government,
as admiral Porter has shown. When
the line is completed to China, it will
connect with the three lines now
pushing on from the West, and with
the line, now partially completed,
with the remainder under contract,
running TO Sumtra, Java, Australia
and New Zealand thus enabling
the Government to commune
cate easily with any part OF it's
Asiatic squadron, or our merchants
with their correspondents in any
quarter Of the East. The value Of
this, particularly in case of a war
with England or France, when the
Atlantic cables would be cut, IS OBJ
vious at a glance Mr.. Fields COM
pany do not ask for any Government
subsidy until their line is actually
built and in operation, when they
will require a cash subsidy of $780,
900 annually for twenty years for
the Government use of the wires
and they propose to hind themselves
in a manner which will at once Sc
cure the commencement of the work
and its vigorous prosecution to a
speedy completion. Admiral Porter
regards this proposal as reasonable,
in view OF the benefit the Govern
ment would derive from its facilities
and it is reported that the Foreign
Relation Committee think tavorably
of the proposition. How this may
be we cannot say but of the gran
deur and utility of the genera enter
prise, and the ultimate certainty of
its realization, there can be no doubt.