Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-04-21
NO. a..
Mistellanu.
THE TELEGRAPH FROM BOMBAY TO
SCEZ.

SUEz.
During the past few weeks, new tel
egraphic enterprise has been accomplished
almost without observation, which but
few years ago would have been regarded
as a fresh wonder of the world. The lay
ing of Il telegraphic cable from Bombay
across the Arabian Sea to Alden, and from
Alden up the Red Seato Suez, is not an en-
terprise of so striking character as that of
putting girdle across the Atlantic Ocean
from the Old World to the New World;
bnt in its political and comercial results it
may at least prove of equal importance.
Yet this important undertaking has been
quietly carried out by the Telegraph Con-
struction Company during the past few
weeks, and since Saturday last messages
between England and India have gone by
a sea route via Malta, Suez and the Red
Sea. The great work of laying the cables
was accomplished by the Great Eastern
without hitch. The great vessel, which
was originally built a. the first of a fleet of
monster passenger-ship between England
and India, has probably rendered the rapid
development of deep-sea cables possible,
and facilitated communication to an extent
which even Brunei did not anticipate,
though in a way of which he had not even
dreamed. The great ship has made the
whole process of cable-laying one of such
comparative ease and certainty that the
element of adventure which gave such in
terest to earlier expeditions hardly exists
at present. The voyage was not altogeth-
er an unanxious one. The Great Eastern
had a greater weight to carry by some
thousands of tons than she ever carried be-
Il hrl = {La,, hal
way round the world. She was conse-
quently Il little later in arriving at Bombay
than had been anticipated, and some anx-
iety was felt on her behalf But Mr.. Park
| inson speaks of the expedition as her ''last
and easiest triumph Those on board
have never had a moments anxiety. The
cable had to be laid in waters which have
never peen fairly sounded, on sea bottom
which was almost unknown; but the work
has been done as perfectly, and almost as
easily. as though the Arabian Sea had been
the German Ocean, and the Red Sea our
English Channel.
The political and commercial Importance
of the new cable are obvious on a glance
at the map of the telegraphic routes to
India. We have two land-lines of tele-
graph to India, both of which necessarily
run through the territories of neighbors
who may not always be friendly to our In
dian government. The most northerly of
these is the Russian line, which runs by
way of Berlin to Warsaw, thence across
the continent to Odessa, from Odessa along
the Black Sea to Tiflis, and thence to
! Tehcran, where it joins the land-lines
worked by the Indian government The
most southerly line is that through Turkey,
from Constantinople by way of Diarbekir
and Bagdad to Fac, at the head of the
Persian Gulf, where it meets the cable of
the Indian government to Bushire and
Kmrachee The Russian route not only
lies through Russia but through Persia as
well, and the part of i between Transcau-
casia and the Indian frontier, though
worked by British officers, is the property
of the Persian government, and goes
through the Persian capital. The Turk
ish route is connected with London by FIVE
different lines, but they all converge to
Constantinople, and the line from thence
along the Euphrates valley is within the
power, if it can hardly be said to be under
the protection, of the Turkish government.
The new British Indian line, as far as it
is now open, passes through France and
Italy to Malta. At Malta it joins the sea
cable to Alexandria, goes from Alexandria,
via Cairo, to Suez, and at Suez takes to
the sea, only to emerge at Alden, and
thence by another sea line goes direct to
Bombay. During the present spring, how
ever, the line across the continent will, it
is hoped, be superseded by completely
submarine line, from Malta to Gibraltar,
from Gibraltar to Lisbon, and from Lisbon
to Falmouth. When this line is open we
shall have communication between Eng
land and India, quite independent of the
telegraphic systems of other countries
This line will be entirely British Indian
telegraph 1t will neither be encumbered
with the local telegraphic business of other
countries, nor entangled in their possible
political complications, while it will be
beyond the risk OF injury from uncivilized
hordes. From the date Of its completion
we may anticipate not only legible COM
munication with India, but almost instan-
taneous communication. There will be
no reason why messages should not go as
quickly and as correctly between London
and Bombay as they now do between Lon
don and New York. In May, therefore,
if the expectations of the British-Indian
Company are realized, we shall enjoy direct
and Independent telegraphic communica-
ton with our Indian empire.
There will then remain only one wide
blank to fill up, in order to complete the
chain of electric communication and put
a girdle round the world quicker than
Ariel's boast. The telegraph to India is
tour-fifths of the way to Australia; and
now that we are in direct communication
with our great eastern dependency, and
messages from any part of India are re-
ceived at every post office telegraph sta
ton in the United Kingdom, we may fairly
hope that before long cable will stretch
southwark across the Indian Ocean or
through the Malay Archipelago, and put
us in direct and immediate communication
with our Australian kinsmen. English
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