Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1871-03-16
WIRES AROUND THE WORLD.
Great TeIegraphic Achievement.

How near we are to unbroken tele-
graphic communication with all the
northern hemisphere, and even with
the southern, is hardly realized by
the public. The 31st of December,
1870, saw the successful completion
of a telegraph line, 2,400 miles in
length, connecting with Europe and
this country three Of the principle
ports in Southern Asia, Penang,
Singapore and Batavia. The last
section, which connected the first
named port with Madras, was COM
menced on the 18th of December,
and the splice which ''consummated
the marriage of the two ports" as a
local journal phrases it, was COM
mitted to the deep at sunset on New
Years eve-just six hours within
the contract time. This extension
is, however, but a small part of the
project, now in course of accomplish
ment, to connect Shanghai on the
one hand and Australia on the
other with Singapore, and so with
London and New York. The first
section of the cable to be laid be-
tween Singapore and Hong Kong
whether by way of Ceylon or not,
is to be determined at the former
port according to the results of the
pending struggle between France
and Prussia) has already been dis
patched, and will probably arrive out
about next May. Ofthe section be-
tween Hong Kong and Shanghai $50
miles had, by the latest advices, been
submerged, and the steamer Celia
was ON the way for the. terminal
buoy to splice and continue laying
the cable. The two leading ports
of China Shanghai and, through
Hong Kong, Canton, will thus by
June next be included within the
vast system whose ramifications are
now spread over a lineal distance OF
more than 10000 miles. Should no
accident intervene, the close of 1871
will probably witness the accom-
plishment of daily communication
between China and New York.
Other undertakings, subsidiary to
the main lines just referred to, are,
we learn, by the India and China
journals, being strongly advocated
by the more far-sighted of the for
eign communities in those countries.
Prominent among them is that of a
company representing both Ameri-
can and British interests, to carry a
land line across Burmah and Cochin
China, to Ceylon, and thence by sub
marine cable to Hong Kong. Even
the sluggish Philippines are waking
up, and some resident of Minilla
who is evidently in advance of his
age, is warmly advocating the form
alton of a local company to firing
that flourishing but ont-of-the-way
capital into connection with Singa-
pore. The Dutch, who have hearth
ly seconded the Australian cable
scheme, are busily carrying out
their portion of this undertaking
by connecting Batavia with the
northern terminus of the Carpenta-
ria line. Asia is, in fact, at this
moment the great theatre of prac-
tical telegraphic enterprise; and we
venture to remind the american
and East India Telegraph Co.." and
"American and Pacific Telegraph
Company" that they are in danger
of being anticipated by their rivals.
who have already forestalled them
on the Asiatic coast. If Pacific
cable is to be laid land those best
qualified to judge are emphatic ip
their assurances of the certain
profits, commercial and political, to
be derived from it., it is a pity that
American enterprise should not
have the laying Of it.-Ndtion.