The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1871-09-13
TeIegraphic Extension.


There are 600 miles oftelegraph wire in Europe
10000 in America, 1900 in India, and 10000 il
Australia There are in addition $1,000 miles o.
submarine cable, aud yet telegaphic extension
throughout the world is going at the rate Of lO0
coo miles of wire per annum. The development Of
submarine telegraphic communication is at present
matter of serious interest and consideration. Its
construction is costly, and the laying Of it is hazar
dous; while the amount of business, especially in
the Indian and Pacific Oceans, is not SO large as
might be wished.
There are now two distinct lines of communica-
ton between America aud China and the East-one
BY way ofthe Mediterranean and the Indian ocean
the other by way Of ST. Petersburg, through Siberia
to the Amoor River. In addition TO these lines,
Mr. Cyrus Field proposes to lay cable between
San francisco and Shanghai The route of this line
runs in soaihwesterly direction in straight line
TO Honolulu, one ofthe Sandwich Islands, distance
OF 1850 nautical miles; thence to Midway Island,
1,140; from the Island TO Yokohama, in japan, g,
26O; and from Yokohama TO Shanghsi, 1,O35-total
distance, G,515 miles. Another proposed line be
tween Shanghai and San Francisco, about the same
distance, takes northerly direction, very similar in
character to that of the southern line, the Two lines
northern point being at the Aleutian Islands, the
southern at the Sandwich Islands.
The Russian line, which is under the control Of
the Government, runs by way of Moscow and Tomsk
TO Urkoutsk, on the southern shore of the Baikal
Sea- and thence 20 the Amoor River which it strikes
at Tchau the northeastern point ofthe Chinese EN-.
pire From there branch line runs TO the mouth
of the Amoor, the main line taking due southerly
direction TO the Japan Sea- skirng the coast of Co
rea, and crossing the Yellow Sea to shanghae This
line is about L 500 miles in length. The route by
the European and Indian lines is a more crcuitous
one but reported to be more trustworthy than the
Russian route The first branch oft is the Falmouth
Gibralta and Malta line, 2456 miles in length, and
opened May 3Ist, 1870; thesecoud, the Anglo Medi-
terranean Company, from Malta to Alexandria, pos
miles, opened October, 1865; then the Suez and
Bombay line, 5000 miles, opened April, 1870; the
British Indian Extension Company, TO Ceyon and
Singapore 1,756 miles, opened eighteen months ago
and the China Submarine Telegraph Company, from
Singapore to Hongkong and Shanghae, 2,640 miles,
lately opened A line, l72G miles in length is also
constructing between Singapore and Port Darwin
the northern shores of Australia passing through
the island of Java. This line viii be completed be-
fore the end of this year. according to the stipula
lions of the contract Another line is also contract
ed for between Melbourne and the southern-most
point ofASew Zealand. Thus by this route the line
of communication between New York and Shnng-
hal is IL, 2O4 miles, and with Australia 70 300 miles
a message can be sent from New York to Shanghai
over these lines and an answer received in two hours
time This, of course, is not the ordinary time oc-
cupied in the transmission of messages, two days
heinz no ro,,ta 4ba
distance between New York and Shanghai is abont
$500 miles.-N 7. Tribune. Artg Sh.
WHEN man is unable to tell the time by his
watch, because there are two hands and he doesn't
know (which TO believe it is tolerabe sure sign
that he has partaken of more refreshment than his
nature reouirps