The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1874-09-26
THE TRANs-PACIFIC TELEGRAPH.

On the fourth page Of to-day's ADVERTISER
will be found a document that viii well repay
perusal, being the address of Capt. Celso Caesar
Moreno before the Senate Of the United States,
in behalf of the American and Asiatic Telegraph
Company. The L. 5. frigate TEsodrord, Com
mander Belknnp, after having been on sounding
duty twelve months to a day, returned TO San
Francisco on the I'd inst. and has completed the
series of soundings for the projected Pacific cable.
During her voyage, she has run ii 900 miles OF
soundings. The first line it will be remembered
was run from Cape Flattery toward Ounalaska,
but owing 20 the lateuess of the season was
abandoned, and lines were then run off and on
the coast from Cape Flattery to San Francisco.
Again, in December, she sailed on a second trip
running lines off and on shore from San Fran
cisco to San Diego. Then a trans-Pacifcl line of
sOundings was run from San Diego to Honolulu,
the ship arriving here on the I'd of February last.
A diagram Of the bottom between Honolulu and
San Diego with the soundings made, was given
in the ADVERTISER Of August Odd. The TRScarord
sailed hence on the 9th of March to run the line
via BONN Islands to Yokohama. The greatest
depth of water found on this line was 1887
fathoms. The apparatus used for the soundings
on board of the TuscarOrG, is the invention of
Commander Belknap, and he is considered as
deserving of a high encomium, both for the in
vention and for the able and scientific manner in
which he has conducted the operations throughout.
a synopsis of the soundings between this port
and Yokohama, was published in a late number
of the New York Tribune, which we copy below,
together with a diagram of the ocean bed, which
last we copy from an engraving in The american
J,nrn0I of Science (nH AryS for Saptemhar
sSixty casts were taken at intervals averaging
about 81 miles. The water fell rapidly and steadily
from Honolulu until lat. 210 N, long. 1899 20 W.
was reached Ia distance of about 90 miles), to 2,41S
fathoms' depth, making a slope of nearly 162 feet to
the mile. From that point to lat. 209 16' N, long.
1852 w, in q distance of $50 miles, there was a slight
gradual slope of only four feet to the mile. Between
the last named point and lat. 200 go N, long. 1920
39' W., a distance of 1856 miles, there is a submarine
mountain, with its summit in about lat. 20o Al N,
long. 171e So w. Its height is 5,16O feet. 1t hasa
slope of 40 feet to the mile on its eastern side, and
128 feet on its western.
"From the last station mentioned, where there
was 3,045 fathoms of water, the bottom was regular
for 240 miles, until lat. 21o % N, long. 178e 10
w. was reached. Between this station and lat. 2201
N, long. 1879 Az E., the second submarine noun
tain was passed, with its summit in lat. 213 Al n,
long. 176o ga E.; its eastern slope averages 81 feet
to the mile for about 127 miles from its base, and
81 feet the rest of the distance to the summit. Its
western slope is SO feet; its height is about $4,000
feet.
"fr0m this Last station the plateau can De re-
garded as level, for over 40 miles, until lat. 230 81
N, long. 1919 81 E. was reached. Between this
point and lat. 24o or N, lcng. 1902 09' E., the third
submarine ridge or mountain was discovered, with its
summit in lat. 23o As N, long. 1902 Sc E. Its
height is $500 feet. Admitting the slope of this
mountain to be regular from its base to its summit
(Which is of course the minimum slope ~possible). it
will have an eastern slope of 1872 feet to the mile,
and a slope on its western side of 2O4 feet. Between
the last position and lat. 23o Sc N, long. 1869 TO-
E., was the fourth elevation, having its summit in
lat. 23e So N, long. 1889 or E.. From its summit,
for o distance of about 45 miles to the westward,
there was but a slight inappreciable fall, and from
that point to the base a slope of 80 feet to the mile;
its eastern slope was 60 feet. Its height is 1000 feet.
For the next 60 miles, the bottom was regular till
lat 249 OF N, long. 1862 o. was reached, between
which and lat. 20o % N, long. 153" OF was a fifth
mountain, extending to the surface in an island
known as Marcus Island. A cast was taken in lat.
24o 2O' N, long. 154o OG' E., q distance of about
seven miles from this island, to the northward: 1900
fathoms of water were found, which gives the land a
northern slope to this point of ,264 feet to the mile.
From this point to the eastern base, the slope was
about 200 feet to the mile, and to the western, 157
feet.
For 176 miles from the last position, the bottom
was, comparatively speaking, regular; then the next
80 miles was occupied by the sixth mountain ridge,
its eastern base in lat. $50 IL N, long. 1899 46' E.;
its western in lat. go 09' N, long. 146o To- E., and
its summit in lat $50 42' N, long. 1889 go Z. Its
height was about 1880 feet; its eastern slope, 163
feet to the mile, and its western SO feet. From this
point to Port Lloyd, q distance of 30 miles, the slope
was about sc feet to the mile. | have taken, in con-
sideration of the height and slope of the submarine
elevation, about 200 fathoms of water as the depth
of the plateau proper; for it was only at that distance
that it remained regular for any distance, and again
the average depth between the bases of the mountains
or mountain ridges, and for over half the entire dis
lance of the line, was about that. All the slopes
computed are the minimum
Diagram Of Ocean Bed from Honolulu 10 Yokohama.