Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-01-20
GABLE OPERATORS.
The Little Army of Men who Work the
Long Ocean Wires.


Long Ocean Wires.
Although It is comparatively very brief
period since the first submarine telegraphic
cable was successfully laid between Ireland
and Newfoundland, such vast strides have
been made in the perfection, construction
and laying of deep-sea cables that the earth
is almost entirely girded by them. The
coast lines of the Americas, Europe, Asia,
Africa and Australia are festooned with
countless miles of submarine cables that
loop gracefully from the ocean bed at regu-
lar intervals to touch at some busy seaport
or relay Offices. There are now, says the
New York World, nine great submarine
cable companies in the world, with over
10000 miles of cable extending to the re-
hottest parts of the habitable globe
The greatest of these companies is the
Eastern Telegraph Company of London,
with $4,000 miles Of cable under its control.
This line starts from Lands End, Eng, and
runs under the ocean to Lisbon. From
there it loops to Gibraltar, then under the
Mediterranean to Malta and Alexandria.
Overland to Suez, under the Red Sea to
Alden, under the Gulf of Arabia to Bombay,
looping around to Madras, to Singapore, to
Saigon, to Hong Kong, Annoy and Shanghai
in China, to Nagasaki, ending at Vladivis-
took, Eastern Siberia. Africa is looped on
the east from Alden to Zanzibar to Cape
Town. On the west coast 1000 miles of
cable only touch at four places. Another
long cable runs from Lisbon to Pernambu-
co. South America is festooned on both
coasts as far south as the Argentine Repub-
lic The Eastern also has line 10 India
through Persia, thence through the Persian
Gulf. There are nine working cables be-
tween America and England. All the West
Indian Islands, the Grecian Archipelago
and Australasia are all reached by cables.
To work the vast lengths of submarine
cables good-sized army of operators is en-
ployed Not much has been written about
these men, but these deep-sea cable oper-
ators constitute one Of the finest bodies of
skilled workers in the world. All he cable
lines are manufactured and owned in
England, and the operators are almost
without exception Englishmen. These
cablemen arc brave, fearless and far
above the average intelligence. They
never finch from going where duty calls
them, and they are most important factors
in commerce, diplomacy and provincial gov
ernment. They are great travellers, and
numbers of them have been in every part
of the known world. The deep-sea cable
men are taught the rudlmentary elements
in London. They are then sent to Porta,
Karno, Penzance, where they become famil-
iarwith the working of the syphon recorder,
ficient they are detailed to any place
touched by cable. These operators are well
paid, work short hours and very seldom
leave the service. They are called upon to
work IN the deadly fevers of Panama and
Africa, to face wild beasts IN India, to work
among prowng bands of robbcr nomads in
Arabia and Persia, they must live in the
cholera-stricken cities of Siam and China,
the yellow fever of Cuba, the torrid climate
of South America and the bleak coast of
Eastern Siberia. But in spite of the fact
that the cable lines are laid through such
pestilential countries, the mortality rate
among the cable operators is very low. This
is no doubt due to the fact that the COM
panies are continually changing their men
about in such places. An operator is de-
tailed to very unhealthy places for six
months or year. He is then sent TO some
very healthy spot. Men are often trans
ferred from Panama to Nagasaki or Cape
Town.
The largest force of operators are kept at
the repeating stations, where all messages
have to be transferred. At Sucz and Alden
sixty cabemen are employed at each sta
ton On the American side the largest
force is at Hearts Content, NeWfound and,
where there are forty men, This is steady
colony of cable operators. Nearly ali OF the
older men are married and are bringing up
families. They have a chapel, school, club
house and own their own houses. At the
cable stations the company builds several
buildings, including the Office clubhouse
furnished with a piano, billiard table, card
room and all convepiences. Single men
live here. Marriage is encouraged, and
when man marries he is given small
house, his fuel and the doctors services, all
free. Life is made as pleasant as possible,
ha otot furnished with boat
houses, sail and row-boats and firearms.
The men are given thirty days vacation,
with pay yearly. The leave is cumulative,
and if a man works five years he is given
five months leave with pay and his passage
paid to whatever part of the world he may
live in. The cablemen are regarded as
species of supernatural being by the differ
ent wild tribes in outlandish countries.
Mr.. ]. Seton, of the Commercial Cable
Company of New York City, has seen serv-
ice all over the world. He has been IN Rus-
sia, China, India, Persia, Egypt, South Am
erica, Panama and Mexico. Mr.. Seton was
stationed in the Persian Gulf for seven
years. The worst place he was ever sta
toned, Mr.. Seton said, was on the island OF
Mussenden, in the Gulf Of Omar. 1t is
repeating station on the Eastern Telegraph
Company's line The island is so small that
good swimmer could swim around II IN
fourteen minutes. On this small place
were stationed twenty cable workers. Not
a single article of food could be raised on
the island, and all their provisions had to
be brought from Bombay and consisted en-
tirely of canned goods. The mainland was
filled with bands of murderous robbng no.
mads, and frequently British gunboat had
to be summoned and the shores raked with
shell. A detachment of marines were al
ways kept at the station for its protection.
A few miles inland fresh mutton could be
procured, but it was at the risk of the mems
lives, as they were repeatedly attacked
Alden is also dangerous place to work The
cablemen are, as a rule, most graciously
treated by the rulers of the countries
through which the lines touch, as they stand
IN fear of England's wrath. On the great
Indo- European line which runs overland
through Persia, the native who molests the
line has either his arm, foot or ear cut on as
i