The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1891-03-28
interesting Lecture by Captain
Taylor, U, S N,
Bef1re the Geographical SoCi-
ely II Japan.
Prob BILE Influence Upon Japan.
hucnce Of an International Cable
Upon the W0rId An6 Upon Com
merce in ths. Pacific Especially.

1t is this lake which givee to the
canal strategic Importance, unique
and significant believe the future
will show it to be in this respect un-
paralIeled in the history of the
world.
Taking up again the thread Of our
subject, and discussing the develop
mcnt of trade in the Pacific Ocean,
resulting from the opening of canal
across the American Isthmus, it is
proper TO notice the difficulties, as
well as the advantages, that will be
encountered. In the first place, this
canal will not provide rapid trans
portaton for the merchandise of most
of the countries whose shipping will
use it.
twill provides cheap and convent
ent route, but not especially speedy
one. The western coasts Of South
America and Mexico are an eXcep-
ton to this, and for them a most
rapid transit will be provided by the
canal, to New Orleans, New York
and Western Europe. But it may
safely be predicted that mails and
passengers from Japan will continue
to pass across the Pacific and by rail
across North America. For most of
the maritime nations of the world the
Nicaragua Canal will be freight
route.
Such beng the case, and as the
cargo steamers of Japan, the u. 5.
and Europe are to make large use Of
it in future, it is desirable to examine
all possible routes across the Pacific,
which may be used in connection with
such a Canal. We here come upon
a notable difficulty, the lack of con-
venient coaling stations. Those of
my hearers who are familiar with
shipping are well aware that for car
90 steamers it is of first importance
that coaling ports should not be too
distant from each other along their
routes of travel for the cargo steamer
must not be obliged to fill up with
its coal supply too much OF its stow
age space and thus restrict unduly
the amount of cargo it can carry.
This difficulty will be principally
felt on the Southern route across the
Pacific by the Western bound steam
ers. Those Eastern bound from ia
pan to the Canal will fad their best
route on great circle between Yo-
kohama, San Francisco and Puget
Sound, which will carry them quite
near the Aleutian Islands in the
North Pacific, among which conve-
nient cOaling station can be selected,
which will break the long distance
between Hakodate and Puget Sound.
On the Southern route, however,
there will be felt great need for
coal port West OF the Sandwich ISL
ands. The only points available are
in the Marshall Islands or the Caro-
line GrOup-but none of these ISL
ands produce anything to export in
large quantities, and the vessels that
Su'uiu IaAe oo"i uIOLC, OOutu CApCCl
no return cargo. Coal supplies at
such points would be therefore kept
up only at great and undue expense.
These groups of Islands are also so
far to the southwark that they would
cause too great detection from
vessels course after leaving the
Sandwich Islands, unless she propoS-
ed to visit Manila and the Chinese
Coast before proceeding to Japan.
In that case the natural route
for cargo steamer would be
circuit. 1t would leave the canal
and pass along the west coasts of
Central America and Mexico, touch
ing where desirable, and filling its
buHkers at Mazatlan in Mexico.
Thence it would steer west for the
Sandwich Islands, take coal there
and proceed to one Of the Caroline
or Marshall Islands. Thence to
Manila, Shanghai, Nagasaki, Kobe,
Yokohama. From Yokohama a great
circle route to San Francisco or
Puget Sound would be the course to
steer, touching if desirable at Hako-
date, and of necessity at the coal
port selected in the Aleutian Islands.
Bv this means we would reduce the
distances between coaIing stations to
about = 1000 miles, which is not ex-
cesslye for cargo steamer.
1t is interesting to notice that in
following this route to San Francisco
and containing down the coast of
America to Nicaragua, the total dis
lance traversed is about Z 900 miles;
while the route from Yokohama to Nj
caragua by way of Honolulu is about
1900 miles. The distance, which
appears on these maps to be much
the shorter via Honolulu, is in reality
800 miles the longer. In addressing
this distinguished society Of geo
graphers, to whom maps and charts
are familiar, ! need not dwell upon
the cause of this apparent discre-
paucy. MrrcatOr's method Of pro-
JtClloU, lHuu4H convenient III many
ways, has as the society knows the
fault OF dstortiug the higher latl-
tudes, lhus producins such errors as
have mentioned To compare in
telIgenly the distances covered hy
different route, projection Is urrd-
cd which will exhibit thc great circles
of che earth, as straight lines. Such
Be- the Guom1u.r Projection, 1i which
/ have here chart, aud Nuu,e pilu-
rlnl,s MIL lakr nIlAaura In dlslu.s-