The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1892-02-04
DEEP-SEA sOUNDINGs.
Surveying for an American Aus
tralian Gable.
Discovery Of Submarine volcano-The
Wonderful Depths Of the Pacific
Between America and
Australia.

The result Of the sounding operations
recently carried out by the Albatross,
an American vessel, between Monterey
bay, on the California coast, and the
Sandwich Islands, with q view to the
laying of the proposed American-Aus-
tralian cable cannot be regarded as sat-
isfactory. Starting from Monterey bay,
the Albatross took soundings at every
mile at first, but greater distances were
subsequently allowed, and over the
greater part of the Honolulu half Of
the section the line was only dropped
at from ten to fifteen mile intervals.
For some distance out from Monterey
there stretches a wide plain of sand and
mud-as perfect cable bed as could be
wished for-but about halfway across
reached and it is evident that the region
would prove more troublesome to
cable than does the Java sea to the
present Australian line. The Albatross
took her course about forty miles to the
northward of the submarine volcano
known as the Belknap, SO called after
Admiral Bellsnap of the American ship
Tuscorara, who discovered it. Passing
Belknap the sea bottom was found to
be covered with lava, but it was soft
and friable and would probably do no
damage. to cable inits present condi-
ton. The real trouble lies in the pres
ence Of the active volcano, which is LA
BILE to break out with fresh vigor at any
time. In many parts along the pro-
jected cable route from the American
coast to Hawaii the sea is found to be
abnormally deep, as is the case in many
parts of the South Pacific. In one place
the sounding wire broke at depth of
four Thousand six hundred and forty
three fathoms, and at many points
the depth was found to be over five
miles. Cables lying at such depth
would be found exceeding difficult of
recovery in case of break for. splicing
purposes. From what we know of the
ocean bed on the section running south
from Honolulu to Samoa and Fiji, says
the London Colonies and India, the
prospects Of acablc being safe in that
part of the Pecifc are much better than
would be the case along the section
just surveyed by the Albatross. The
oceanibed is comparatively free from
bad coral patches, and there is little If
any seismic activity till the New
Hebrides group is reached. At the same
time it is well to remember that no part
ofithe Pacific is to be trusted. Only a
few years back what seems to have been
a terrific volcanic outburst occurred in
the neighborhood of Tonga, and a good
ly-sized island-now known as Falcon
island-was thrown up as an addition to
King Georges picturesque dominions.
Tonga and the New Hebrides for the
present form the northern boundary Of
activity from the New Zealand end Of
the volcanic region, as far as is
known, but it is possible that many
disturbances occur from time to time in
mid-sea of which nothing is heard. In
deed, this is considered probable by
many people who made study of the
Pacific in this respect, and the frequent
occurance of tidal waves in a measure
bears them out in this theory. With re-
gard to this much-talked-of American
Australian cable, it does not seem that
the Australians and New zealanders
are any too keen upon the subject. The
Americans have evinced more interest
in the proposed enterprise, and it is un-
derstood that there is syndicate ready
to hand in San Francisco to take up the
work at any time. The English com
pany got together some time ago with
the purpose of carrying a cable from
Vancouver to the Australian coast is not
much heard of nowadays, and 1T is like
ly enough that insuperable difficulties
have been found in the way of both
schemes.