The morning call., 1892-07-28
PACIFIC OCEAN CABLE.
Report on Submarine Survey Between Cali.
forRia and the Hawaiian Islands.

WASHINGTON. July 27.-The President
To-day transmitted to the Senate the report
on the Pacific cable survey. The report is
prepared under the direction of Lieutenanr-
Commander Glover. chief photographer Of
the Navy Department. The following is a
synopsis: The survey to determine the prac-
ticability Of laying telegraph cable between
California and the Hawaiian Islands has
resulted in the development of lane alops
the bottom of the Pacific Ocean with an
average breadth of 800 miles and length of
2l00 miles. The crust of the earth along
the belt was found to have a generally un-
dulating surface, with here and there
sharp peak rising abruptly toward the sur
face of the ocean.
Three lines of deep sea soundings were
run by the steamers Albatross and Thetis
between October, 1891, and May, 1892; two
were along the great circles OF the earth be-
tween Monterey Bay and Honolulu and
Point Conception aud Hllo Bay, respec-
lively, ana the third was on the line be-
tween Monterey Bay and Honolulu. The
total length Of lines sounded WAS 87S5
miles. the mean interval between the sound
ings being ~ miles, and the number OF
s0undngs taken S74. The number of serial
Is ''res taken was II sets. the number
OF 81 rayity observations 169, num-
ber of ST. ems of the sea bottom pre-
served f2U.
The route considered rs the most prac-
ticable one for cables lies at an average
depth Of two and a half nautical miles g ong
the MercatoT line between Monterey bay
and HOnolulu-that is, nearly straight on
the charts in ordinary use by navigators.
rms Route ls found to require the minimum
length of cable in passing over an even bot
tom consisting OF soil which is favorable
for Its protection and preservation, avoiding
submarine mountains and volcanic regions
where substances exercising an injurious
chemical action on the covering of the
cable are likely to exist, and whose natural
CONFUSION may cause its destruction,
Along the whole OF this route the bottom
is composed prlnclpally of ooze result
ing from the decomposition of the
OF all the bottoms those consisting
OF ooZe are best adapted for prolouging the
existence of a cable In an unprepared state,
because they appear TO be most nearly free
~>ram substances that have devastating In
fnence tie sheathing Of cable which
quickly becomes-+.ifn1es es.sadsdd n .tlsm, and
moreover because of the existence or sacnn- a
a bottom preclude the supposition that there
can be strong submarine currents to exert
wearing action upon cable where 1t hap
pens to be suspended in festoons between
the neighboring elevations OF the ocean bed.
From chemical standpoint shore deposits
are viewed as the most dangerous to cable.
as In shallow or inshore waters submarine
cables are exposed TO the effects of driving
animal and vegetable matter, which is almost
always present. The iodine contained in
seaweed has been known to destroy iron
| rapidly. and accordingly localities that az
| ford approaches TO the coast In deep water
| over bottoms of mud or sand, and which
| have only narrow area between the shore
! and the 100-fathom line, such as Salinas
| Landing, in Monterey Bav, Cal, and Pan-
| anna Bay, Oahu Island, Hawaiian Islands,
| have been recommended as landing places
! for a cable at the ends Of the Ioute with
| the view OF exposing a minimum length of
| cable to the action of shore deposits and to
| the damaging effects OF vessels anchors, as
| we'll as 10 reduce the wear resulting from
| the action of waves and breakers.
| The deep-sea temperature observations
| were Of an exceedingly interesting charac-
ter and are shown in three forms of tenn
| perature Charts accom- any the report.
| The extreme temperature at the surface on
| tile California coast was 55 deg. Fahrenheit,
at one mile depth the temperature was 81
deg. and from that to three miles depth the
| temperature only varied deg. The sur
| face water on the hawaiian coast was II
| deg. There was comparatively good bot.
| tom all the way across, much better thar
where the English cables are laid in tht
| Atlantic Ocean, as the latter cross the grea
| fishing banks of Newfoundland. The
French cables in the Atlantic lie aloni
somewhat better bottom. Lieutenant-Com
mander Glover estimates that the cost'o
laying the cable will be S1200 per mile.