The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-07-03
CABLES UNDER gHT PiCfFIC
Tho Efforts TO Complete the Teicgraphic
Circuit of hu Earth.

Asia and Australia and provide short. direct.
quick, and choap route to tho far East In place
OF the present costly and comparatively long
route. which circles backward three -fourths Of
the way around tho globe. seems to have been
advanced very materially toward accomplish
mont by tho results attained by the United
States cruiser Thctis in the second sur
vey OF the proposed route. Tho Thotis
left San Francisco on April 10 last
to take soundings and mako q gen.
ernl survey OF tho ocean bod ovor the
proposed route from California to
tho Sandwich Islands the first soction OF
proposed cable route to japan. she returned
to San Francisco last wock. Six months ago
the Albntross made n similar survey. but the
results attained in that survey wcro not con-
sidered OF nature very favorable to the
project Tho Albatross surveyed n route rum
ming from point on Monterey Bay. noar the
town Of Monterey, direct to Honolulu. Her
soundings showed thnt the bottom OF the sea
was very irregular over tho greater pnrt OF
the route surveyed. The depths OF water were
very great. aud great many lofty and per-
pendicular coral reefs were discovered along
tho track, indicating great danger Of frequent
and serious troubles to the cable through
abrasion. and also OF total loss, from the great
depths and the swing between the rcefs.
The Thetis met with far greater success in
hor survey. The theoretical route was the
same from San Francisco to Honolulu. but, rs
In the cnsa OF tho cables from New York to
Europe. the actual route Of the deep sen cable
was located to begin Mt point some consid-
erablo distance from San Francisco. Tho At
lantic deep-sea cables begin. or end. at Nova
Scotia. Newfoundland. or in that immediate
vicinity. The Thetis started from Point Con-
ception. 900 miles south OF San Francisco.
and IS miles west Of the town OF Santa Bar
bara, at tho hoad Of the Santa Barbara chan
mel. The place was considered by the electri-
cal engineers to be favorable for n dcep-sen
cable landing The ground at that point Ia
high. and the water shoals of on mud bottom.
Tho Thctis took course nearly duo south
west. and by way Of tho Great Circle In the
beginning OF the survey soundngs were made
every two miles until q depth Of 900 fathoms
was registered Five miles out from Point
Conception sea bottom was found at eighty
seven fathoms. and at thirteen miles 2S1
fathoms were registered. From that point on
toward the Hawaiian Islands the depth of water
increased gradually to 5000 fathoms or more
than three, and half miles. That great
depth was the average for many miles. When
the lotion . WIS level s1undings were taken
undulating. or whore reefs were discovered.
soundinGs wore taken Mt short intervals down
S IN roua At Pon
about three hundred miles from Hilo. on the
the cable. TRs water shoaed to ono thousand tG
fathoms thirty-!l vc miles from lIilo and shoaled
gradually !, fr9m that on l., to tho landing place.
short, cable will have to be laid to connect the
island OF Hawaii with Honolulu. but it is prob
laid from Hio to avoid transmissions aud for
reasons OF favorable landing.
cabe Would so
milos in long tn. The route surveyed by tho
Albatross IS about Nifty miles longer. Tho Al.
able weather during most, Of the time The
curate and the best determined Of any Yet
made for Pacific cable
The imE . and necessity OF Pacific
Obvious 1n6 exports to China and apSp Iast
The British Government is also deeply inter-
cstcd in the laying OF such cable. to connect
terests consid cred are necessarily sc somewhat
different; and are in measure competitive
and eoniStni They Are partly commercial
munication with british ports and colonies
and the far east generally is wanted for tho
direction: but and perhaps mainly. an altor-
native tclesraphic route to tho East is wanted
be entirely through british possessions and
not subject to interference or stoppage by
any foTeisn now"F IL IS cGnsidep9d to be an
troops from Eng and 70 India and the East
These considerations have led to tho ma piping
out of three competitive routes. At present all
Australia must go under the Atlantic t. Lon n.
don. Thence are three routes to India. two
through to China and Japan. and ono contin-
tralia and Now ZcaanI. The northern route
is from London to Denmark. through Russia.
ana across tho Siberian steppes. by the Grent
Northern Telegraph Company to yladivostock.
thc eastern soaboard. where cnnnections, with
and 'pan n are n ns Tns
Russia. and Persia 70 the Persian Gulf. and
thcnce to Bombay: The, eastern route. direct
the Mediterranean. Egypt. the Red Sea. Arabia.
india ans m ara thence by
tho northern coast. The routes are long
or the fre three projected nacilc routes two
by way OF tho Fiji Islands The northern
route Is projected from point near Victoria.
thence to Attn Island and from there to
Jnpan,I a sunp.meptary eahlo would be run
northern Australian coast. it IS known as tho tho
Canadian route. The central, or United States
r9ut" wnSh has Ia been sGryeyed to the Sand
rout" surveyed To Hawaii. thence to Johnston
Island. about seven hundred miles wo!t thence
between laval and japan from there to Mar
Gus Island. ana from Marcus Island to q land
ing IN japan
japan ana Australia ara In communication
now EitheGof the Pacific cables would com
ptete tho teegrnphic circuit of tn" Glol o. / ho
third proposed route. is from point near Vic,
duo south 1000 miles. to, flaming Island.
thnnce to ono OF tho Eli Islands. 1900 miles.
distance to Brisbane. Australia. That. how
evnr,would not AFFORD good facilities for reach
ing China and JRran.
The .srrroxim@te. distances Of each route
arc; Northern. british Cornbia 10 Japun.
5000 miles: central. san Francisco to Jnpan.
$500 miles: southern. British Columbia to
Australia. G,7ao milos., The cxtcnsion OF
the first rablo route from Japan to AUS
tra.in, projected m nly for Government pur-
poses. r9lmnly. by Tho route Indicated, would
be an added distance -! 3,OJD miios Tho cs-
Inmates of the prnnab cost o. rabio by each
q tn" ,hrce routes vary, one estimate placing
it Mt about ioar, 81. and srycn million dollar.
tho millions for th' additional cable from
Japan t. Australia; bat that is only approx-
mate. The Canadians, Australians. and the
British Government are naturally chiefly in
terosted in the northern and southrra routes,
and statistics arc quoted 10 show that either
Of these routes Il better than the central
Electricians conc de M advantage for tho
northoin rpi,te in Tho sho"t"r d Stances between
tat IA4 ,i,.l a