The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-04-16
CABLE TO JArAN AND AUSTRALIA.
Canadian Pacific VIII Lay It-Merits OF
Victoria Route.

The Canadian Pacific Railway Company is
considering she question OF laying cable from
Victoria TO Japan and Australia and will either
obtain new charter or make some arrange
ment with the company which YVES chartered
By the Dominion parliament in ISIS. Saudford
Fleming. the promoter OF the latter company, is
now endeayoring 10 obtain from the imperial,
Dominion and Australian governments prom
Uses OF subsidies. That company is awaiting the
result Of some deep-sea surveys and souadings
now being made by the imperial government,
with view to ascertaining the dep:h of the Pa
cihc ocean along the proposed route of the
cable, which is to take q southerly course by
way OF the Sandwich aud Fiji islands.
The Railroad Gazette makes the following CON-
parison of the merits of the different routes:
As to the relative merit of the northern and
southern routes across the Pacific ocean,
Canadian government telegraphs and cables.
estimates the distances and cost of
the northern route as follows: sooke
bay, near Victoria. TO UnImak, Aleutian islands
Loo; Aninak 10 Attu, the most essterly Of
AleGtian islands, 500; Aitu island TO Japan,
1850; total. Victoria 10 japan. 3.oe1 Japan to
Manila, where there Is cable to Honskong.
China, $50 miles, LOO; Manila 10 New Guinea,
lsii9: New Guinea to Port Darwin, Australia
GO: total 70 AusIralls, 600 To this distance
should be added about l. per cent 10 cover the
slack OF the wire, and, estimating the cost Ut
$l,eO per mile, would give the following as tho
approximate cost: Victoria to Japan. 1 SO miles,
81 sl.aNa, s4.s2e0 go; Japan 10 Port Darwin $3.50
miles al sie9D. sS,39O,ooo; total s. $1,000 THIS,
Mr.. Osborne says. would be for a single cable
but experience having shown that IL Is not sale
10 cepend on single line for such long dis
tanee, II viii probably be found necessary TO lay
a. least two cables TO insure continuity OF sery-
ice, which would rather more than double the
cost.
The central and southern routes may BE- called
respectively the American and Fleming
schemes. The former is Tor cable from sa.
francisco to the sandwich islands and taeuee
20 Japan ty one route, and Australia By the
other. By the central route the distance and
cost are estimated by Mr.. Osborne as follow..
San Francisco 10 sandwich islands, 2o50 nauti-
cal miles; Sandwich islands 10 johnson island
-; johnson TO Wake island I2S9: Make To-
Marcus island, 80: Marcus island 10 Japan
Loo; total To Japan, 5aSl Adding Il per cent;
iur slack. and estimating the cost az s. 80 as in
inc northern route, the cost of this rcuta for q
single cable would be 81, f6l 90. aud the cable
could only reach Japan where 1t would either
connect with the existing lines u Australia ar
ali independent cable would have to be laid,
which, taken at the estimate for the northern
route, would mako an additional cost OF So
$4,000.
The southern, or Fleming, route yyould he hut
little longer than the northern route, so far as
Australia Is concerned, but much LONGER 70
Japan To the latter place the distances would
be: sooke bay. near Yictorla. TO sandwich
islands, 2.s00 nAuficsl miles; Sandwich islands
u Japan via Johnson. Wake and Marcus is. auis
S,Ae; total TO japan, ESQ. Tre distance % Aus
tfslia BY the southern route would be: Sooke
bay TO sandwich Islands, 2,49; Sandwich
Islands 20 fauaing islands, 400; Faauirc
isssnds TO fli Islands i,5so; Fj islands 10 Bits
bsne. Australia, l,G2l. total 10 Australia 6-50
Adding II per cent for slack and estimating the
cost At the same rate for the southern and CEN
IRA, routes. TIE cost would Be. Tor sIugie cable
TO Japan, s1,0j6,Caa, and to Australia ST. S0Cs1
il the line from Victoria 70 the Sandwich Islands
Is taken as serving Tor both the japan aud Ags-
tristan cables, then the cost Of the combined
cables would he ST, 99S,oo0 leaving the Austria
Ian connection out OF the question altogether,
and dealing only with Japan, the relative
cost OF the three lines wouid be: Northern
route, $4,000; central route. S5.65t0o1. south
efn route y ,tS6,clo As to the question whether
the cable would pay. Mr. Gisborus has no doubt
that the northern route would pay, aud paT
we'll lie points out that the speed OF transmits
sion through S,C-a-tnite cable is limited 10
sbont seventeen words 4 minute, OF. II in coz
dihon Ter duplex working, twenty-five words
Per minute. where's. cable half that length,
say l.e'o miles The longest which woud be
used IN me northern rontel can be duplexei, or
eusdrupiexcd. aud worked as rapidly As skiIIful
operators can mauIpClsts the Instruments