Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-08-03
CABLING THE PACIFIC.
Survey of the Route Between Califor-
MIA and Hawaii

Philadelphia TimeS:-The survey of
a lane go miles wide over the floor
of the Pacific ocean between the coast
of California and the Hawaiian ISL
ands has been one of the most inter
eS1ng scientific tasks ever undertaken
by the government. Up to date moth
ing has been allowed to be published
respecting the results obtained The
purpose of the work was to determine
the best route for a submarine cable
Two lines of SoundingS We're run by
the United States fish commissions
steamer AlbatroSs from Monterey bay
to Honolulu. This path has been de
cided on as preferable to 81 road con-
meeting Point Conception, Cal, and
Hilo bay, Hawaii which was laid out
with soundings by the steamer Thetis,
United States navy. The way selected
will require the smallest length of
wire. 1t will pass over an even bot
tom of soil favorable for the protection
and preservation Of the cable avoiding
submarine mountains.
The total length Of the lines surveyed
by the AlbatrOSS and ThetiS between
California and the Hawaiian islands
as 6,7S5 miles. In the soundings
operations, 1912 feet of piano wire
was lost, representing an expense of
nearly 5000. Such accidents are I'M
avoidable. The Sinker sometimes gets
entangled at the bottom, or the vessel
gives a sudden lurch and snaps the
wire off short. In these ways 400 60
pound SinkerS were lost also. In shoa}
water rope and lead do well enough
for sounding. By filling Il small cavity
in the base of the lead with tallow Il
the lead strikes becomes imbedded in
the tallow, showing the character of
the bottom soil. For soundings in the
depths, however, special apparatus
must be used. 1t is not very complicat-
ed, consisting most importantly of a
sinker and sufficient length of No.
IL music wire. The latter, which
stands Il strain of 200 pounds. is
wound on wheel. Each turn of the
wheel registers a fathom, or six feet,
while dial keeps count of the num-
Der Of turns paid out Thus the depth
at every sounding is registered automa-
ticalIy. A scale shows the tension on
tine wire and indicates the instant that
the sinker reaches the bottom. The
sinker is in part composed of a cylin-
der, which has valve in it's lower
end When it strikes bottom this valve
is forced up and the interior of the
cylinder is filled with soil from the
bottom. At the same moment an AL
tolnatic thermometer attached to the
contrivance notes the temperature Of
the water.
The route 10 be followed by the cable
is what is called a "rhumb line' be-
tween Monterey bay and Honolulu.
Such line appears perfectly straight
on the Mercator's projection, which
is used in nautical maps, though it is
not so actual. 1t crosses every meri-
dian at exactly the same angle The
photographic office of the navy has
prepared a most beautiful profile
delineator Of the entire pathway, just
like a panoramic view of a section of
the Pacific ocean from California to
the Hawaiian islands The sea is done
in blue and the bottom in brownish
tint, with all the soundings shown in
figures and the nature of the bottom
soil noted at each point. One aim held
in view was to choose road that
would avoid volcanic regions, where
substances injurious chemically to the
covering Of the cable would be likely
to exist or where future commissions
might cause it's destruction.