The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-01-30
TRANS-PACIFIC CABLE.

The bill just introduced into the
Senate by Morgan of Alabama and |
into the House by McCreary of Ken
lucky to encourage the laying OF
trans-Pacifc cable does not contem
plate any subsidy to the enterprise,
but merely proposes to revive the
charter granted to Moreno in 1876
and forfeited for non compliance
with its conditions. 1t would seem
that a more substantial grantor than
that person might easily be found.
He processes now to rely for the
money needed upon private capital
lists, some of whom he expects to find
in China, Japan and Hawaii.
Attention has lately been drawn to
the subject of trans Pacific cables
by the proposals of the Canadian
Government to subsidize line from
Vancouver to Australia, and by the
contract which is reported to have
been made by some of the Australian
colonies with a French company for
a cable from a point in Queensland
to Fiji and Samoa, and it is possible
that his expectations may not be
disappointed.
The general notion in this country
is that we want cable to Japan and
China more than one to Australia.
Our trade with Australia is much
smaller than our trade with Asia,
and the population of the former is
increasing so slowly that our com
mercial exchanges cannot grow very
RAPIDLY. And again, we are almost
without information regarding the
bed of the Pacific between the Ha
waiian Islands and Brisbane. A hasty
survey was made by Captain Miller
of the Tuscarora in 1876, and sound
ing were taken at distances of about
one hundred miles; the greatest
depth was found to be 344S fathoms.
For an ocean cable between San
Francisco and Japan two routes have
been considered. The northerly
route, as traced by Admiral Belknap
starts from Puget Sound, crosses the
Gulf of Alaska to the Aleutian chain
skirts that chain to Attn, the western
most island; crosses the mouth oil
Behring Sea to Petropaulovski, anc
turns southerly along the KurileE
, and the coast of Yesso and Dai Nip
pom to Yokohama. The trouble with
this line is that at the mouth O.
Behring Sea depths of $500 and 460(
fathoms are encountered, and thu
difficulty of hauling up broker
cable through four or five miles o
water can be appreciated.
| The other route runs from Sal
Francisco to Honolulu. This portion
of the route has been carefully sur
veyed, and presents no difficulties
: From Honolulu the cable would rul
to Port Lloyd in the Bonins, dis
lance of about 1900 miles. A hast,
E survey of this route was made by tn
Y Tuscarora, and it was found tina
: while the bed of the ocean was badl
broken, submarine mountains beinI
e encountered which rose from 1000 t
e 10000 feet from the bottom, n
! sounding showed a greater dept
than 1887 fathoms-34 miles. If tb
e sides of the mountains are slopins
e the laying and maintenance of
cable. would encounter no insu
mountable obstacle. From Port Lloy
to Yokohama the distance is abor
500 miles, and the depth of water
moderate until the trough which lie
south of the Japanese islands
i reached. Here depths Of 1000 an
= 2435 fathoms are found, but the
Z would not be fatal. 1t will be see
e that the only serious problem whic
o would have to be solved would /
. the feasibility of crossing the SUI
y marine mountains between Honolulu
+ and Port Lloyd.-S. F. Call.