The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-02-24
THE PACIFIC CABLE.
French Company Fastening 1t
to American Coast.
CANADIAN SCHEME WON'T WORK.
a ereat Opportunity fer Tire Cnisea
stssss-Meve % Divide she Aseh-
issa sysssn-Kass War.

minister Of trade ard commerce, hss been
sssniy endeasoring to arrange with the
australian colonies for the laying Of .
tssns-Pacinc cable - part Of . geperai
seaene Of reciprocity between Canrda and
australia. French company has been
sseedny pushing the construction Of inst
sach cable. and promises to have il CON-
pissed 10 the United States white the
Canadians and Australians are still dis
eussinx the subjees.
lie cable 10 being laid By the Societs
Franchise des Telegraphes Sous Marin,
ana already stretches from Australia 10
the Frsnch penal colony Of New Gale
donia, . distance Of 500 miles. Capt.
Audlsy Coote, the com pany's representa-
tive In Australia. has given orders In Lon.
don for the material for the second section,
from New Caledonia 10 the Fiji islands.
~ miles. and is now in London to make
arrangements for laying 1t. He says there
- no doubt OF its further extension, with
America as the terminus. and expect. 10
have the third section, from Fiji to Samoa,
SIS miles. completed within eighteen
moaths The next section will be from
samoa via Tanning island to Hawaii.
24i7 E-iles, and the last from Hawaii to
America.
In speaking Of the enterprise the New
fork San recently said:
II il in this last stretch that the United
States has vital interests, and it would
seem that now Is the time for that interest
TO take the shape Of practical expression.
Hawaii 10 equally interested, and the mat
ter Is being earnestly discussed Ia the
press OF that country. The Pacific cable
should have its American terminus at San
Francisco. On this point Americans and
Hawsiians are agreed. The French CON-
pany's plans are at present maize for max
INK Vancouver the terminus of the cable
IL expects to receive some support from
the British government. both in the build
ing of the Hawaiian Vancouver section
and in the link from Fiji to Samoa. But
there 10 every reason TO believe that II IL
received due ENCOURAGEMENT from the gov.
eminent or capitalists in this country 10
would as lief complete the cable direct
from Hawaii to San Francisco. Indeed
the Comte de Douvills MiiIefen. who is
largely interested in the French cable, has
recently said that San Francisco is the
natural and best terminus for the cable
and should be selected.
There is every practical financial and
commercial reason, apart from political
reasons. why tho cable should be laid
from Hawaii 10 san Francisco, instead of
to Vancouver. The cable from Hawaii
10 Vancouver would be 2,675 miles long:
from Hawaii to San Francisco but 2,2i7
miles. These figures ALLOW for the neces-
sary slack OF the cable. The San Fran
cisco route is, therefore, the shorter by
428 miles. A cable such as would be laid
there costs about 81 DO mile. so that one
could be laid from Hawaii 10 San Fran
cisco at cost of $4,000 less than from
Hawaii to Vancouver. There would also
be an important gain in ease and speed of
operation in the shorter cable The SURVEYS
made by the steamers Bangor, Aibatross
and Thetis show that the ocean bed bet geen
Hawaii and California offer the most la
vorable conditions ever known for the lay
ing OF cable. conditions far superior to
those Of the Vancouver route. Lieut..
Clover. who had charge of tho surveys
made by the Aibstross, reported the most
favorable cable route 70 be direct line ,
between Monterey bay. Cal, and Homo
lulu. 1t will require he said, = mini
mum length OF cable in passing over an
even bottom, consisting of soil which is
favorable for its protection and preserva-
ton, avoiding submarine mountains and
volcanic regions where substances exer-
eising an injurious chemical action on the
covering of the cable are likely to exist,
and where future commissions may cause
its destruction
The opportunity presented to this
country is great one. With every reason
that the Pacific cable, connecting North
America with Australia, China, Japan
and all the further east, should have its
terminus on United States soil, there Is
no reason Why that end should not be as
sured By at once building the last link in
the ehain-a cable from San Francisco 10
Honolulu. liz would assure American
control of the Pacific cable when com.
pleted. and it would most probably be a
profitable enterprise from the start"
But the Canadian Pacific railroad.
backed by the Canadian and British gov
ernments, are exsrting themselves TO the
utmost To have the terminus of the cable
at Vancouver. and TO have il touch as
nearly as possible at only British ter.
ritory. Sanford Fleming. the promoter
OF the Canadian scheme, has offered four
alternative routes. all terminating at Van
coayer. TO the Australian colonies, and the
British secretary for the colonies has re-
monstrated with the Australians for aid
ing the French scheme with subsidies
Capt Coote. however. says that Jennings
route is old and discredited, and that it
will be impossible 10 lay q cable that shall
not touch at other than British territory.
This plan also ignores Honolulu, which is
an important point which Americans will
particularly wish 20 reach.