The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1895-12-28
OCEAN CABLES If War COMES
Only One That Would not Be Controlled BY
G.eat Britain.
Single French Line Would Be Under
Neutral Domination Ira the Event
Angio-American Trouble.
New York journal


I'm the event OF a war between Great
Britain and the United States. ~ said Vice
President George g. Ward, of the COM
merciai Cable Company, yesterday, sit is
difficult to state what disposition would be
made of tire Atlantic cables. 1 know OF 10
treaty or International la W that would pro-
tect them, and presume that they would
be subject TO government seizure.
There is not 4 single cabe that extends
direct from the shores of the United States
TO point in Europe. All but two go by
way of some point in the British provinces
and the other two via st. Pierre. Miquelon.
4 French Island. or the latter two, one
goes from there TO England and the other
10 France The last named is, therefore.
the only one that would be controlled alb
soluteiy by neutral power.
The three cables which land at Coney
Island, run from there to Canso Nova
Scotia The one from Duxbury. Mass.
runs 10 st. Pierre, but at the present has
no connection with the British coast
owing 10 break in the main cable. The
cable from Rockport touches at Canso,
and the one from Rye Beach, n. H.. lands
at Halifax, n. S. The French cable runs
from Cape Cod to st. Pierre, and thence to
the French coast.
III would, OF course, be far more inn
tam the cable service than to our govern
ment, as the seat OF war would of neces.
slty be on this side or the Atlantic and the
news would come from here. 1t is. there
lore, reasonable to suppose that TIN. British
government would take immediate control
OF the cables The fact that some of them
are owned by American companies would
not be taken into consideration Such con-
troll would amount To fun possession, and
business and other private messages would
stand little chance
THE British government would undouit-
ctily establish rigid censorship over press
dispatches, II. in fact, any such were al
lowed to be sent. No codes or cipher dis
patches, imagine, could he used In rev.
olutionary times in the West Indies, mcr-
chants are permitted to send and receive
cipher dispatches, but all such must be
translated in the presence OF a government
official.
whether the same CT --se would be fol-
lowed IN the event OF wal tween England
and America. is hard TO say, but doubt it,
The chances are that all ca bling from this
side at least. OF commercial or private ma
fure, would have to be done over the French
cable. which would BE- neutral. unless France
should take a ha nj In the war.
IF ii would lie to EDgland's interest to
A'oihtaih dHc hthopoiILe tEe use OF lie
cables, ii would be to America s interest
to prevent such a course. To prevent the
use OF the cables the United States would
have to render them useless. presume
that the British would patrol the coast near
the places where the cables touch, to pre-
vent their being cut, ard the Americans
would do their best 10 cut them. That
would be one VI tie incidents OF q rossible
war"
A. l.. Brown OF the Western Union Tel
egraph Company, said that he knew Of no
treaty law which would serve to preserve
the neutrality or the cables between the
two continents in the event OF war between
Great Britain and the United States He
declined to discuss the possible effect on
the cables in snch an event. and said fur
Their that no official OF his company would
undertake 10 do So A large amoIht OF
British capital is Interested in tue Western
Union Telegraph Company
~ j';' time OF the last EggCt'It. war an
effort was made by the big telegraph inter-
csts to secure neutrality for telegraph lines
other than those controlled by governments.
but the effort failed.