The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-06-25

points where the insulated wire may
run as quickly as possible into deep
water, so as to avoid the destructive
iodine of the shadows. In the latter
also are accumulations Of decaying
animal and vegetable matter, which
produce injurious acids. y ; has been
said already, the conditions for cable
laying are admirable in all prObabil-|
ity throughout the entire distance OF
1850 miles from Victoria to Tanning
Island. Such obstacles as drowned
mountains, which occur in all oceans
are easily avoided. One such was dis
covered recently, incidentally TO the
exploration of the submarine lane
from California TO the Hawaiian ISL
ands, $50 miles 10 the westward of
Monterey bay. Though it is a mighty
volcanic peak two and half miles
high, its existence had not been sus-
pected previously, because half a mile
of water flows above 1t.
Less is known of the paving and
contour of the ocean floor for the rest
of the proposed route, from Tanning
Island to Auckland, which is a dis
tance about equal to that from New
York to Liverpool-namely, 1915 stat
ute miles as the crow flies. The nor
NAL level of the bottom of the Pacific
is little less than three miles, though
there are deeper areas, and here and
| there a yawning chasm, as off the
| east coast of Japan, where subma-
| rine valley occurs six and half miles
! in breadth. To the southwark, how
ever, over the greater part of the
watery region extending from Fan
| ming Island to Auckland the ocean is
somewhat more shallow, though occa-
siOnally depths exceeding three miles
i occur between the numerous groups of
islands. These groups mark great
| shoals, which probably are of volcanic
| origin, the islands themselves being
| prominences high enough to appear
| above the surface. Coral pOlyps,
which can live only in shadows, have
| utilized every available shoal place
| for their building operations, uplifting
out of the sea reefs which in many
cases have formed islands of consider
| able area. Such islands are apt to be
| of an oval or approximately circular
shape, ring of reef inclOsing sort
| of harbOr.
Enemies of the Cable.
Already there is communication
| overland and under seas all the way
| from Victoria, B. c., to Auckland.
| The connection of Auckland with
| Victoria will make the circuit of the
| globe complete.
| That portion of the route which lies
| between Victoria and Tanning Island
| is supposed to be particularly suitable
| for the laying cable. The bottom Is
presumably of the same character as
| that found all along the lane, 300
| miles wide, from California to the
Hawaiian Islands, which was recent
| ly surveyed under the direction of
| the photographic Office OF the Unit
ed States navy. 1t is probably, there
| fore, a fine ooZe, composed chiefly OF
mud and of shells of almost micro
scopic animals, called fOraminifera.
In depths not greatly exceeding a
| mile the characteristic shells are apt
| to be those of small mollusks known
to the naturalists as pteropods. The
| pteropods and foraminifera live near
! the surface of the ocean, and the ooze
is formed by the continual rain OF
| their shells, which fall from above.
An ocean cable has enemies, ami
! NAL, vegetable and mineral. In shoal
waters and sometimes in great depths
where the presence OF volcanic nod
ules in the bottom aterial betrays
recent subterranean disturbances
sulphuric and other chemical com
pounds which attack the telegraphiC
rope. The line between Havana AND
Key West has been renewed 10y the
! Western Union Company six times
within the last twenty years on ac-
count of such destructive agencies
Off the coast of Cuba, in very deeI
water, are wells of pitch. This sub
stance seems to OOZe out through
the crust of the earth from deposits
beneath the sea bottom which CORE
spond in character to the lakes OF
| pitch that are found on the island O'
Trinidad and elsewhere.
The vegetable enemies of the cable
are seaWeeds, which contain iodine
The latter substance, which eats iron,
is found in the shallow coastal waters
where these plants grow. Sharks
sometimes bite cables and swOrdfish
have been known to injure them
There is a case on record of whale
that became entangled in blight ol
cable which hung like a festoon be
tween two elevations on the sea bot
tom. The result was a break, and
experts sent out on ship to mend il
! hauled the great animal to the sur
face, quite dead of course. Such acci-
|. dents are avoided when all parts of tht
cable lie in actual contact with the
ocean floor. Furthermore, when the
telegraphic rope is suspended across &
I submarine chasm or valley, it sway:
!
two on sharp rock Recently it has
been ascertained that by establishing
due relation between the steaminG
speed and the strain on the cable, g
vessel may lay down such line 81
} that it will follow evenly every curve
and contour of the bottom.
Other animal foes of the cable are
Enthusiastically the well-knowI
J teredo or ''shipworm." 1t eats tbs
, hempen coverings of telegraphic
} ropes. In its destructive work 1t is
assisted by a very minute crustaer
, called the "IimnOria." This latte
creature has powerful jaws and use!
them for boring innumerable holes IL
the gutta percha coat Of the cable.
Character OF flaming Island.
Islands of this kind are calleC
"atolls.' Their harbOrs frequently
/ afford refuge to mariners vOyaging il
r the south seas. One Of these is BIZ