The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-10-17

the prevalence of cholera at Honolulu
prevented their landing at that port,
for which they had sailed.
1t was the intention of Sir Audley
to visit Washington in December
next with a view of laying before
Congress certain business PROPOSE
tions, and now that he is in America
perforce so much ahead of time, it is
his intention to spend the intervening
months pleasure hunting. Sir Audley
Coote is advisory counsel of the SOciete
Franchise de Telegraphie, an English
and French company that is now lay
ing a cable, which it is proposed to
run from Queensland to Monterey
Bay, this State. What has already
been accomplished, as we'll as the
future work of the company, is told in
the following interview accorded n
Call representative at the Grand last
night:
graphic is company made up Of
English and French gentlemen,
backed not only by their capital, but
by moneyed men of America and Ger
many. In fact if we accomplish our
desire, the company will be practi-
workings. The company has already
laid 1000 miles of cable line between
Bunderburg, Queensland and German
in New Caledonia. It is our purpose
to build from the last-named point to
Fiji, thence to Samoa, Honolulu and
to Monterey Bay. In addition to this
we have sent an agent to Japan with
a view of securing favorable conces-
sions toward laying cable from Ho-
nolulu to the Mikado's realm, by way
of the Midway Island. We are also
negotiating for a line from Samoa to
Tahiti.
"The Hawaiian Government has
readily conceded every point asked
by our company, so that the cable Is
assured to at least that point. The
object of my visit to America is to
place before Congress the Importance
of the projected line, and to ask their
aid and cooperation. It is not sub
sidy we want, but a simple guarantee
of interest. For instance, if it cost the
company S1,O00,0O0 to place the cable
in operation, and it requires 50,OOO to
pay the interest on this, we want Con-
gress to guarantee just that much and
no more. If the company should earn
S49, 900 over and above its running eX-
penses, then the American Govern
ment would only be called upon to
nav $1,000. OF course, these are mere
iy illustrative figures, for we are un-
determined as yet what amount of in
terest we shall ask Congress to guar
antee. This is in no sense a subsidy,
and there is consequently no reason
why your Congress should oppose
such measure.
sit may be of interest to relate that
while we were laying the cable be-
| tween Bunderburg and Conan we
| discovered some 500 miles out range
| of submarine mountains, whose top
most peak was some 163 fathOms be-
| Meath the oceans surface. 1t was also
| found that they averaged something
like 300 feet high. After locating the
mountain we laid the cable around its
| side, just as you would around an or
dinary hill
| Sir AudIey CoOte is the original pro
! iector of this trans Pacific cable anC
TO his Individual interest and efforts /:
due much of the present success of the
company backing the scheme. Sil
| AudIey will spend several weeks inSaI
! Francisco, visiting in the meantime
the principal points OF interest in the
interior.