Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1896-11-18
CABLE AGAINST TELEGRAPH.

Mr.. George Kennan writes a story
for The st. Nicholas entitled How
the Bad News Came to Siberia. Mr..
KEENAN, was engaged on the Russian
overland telegraph, and the bad
news was the announcement of the
successful laying of the Atlantic Ca
BILE, which brought his work to a
sudden stop. Mr.. KEENAN, says:
Early the next morning I was
awakened by one of the Cossacks
with the welcome news that there
was square rugged vessel in the
offing five or six miles beyond Ma
tuga island. Iclim bed hastily up the
bluff and had no difficulty in making
out with glass the masts and sails
of q good sized bark, evidently a
whaler, which, although hull down,
was apparently cruising back and
forth with light southerly breeze
across the gulf. We ate breakfast
hastily, put on our fur kukhlankas
and caps and started in whaleboat
under oars for the ship, which was
distant about Is miles. Although
the wind was light and the sea COM
paratively smooth, it was a hard, to-
dious pull, and we did not get along
side until after 10 o'clock. Pacing
the quarter deck as we elm bed On
board was a good looking, ruddy
faced, gray haired man, whom took
to be the captain. He evidently
thought, from our outer fur dress.
that wo were only party of natives
come off to trade, and he paid no at
tention whatever to US until walk
ed aft and said, "Are, you the cap
tain of this bark?"
At the first word of English he
stopped as if transfxed, started at
me for a moment in silence, and then
exclaimed in tone of profound as
constituent: well Has the univer-
sal Yankee got up here?''
Yes, captain, replied, He is
not only here, but he has been here
two years or more. What bark is
this?''
1.-The Sea Breeze of New Bedford,
Mass" he replied, land I am Cap
tain Hamilton. But what are you
doing up in this forsaken country?
Have you been shipwrecked?"
mo" said. we're up here try
ing to build telegraph line
"a telegraph line!" he shouted.
well, if that ain the oraziest thing
I ever heard of. Who's going to tele-
graph from here?"
I explained to him that we were
trying to establis telegraphio com,
munioation between America and
Europe by way of Alaska, Boring
strait and Siberia and asked him if
he had never heard of the Russian
American Telegraph company.
"Never," he replied. II didn't
know there was such company,
but I've been out two years on a
cruise, and haven't kept up very
we'll with the news"
How about the Atlantic oable?'
! inquired. do you know anything
about that?'
ooh, yes,'' he,replied cheerfully,
as if he were giving me the best
news in the word. 1.-The cable is laid
all right.
docs it work." I asked, with a
sinking heart.
Works like a snatch tackle he
responded heartily. The Frisco pa.
pers are publishing every morning
the London news of the day before.
I've got lot of 'em on board that
I'll give you. Perhaps you'll find
something in them about your COM
pany.
think the captain must have no.
ticed from the sudden change in the
expression of our faces that his
news about the Atlantic cable was
staggering blow to us, for he imme-
diately dropped the subject and sug-
gested the propriety of going below.
"O OH WChU NO"A ALI w UhO OOAyS
well furnished cabin, where refresh
ments were set before us by the
steward and where we talked for
an hour about the news of the
world, from whaling in the south
Pacific to dog driving in arctic Asia,
and from Weston s walk across the
American continent to Karakozef'
attempt to assassinate the czar.
But it was, on our side at least,
perfunotory conversation. The news
of the complete success of the Allan
tic cable was as unexpected as it was
disheartening, and it filed our
minds to the exclusion of everything
else. We had lost the race, and even
if we should go over the course we
GOULD hardly expect to get any APP
plause or attract any attention. The
world would have no use for an over
land telegraph line through Asia
and Siberia if it already possessed a
working cable between London and