Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-12-15
CABLE GIRDLE ABOUT THE EARTE
Sir SANFORD F1eming's Proposed sys-
tenn to Connect the British Empire.
OTTAWA Letter.


Sir Sanford Fleming, of Ottawa re-
| Gently addressed letter TO The Right
Hon Joseph Chamberlain on the subject
of a State system of electric cables for
| the British empire TO circle the earth.
! The Pacific cable, he says, would serve
/ the purpose of trade between Australia
! STA and Canada, but these countries are
J debarred from establishing telegraphic
! connection with Hongkong by an agree
ment with the Eastern Extension Tele-
! graph Company, excluding Canada and
/ the Southern Colonies from that port.
Sir Sanford admits that the proposal for
| the establishment Of a Pacific cable would
undoubtedly interfere with the rich mo-
| nopoly of the Eastern Extension Com
pany. but he holds that no private COM
pany should be allowed to stand IN the
way when great imperial interest are at
stake.
He lays II down as essential to the i'm
perial cable service that none Of the lines
shall touch foreign SOIL and that they
shall be placed so as TO avoid shallow
seas more especially those seas in prOxi-
nifty 90 any country likely at any
time TO prove unfriendly. He thus
describes the imperial teegraphic circuit
OF the globe: Beginning at Vancouver.
the cable would cross the Pacific at
New Zealand and Australia; from
Australia the main line would cross the
Indian Ocean TO South Africa, from South
Africa IL would traverse the Atlantic TO
Canada, where 1t would connect with the
transatlantic lines. Such a system would
constitute q base for connecting every
one Of the British possessions and coaling
stations (Gibralter and Malta eXcepted)
by the most perfect means Of conveying
intelligence al the disposal Of the govern
ment.
The cable from Vancouver would first
find a mid-ocean station at Tanning Is
land, a second at the Fiji Islands, a third
at Norfolk Island; at Norfolk Island Il
would bifurcate, one branch extending
to New Zealand, and other to the eastern
coast of Australia. From King Georges |
Sound or some other point in Western |
Australia the cable would extend 10 Cocos |
Island, thence TO Nautilus and thence 10 |
Natal, and Cape Town, as might be found |
eXpedient. Cocos would become an i'm |
portant telegraphic centre, and it would |
be a convenient point for connecting Sing |
apOre by a branch cable, Singapore IS |
already in connection with Hongkone |
by an all-British cable via Labuan, and |
the government can take possession by |
giving a twelve months notice TO the |
Eastern Extension Company. India could
Colombo or Trincomalee In Ceylon. At
Mauritius a connection would be formed |
with the existing cable 10 Seychelles.
Alden, and Bombay.
In order TO avoid the shallow seas. along
the west coast Of Africa, Spain. Portu-
gal and France. II IS proposed that a
cable should extend from Cape Town. 10
Bermuda. touching at St. Helena, Assem-
sion, and Barbados as mid-ocean stations.
At Bermuda connection would be form
ed with the existing cable to Halifax.
and at that point with the Canadian and
lines
Sir Sanford Fleming, estimates the
distances each group Of cables would
cover as follows: Pacific Ocean, 7.15O
knots; Indian Ocean, 800 knots; At
antic Ocean. GOO knots; total. 22SO
Knots. He estimates the cost at between
t5,WOQ0o and 9GOO,000 He further saws.
Il have long advocated the first division
)f the proposal-the establishment Of a
able from Canada TO Australasia-as Q
state work. / have felt that II would
be the f0rerunner OF an all-Brtish tele-
graph system embracing the whole EN-.
)ire. As State undertaking | am sat
SIZED that the Pacific cable would be a | 4
complete commercial success, and that.
20 soon as IL so proved, the able exten. !
ion 10 South Africa ana India would ! /
ollow. That a State-owned Pacific
able is the key 10 the situation. I am {
irmly convinced. Exhaustive examina- !
Ions have proved it's practlcabllity