Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1898-11-29
THEISLANDOF UALAN
ONE Or THE CAROLINE GROUP NOW
OWNED BY SPAIN

Expert r. l. BayIie. Says We Cannot
Lay Cable the Philippines
without It-Germnny Also Wants
to Obtain Possession.
According to Edmund L. Baylies,
vice president and counsel of the Pacific
Cable company, in the extension OF
United States possessions among the Is
lands of the Pacific the old saying,
THE more you have the more You
want might be changed to THE more
you get the more you must have" The
latter reading of the adage now forcibly
/ confronts the state department at Wash
ington by reason of his arguments
We have the Philippines by right Of
conquest, but he contends that their re-
. tention means that we must acquire
more Spanish territory, and this neces-
sity involves the possibility of difficult
foreign complications. 1t may meet
stout opposition from Germany. To
hold the Philippines, Mr.. Baylies says,
we must have ITALIAN, or Strong island,
the eastern island of the Caroline group.
which is owned by Spain. Germany
also may want that island. His argu-
ment, in brief, is that it is an essential
factor in retaining the Philippines that
the United States shall have direct ca
BILE communication with those posses
sions and the cable must be under the
exclusive control of the United States.
The recent war proved the imperative
necessity of this condition. To insure
ft,, 81 1rt
be established ON United States soil.
where they will be free from the posi-
bility of foreign interference.
Unless the United States acquires
Ualan cable wholly under its jurisdio-
ton cannot be constructed to tie Phil
ippines. This problem has been PRESENT
ed to the state department offiaIs by
Mr. Baylies. He has made several trips
to Washington to explain the Enatter to
the proper authorities. Mr.. Bsflies, at
situation to me recently.
In laying cable across the Pacific
the route is from San Franciscoto Hon
olulu, thence to Guam, of the Ladrone
group, and from the latter to Manila.
So far all is under the American flag,
Honolulu, Guam and Manila being
ours. From Guam the cable will run
north to Yokohama, and in due time =
branch will extend to Australia, but
the present question deals only with the
line TO Manila. The difficulty comes in
the stretch between Honolulu and
Guam. Here is a distance Of 3,340
knots. A cable has to be laiG with at
least 10 per cent slack, while l6 is pre-
ferred. But, taking the 10 per cent
basis. it would make a length of cable
of 3, 674 knots. OF the cables at present
in existence the longest is the one re-
Gently laid down from Brest. France.
TO Cape Cod. Its length is 8, 1877 knots.
The Anglo-American cable from Brest
to st. Pierre, which was laid in 1869, is
2.7I7. GO knots.
The French cable from Brest to Cape
Cod, which was laid in 1898, is SO
heavy that experts have expressed grave
doubts as to whether it can be raised
and repaired if q break occurs in deep
water. 1t contains 600 pounds of cop
per and $50 pounds of gutta percha to
the knot. If the weight of this cable.
measuring 3, 167 knots, imperils its safe
ty, as experts believe, a cable for the
longer distance of 1874 knots, from
Honolulu to Guam, would be out of the
question. 1t would of necessity have to
be heavier than the French cable, and
in view of past experience It is held
that it would be absolutely impossible
to lay and maintain it. 1t is therefore
apparent tE;-I tnete must ce q IanuIug
for the cable between Honolulu and
Guam. so as to shorten the sections.
This landing, to carry out the purpose
Of communication under exclusive
American control, can be on no other
than territory owned by the United
States
The United States already owns Mid
way island. northwest Of Honolulu,
which at first thought might seem to
answer the requisite for an intermediate
cable station without locking elsewhere
for landing, but a knowledge of that
Island shows its utter unfitness for the
purpose. Breaks in cables can only be
repaired in calm weather As such o
condition is rare of Midway harbor
there is no telling how long it would
be before break there could be attend |
ed TO. ana meanwhile all communica-
ton would be suspended Such break |
in critical national times might have |
grave consequences Just as Midway is |
land is undesirable for cable station. |
so Ualan is desirable 1t is only 2. 445 |
knots from Honolulu and l.2I0 from |
Guam Its fertility has given it the |
name Gem Of the Pacific It has two |
accessible harbors, one on the east side |
and another on the west, with a road |
connecting them Far from being fiat /
and sandy. like Midway, it has noun
tains rising TO a height OF more than |
2. 600 feet Its climate is delightful. it
vegetation varied.
As Mr. Baylies and others put the /
case, from every consideration, aside /
from that OF actual discovery, the Unit
ed States has just claim to the island
Although Ualan was discovered by /
Spain, she did not assert authority over
it until 1885.
Germany Land claim to the Carolinas
several years ago, and as . result the
dispute was submitted to the pope. He
decided in 1855 that Spain had the right
to the islands
Ualan was not mentioned in the pro-
tocol, as the fate Of the Philippines was
undecided. but it has row been propos-
Cd 10 the state department. that the
United States purchase the inland II -
needed for cable station Il would Also
be most valuable for = cos.ins station
The state department adAite oQx 4ee4