The herald., 1898-05-20
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FROM MANILA TO new YORK
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News of the fighting in Manila, on the
other side of the earth, travels more than
900 miles, over a dozen or more cables
and three or more overland wires. before
1t gets to this city, says the New York
Sun of Tuesday. Very few persons among
the thousands who watch the bulletin
boards these days stop to think, when a
Manila dispatch is posted, that the message
was repeated over and over again as 1t was
sent from cable office to cable office in the
long journey from the Philippine port to
the American shore. 1t travelled across
seas. CULTS, bays and straits, mountains,
valleys and plains. But yesterday the
news that Commodore Dewey was ready
to lombard Manila was known In this city
thirty-flve minutes, in actual time, after
the British operator at Manila opened his
key. The cables were rushing things.
The eastern cables are owned by British
companies, the Eastern Telegraph COM
pany, and the Eastern Extension, Austria
liza and China Telegraph company. The two
companies are controlled by the same men.
Across the China sea, from Hong Kong to
Cape Bolinao. on Luzon island, in the Phil
ippines, cable was laid in 1880. The cable
Is 529.11 miles long. From Cape Bolinao
across the island to Manila is a telegraphlc
line about 100 miles long. All the news we
have received from Manila has been first
telegraphed from Manila to the cable sta
ton at Cape Bolinao, and from there sent
on by cable to Hong Kong
Without the aid Of the Cape Bolinao-
Hong ong cable, dispatches from Manila
must be carried by boat across the China
sea and there put on the cable to the SOUTH
From Hong Kong to New York a message
has an interesting course. From the Chi
nese port 1t Is first sent down the China
sea over a 46O-mile cable to Saigon, in Co
chin China. Another cable, 63O miles long.
conveys 1t to Singapore. on the straits, or
II may be sent to the island of Labuan,
Borneo, and then to Singapore. From Sim
eapore 1t runs around the Malay peninsu-
la to the island of Penang, on the western
coast Of Lower Siam, distance of 1888 miles,
Across the Bay of Bengal from Penang to
Madras the message is repeated on a cable
1893 miles long.
In India the message reaches the first
land telegraph line after leaving the island
of Luzon. Across India to Bombay the
message runs over 800 miles Of wire. Then
1t Is put on cable again to cross the Arab
an sea to Alden. on the Gulf Of Alden, a dis
lance Of 1851 miles. Up through the Red
sea to Suez is another long cable, 1903 miles,
Again the message goes overland over the
200 miles Of wire from Suez to Alexandria,
The Mediterranean has no direct cable
from Alexandria to Gibraltar. The mes
sage must be sent over a 913-mile cable to
the island of Malta, and then repeated over
the Gibraltar cable, 1925 miles further
From Gibraltar to Carcavellos, near LIS
bon, is short cable, 337 miles long, con.
Meeting the Mediterranean port with the
&e-mile ocean cable from Lisbon to Porth-
curno, the cable station at Lands End,
England.
Eleven ocean cables connect the English,
Irish and French cable stations with Amer
lea, and the message from Manila, upon
reaching Lands End, may be sent over any
of these cables. The Western Unions mes
sages are sent from Sermon Cove, near
Lands End, direct to Dover bay, near Can
SO, Nova Scotia. 1881 miles; from there they
are repeated over the coast cable to New
York. SSS miles more. Coming by this route.
the message from Manila to New York trav-
els over twelve cables, having total length
of 13,4l@ miles, and three land telegraph
lines, with a total length Of about 900 miles,
a total distance Of 1871 miles,.
Not all the news from Manila comes
across the Atlantic direct from Lands End
The Commercial Cable company's mes
sages are sent overland from Lands End
te, London and back to a cable station on
the west coast OF England, there to be
cabled to Waterville, ireland. The Com
mercial ocean cable from Waterville to
America touches at Canso, Nova Scotia
From there messages are sent either by d.
rect cable to New York or to Rockfort, near
Boston. The Anglo-American cable con-
rects valentia, Ireland. with Hearts Con-
tent, Newfoundland.