The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-12-02
PROPOSED CABLES



.y and = steadily Increasing. I, is il
the hands Of a. lCas- ten thousand ac-
tive men, and, 0W ng CD the impOssi-
billy Of mail transmission during
many months n the year, tn-re must
le NIL 4 cable business. TIE ship
ping and passenger in eres-s are very
great and steamers arrive a Skagway
from me sou 4 almost daily carrying
each month nearly as many American
citizens and British subjects as all the
cCO-+ss carried i'll a year f,Cr Asia TO
Hawaii. In local business, therefore.
this cable " II be much better patron
lied than either Of the ovLer cables.
The North American terminals are
two of the mos. rapidly advancing re-
giOns in the Tn ted Sta es and Canada
namely, the State OF Washington.
which in the last census showed a
greater percentage of increase than
any other ate, and British Columbia,
the most energetic Of all Dominion
provinces; for, while other parts of
Canada cann0- prevent their inhabi-
tants from em;grattng to the United
States, British Columbia has to pass
laws to keep GU. Americans, for fear
they Will Overrun il. The Asia-ic ter
mina's are the already built Russian
and japanese lines. and this cable
thus unites four of the le9d'n and
most progressive nations of the world.
If the Philippines be considered the
objective point, Asiatic Russia. Japan,
CO-ea and China are wav stations on
the route. Alaska INCLUDING British
uKon) has total trade of $40 900 900;
J9nan's foreign trade has grown from
$50 900 600 in 1898 to 1921 600, 900. and
in the same time her imports from the
United Sal eS have grown from $1,000
00J, to $4,000, 600; Corea has foreign
traue of $4,000. 900, Asiatic Russia of
$51 900, 900 China of $277, 900, 000-a
tOtal o. $500 900 900, exclusive of the
With the exception OF
the Russian business, all of this will
find this cable the most direct and
cheapest route, not only to the United
States and Canada, but to Great Brit
ain, Germany, and France. The bust
ness, great as it is now, has but begun
Before the cable can be laid the S be-
rian Railroad will be completed to the
Pacific. Already four Trans-P cif1c
lines of steamers run pas Cape Flat
terry TO Japan, a dozen different lines
nun m the Alaskan coast. there is a
mon hly service to Dutch Harbor. This
activity suffic' ent'y indicates that this
cab e IS on the "+r7ck of trade"
The estimates for he southern cables
were $7.500,0o0 and S10000,000 respec-
lively For the sh0r' northern cable,
to connection with both Russian and
japanese lines, the estimate is So, AGO.
900 or $500 a mile, which is $40 a mile
more than the estimate of the British
Commission (G53 900 fer the 573 miles
of British cable from Norfolk Island to
New ZealanO. Three million dol airs
will build the whole lines. including
branches to Ska gway, to Russia, and
the 660-n'iles length from Japan to the
The commercial rates now in force
from London to Vancouver and Seat
tie are less than 50 cents per word
but the rate from London to Japan is
$3.50, la Siberia, and S1.90. VIA Suez,
and to HOngkCng, 81 10. (From New
York t is % cents per word higher.)
A dCllar-per-W word rate from London
to Japan, 70 Gems from New York, 60
cents from the Pacific Coast (this lat
ter being one-th:rd the present rate),
ought to secure large share of the
business, and. instead of asking Japan
for 100000 per annum and the United
States for $175,0 900, which is a guaran-
tee of per CEN. on the alleged neces-
sity of spending S7,5"0000: the Alaskan
coast cable could we'll ask Japan, Rus
sia, the United States and Canada be-
.ween them to guarantee S150,000 I'M
ess otherwise earned. With such a
guarantee and with it's paying
ocal business, this cable could
lictate terms to the EurOpeanAsiatic
ines and obtain a remunerative share
If the business.
Not only is this cable in short
eng chs, cheap TO lay ana easy to re-
Dali, gu lna sea depths are not excess
;.ve. Inc deep6s. sounu4ng between
Ska and AJLu Is 2,i4I tauAOmS, the
leeLes- between AtCu and che Russ. an
japaAe>e DOunuary-(C hOunch0un
sand and Cape LOpatkdJ via Boring
sIaDd is 2,4UO, and the deepest in tne
Sea OF OhhOtSh Ks 1916 fathOms. From
IS AmerlcAn-CanAd.a an Lerm4nal to |
s.tka, distance OF 165 mlles, The cable |
les IN shallow, smooth water, ana |
freaks could be quickly repaired by a |
mail tug boat. From Ska to Ch.rl- |
.of Island IL would add DuC a few mIIes
o the distance TO lay the cable wiohln
he UhOuSand-fathOm line. From Chi
ikoff 10 DuLch HarDor, 440 mics, the
epuh is but 137 fathoms. The cable
hOuId be laid through Onimak Pass
rom ,Jhe south to the north of the
.leuian Islands, because the north
,de has better harbOrS, is freer from
Ogs and storm, has shaIlOwer and
lore even bottom, and is also in
lOTe direct line. The pass is nine to
IN miles wide in its narrowest part,
) clear Of hidden dangers, free from
angerOus tide rips, and with less tidal
urrent than any other pass. The
able should land in Unalaska Bay,
7hich lies between Cape kalekhta and
ape Cheerful, and is commercially the
lost important bay in western Alaska.
n the east side of the bay are the i'm
ortant anchOrages of Iliuliuk Bay,
utch Harbor and Iliuliuk Harbor
ape Cheerful, the western entrance to
nalaska Bay, is made Of bold, very
Ugh headlands, intersected by deep
rassy valleys. The shore is free from
Anglers and has deep water close to.
l Dutch Harbor a wharf 200 feet long
ztends to deep water, and at the out