The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-12-02
A GOVERNMENT EXPERT ON THE
HANCOCK.
Major Aliens View as to the Inten-
ton of Congress-A New Feature
Proposed.

Major Allen, a United States Signal
corps officer who has had much to do
with the Governments experiments,
and with the making of plans, for a
Pacific cable is on the transport Han
cock bound for Manila, where he is to
take charge of telegraph, cable and sig
ral work there. The Major is
thoroughly familiar with the situation
at Washington as regards the Hawaiian
cable. He is of the opinion that mes
sages will be flashed from Honolulu to
San Francisco, over an American ca
BILE, within two years.
THE bill for a cable from San Fran
cisco to the Philippines via Honolulu
and probably Midway island, will be
actively pushed as soon as Congress
meets" said the Major this morning.
1T was strongly favored by the Presi-
dent last time and will be again ami
this session the objection that plans
are not in shape cannot be advanced
I have no doubt that the measure will
be passed at once, as it has influential
and earnest hackers.
"A little longer will be required to
construct and lay an American cable
| than if the government were to get the
| cable in Europe, where the making of
| cables has been done more and manu-
| facturers are more ready to begin work
| But the American people will want the
|
their own firms and workmen. 1t will
be a ten million dollar contract, and
! the delay is better than allowing it to
| go abroad.
1.-TWO cable ships will have to be
built as soon as the work is decided up
on. At the present time there is nc
cable ship afloat flying the American
| flag. The only one we had is the
! Hooker which went ashore at Manila
The building of these vessels, one OF
which will have to be about as large
| as the Hancock, and the other a goo6
deal smaller, and the manufacture OF
the cable will take many months
Then there will be about 2500 miles OF
cable to be laid between here and Sar
Francisco, to follow the best lines al
/ shown by the surveys.
From here to the Philippines, the
best line is by way of Midway Island
I recommended the abandonment of the
Wake Island route as undesirable
mainly because the island itself is 81
low that it would have to be built vi
at great expense. The station at Mid
way island would have another grea
advantage. BY cooperation with the
British government it would enable u
to have practically duplicate cables al
the way aehoSs4s.-Gfsat Britain's-eabl'
is to be laid from Victoria to Fannin,
island and thence across to Australia
BY agreement, an international cabl,
might be laid from Midway island t.
RAINING, thus connecting the two
trans-Pacific cables in the middle L
this is done break in one of the cable.
will not stop it's messages, for they
can be sent through the mid-Pacific t.
the other. 1t will give both countrie!
the benefit of duplicate lines"
Major Allen is of the opinion that tn,
United States government will even
tually lay cables between the differen
Hawaiian islands. He thinks that bu
for the loss of the Hooker this worl
might have gone forward very soon
AS matters stand it is likely to follow
the laying of the cable across the Paci
nc. In the Philippines the Major i.
gong to perfect the system of commu
nication by cable and telegraph, and he
may be sent here to work upon the
problem in these islands when his worl
in the far East is finished