Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-02-17
TRANsPACIFIC CABLE.
Expert Serymscr Expects an Appro-
priation from Congress.

Wake Island. little. lonely. Isolated.
needle point OF land. way out In mid
ocean. between the Hawaiian Islands
and the LadroncH. IN declared by an
eminent authority not at all suited for
landing place whore tranHpacine
cable may maintain a necessary station.
The United States appropriated the
barren islct for possible cablep urposca.
J. a. Scrymscr. the veteran cable build
CT. who ~ president OF the Pacific Gable
company OF New York and already has
operating control OF 1900 miles OF sub.
marine line that he has laid. declares
that Wake Island could not be used IN
cable station because the operators
and their assistants could not live there.
Not "a drop OF water II 10 DO found on
the rocky little waste. except when the
whole thing II under the waves OF the
ocean. Tho government has been try
Ing very hard 10 get ualan Island, a
spanish possession about 800 miles al
most directly south OF Wake Island and
between the Marshall and Caroline
groups.
ITALIAN Island" said Mr.. scrymscr.
when seen yesterday at the Occidental
Hotel lust before his departure for Los
Angeles on his way from Honolulu to
New York."ls well suited 10 cable sta
tion. The poFresHion OF this island was
the Paris peace commission. but the
spanish would not consent 10 Its trans.
fer to the United States. Germany
wanted to tuy ~. and ON that account
the spaniardH were holding on After
ward Germany declined TO purchase
while the United States might be IN the
field NJ u possible buyer.
Gable stations are necessary" con-
tinued Mr. Scrymser. "'fhc longer "a
cable line IN the heavier must be the
copper wire used aA n conductor. As
the distance increases beyond 5000
miles the weight OF the cable must be
greatly increased. Tho heavier the
copper wire the more riEld II II. When
a break occurs from a submarine land.
slide or an earthquake, and the cable
has 10 be grapplod and hOlftod 10 tho
surface from depths OF from 5000 10
1900 feet. the very large copper wire
II apt 10 snap In two inside the insnlat-
ing where Il II bent, and these breaks
may be caused ut several places. !, la
10 permit the use OF lighter and more
pliable cable that stations are estnb-
lished, where operators live and re-
transmit messages IN they AFRO received.
In this way transmission In more rnpid
and certain. and the cable IL rendered
less liable TO accidents,
"A cable from San Francisco 10 the
eastern side OF Luzon island, from
which place land wire could be ear
rled across 20 Manila. would have 10 be
about 500 miles In length. II In neces-
Hnry 10 allow 10 per cent extra length
for slack. This slack IL what must
overcome the ups and downs OF the
floor OF the ocean. which Is almost aa
uneven rs the surface OF a continent
From San Francisco 10 Honolulu il
. 100 miles. and 80 miles or oxtra cable
would be required for slack. From
Honolulu TO tho Island Of ITALIAN would
require cable about 2.i00 miles long.
From ITALIAN 10 Guam, In the I.adrones.
Is a cable stretch of 1900 miles. From
Guam 10 the Island OF Luzon IN a cable
length OF about 900 miles. A branch
cab,s could be run from ITALIAN 70 nrls-
bane. Austrhlia,a distance OF about 400
miles. and from. Guam another branch
could be laid To Yokohama, n cable dis
tance OF about LOO miles That would
make an elaborate and valuable cable
system. A landing right may be easily
obtained IN Australia and one In pos
sihle ON the east coast OF Japan, though
a Danish cable company has the cxclu-
sive right 10 westward,
According TO the latest reports I
have received from Washington, our
chances are improving for getting u
bill through Congress- appropriating
szIs,ooo a year 10 our company for