The times., 1899-03-06
TIE PACIFIC Cable
PROJECT Discussed
Its Feasibility Urged by the
Treasury Bureau.
Interesting Facts in the Summary
of Commerce and Finance.
The Pacific Now the Only Ocean Free
of Submarine Chains-Thc
Proposed Route.

me submarine telegraphS OF the world,
and especially the practicability of a sub
marine telegraph across the Pacific, are
discussed at considerable length in the
January number of the summary of Com
merce and Finance just issued by the
Treasury Bureau of Statistics. The state
ment shows that the submarine telegraphs
of the world number 1.500. Their aggre-
gate length is 10000 miles; their Total
cost is estimated at S25O,OCO 900, and the
number of messages annually transmitted
over them 5000, ,OCO. All the grand Givi-
sions of the earth are now connected by
their wires, and from country TO country
and island 10 island the thoughts and
words of mankind are instantaneously
transmitted. Beneath all oceans save the
Pacific the universal language which this
system has created flows uninterruptedly,
and man talks as face 10 face with his fell
low man at the antipodes.
Darkest Africa now converses with en-
iightened Europe or America, and the
great events of the morning are known in
the evening throughout the inhabited
world Adding TO the submarine lines the
land telegraph systems by which they are
connected and through which they bring
interior points of the various continents
into instantaneous communication, the
total length of telegraph lines of the world
is So, 600 miles, the length of their single
wires or conductors $500. 900 miles, and
the total number Of messages annually sent
over them 365, GOO, GOO, or an average of
1000 eco each day. OF the 10000 miles of
submarine telegraphs, about lj0,0 600 belong
10 81 companies operating the commercial
cables. which number about 81; the re-
mainder are mostly short lines controlled
by governments and connecting forts
batteries. signal stations. lighthouses.
etc, the aggregate OF government lines
being about l.l50 and their total length
about 10000 miles In addition TO this
the governments of the world hold about
1000 miles of cable in stock for war
purposes, ready TO be laid at moments
notice.
The Unconquered Pacific.
In the short half century since the prac-
ticability of submarine telegraphy was
demonstrated the electric wires have in
vaded every ocean except the Pacific.
Nearly a score of wires have been laid
across the Atlantic Of which no less than
thirteen now successfully operate between
the United States and Europe, while three
others span the comparatively short dis
tsnce between South America and the
African and south European coast lines.
Throughout the Indian Ocean lines con-
meet the Far East with Europe and Amer
ica by way of the Red Sea. the Mediter-
ranean. the western coast Of Europe. and
the great transatlantic lines. The Medi-
terranesn is crossed and recrossed in its
entire length and breadth by numerous
cable lines. and the Mediterranean Of
America" the Gulf of Mexico, and the Ca
ribbean Sea is traversed in all directions
by lines which bring its islands and colo
mics into speaking relations with each other
and with South America, Central America,
the United States, and thence Europe,
Africa. Asis-the whole world
Along the eastern coast of Asia cable
lines loop from port to port and island to
island. receiving messages overland from
eastern Europe by way of the Russia -Si-
berian land lines and forwarding them 10
Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, the
Straits Settlement Hongkong. and the
Philippines, and sending others in return.
South America is skirted with cable lines
along its entire border save the extreme
south, where they are brought into inter
communication by land lines. Along the
entire coast of Africa cables loop from
place to place and colony 10 colony. stretch
ing along the entire circumference and
penetrating the interior by land lines al
various points.
Every body of water lying between the
inhabitated portions Of the earth, with the
single exception of the Pacific Ocean, has
been crossed and recrossed by submarine
telegraph lines. Even that vast expanse OF
water has been invaded along its margin
submarine wires stretching along its bor-
der from Siberia 10 Australia. while its
eastern borders are skirted with lines
which stretch along the western coasts OF
the two Americas. Several adyenturou:
pioneers in Pacific telegraphy have ven
tured TO considerable distances and depths
in that great ocean. one cable line running
from Australia TO New Zealand, a distance
Of over 1000 miles, and another extending
from Australia TO the French colony Of
New Caledonia. 500 miles seaward-
Route Now Available.
The chief obstacle in the past to the
construction of good trans Pacific cable
WEE found in the fact that midocean rest
ing places could not be satisfactorily OBJ
tained or arranged for. no single govern
ment controlling a sufficient number
suitable landing places to make this seen
practicable in view OF the belief that IN
distances from which messages could b
sent and cables controlled were limited
With landing places at Hawaii, Wake Isl
and, Guam, and the Philippines. however
no section of a cable stretching from tn
United States TO Asia and touching a
these points would have length equa
TO that now in daily operation betweel
France and the United States. Tn
length OF the French cable from Bresl
France. 10 Cape Cod Mass, is 3, $50 miles
while the greatest distance from land 4
land on the proposed Pacific route woul
be that from San Francisco TO Hawaii
2.0ss miles that from Hawaii to Wax
Island being 2.040 miles from Wake Isl
and to Guam l.2S0 miles. from Guam L
Manila 1920 miles, and from Manila 4
the Asiatic coast $50 miles
While the depth of the Pacific is some
what greater than that at which any cabl
has been laid, the difference between II
depth and the greatest reached by cable
in the Atlantic would be very slight, tn
cable recently laid from Haiti TO III
windwsrd Islands being in $4,000 feet O
water, while the greatest depth betwee
San Francisco and Hawaii is estimated a
lS 500 feet though this estimate is yet I
be verified by detailed soundings. OFT
Krummel, who was the first to discuss III
bathymatric data and calculate the are
and volume Of the various oceanic basin,
puts the mean depth OF the Pacific al 2 ID
fathoms, against 2.040 for the Atlantic
which cables have already been success
fully laid, and later researches and sound
ings, while they have developed cxtrem
depths at certain points in the pacih,
have not in the opinion of experts. bee
such as to warrant the belief that IN
depths along the proposed line would b
considerably greater than those in whic
cables have been already successfully lai
and operated.
Few Figures.
The developments in construction, laying
and operating Of submarine cables and I
their availability for general public US
have kept pace with their extensio
throughout the civilized world. From
mere guttapercha-coated wire the sui
marine conductor of electricity has devel