The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-03
WOULD JOIN
CONTINENTS WITH
COPPER BANDS
Capitalists Seek Gable
Concessions.
GREAT LACK OF FACILITIES
ENGLISH COMPANY CONTROLS
MANILA CONCESSION.
President j. A. Scrymser of Pacific
Cable Company Returns From
an Extended Tour in the
Orient.
GREAT LACK OF FACILITIES
ENGLISH COMPANY CONTROLS
MANILA CONCESSION.

j: A. Scrymser, president of the Pacific
cable Company and principal owner of
the mexican and Central and South Amer
lean Telegraph companies, arrived here
yesterday on the steamer Coptic.
HIS lines stretch through wind and wa
ter for over 1900 miles, running from
Galveston, Texas, through Mexico and
Central America, to Buenos Ayres. They
control all the business between these
two far distant points on the Atlantic
seaboard.
Mr.. Scrymser has spent several weeks
at Honolulu and in the Orient attending
to matters pertaining to his contemplated
scheme of laying a transatlantic cable
This idea, he says, is not new one, as
no less than three times has he personally
called to the attention of Congress the
Importance and necessity of such a means
of communication, and twice has the Gov
ernment's interest in the matter been
awakened by others. This cable matter,
Mr.. Scrymser says, has so materially in
creased in Importance b. the United
States new acquisitions in the far East
that it now amounts to ar absolute ne
| cessity Some time ago the Hawaiian
Government granted the Pacific Cable
Company concession of the exclusive
rights between Honolulu and the Japan
csc coast. While the concession was
practically an assured fact, yet the for
malities had not all been gone through
with when annexation took place, and
the United States became the power
to whom to look for permission and priv
ilege. The matter was laid before the
Secretary of State, who, it is claimed,
matter, decided against granting con-
cesSion for any such an undertaking. The
temporary setbac--. which Mr.. Scrymser,
upon his return East, will attempt to
overcome.
When seen at the Palace Yesterday Mr..
Scrymser said: This idea of laying
cable across the Pacific is not a new
one. It has come before Congress num-
Der OF times before now. One thing and
another have interfered to Illustrate our
plans. AS a consequence America remains
to-day dependent on other powers for the
news she receives. and is forced to make
use of the facilities of foreign nations TO
communicate with the army and navy in
her newly acquired territory.
This will have to be remedied sooner
or later. Some day big row will take
| place in the East, and when it does our
island possessions will be in the very
! center of the trouble and in a position
which will make it impossible for them
! to communicate with the home Gov
eminent in anything under thirty days
! time.
Mr.. Scrymser says the open door, as far
as cable matters are concerned, is all at
our end of the line. The whole of the
monopolieS, of which the Eastern Gable
Company, an English concern, capitalized
at SIC, 900 900, and the Great Northern Tel
egraph Company are the controlling fac
tors.
The Eastern Gable Company has the
Manila concession, which II obtained I'M
der the Spanish Government. Thus, as
far as transmission of news is concerned,
we find ourselves entirely in the hands
of powers which may become embroiled
in war at any time and cut US entirely
off.
Should an American company acquire
such a concession as was about to be
granted to Mr.. Scrymser by the Hawa-
ian Government it would afford a work.
ing basis for an adjustment of matters
founded on reciprocity.
Nv
matter Immediately upon his return to
New York. If he succeeds in persuading
the Government to accept his view. of
things. Mr.. Scrymser will still have be-
fore him an undertaking of great mag
nitude It will cosl over $40 ,00O,O 900 before
the old world and the new are chained to-
gether by a band Of copper.
Mr.. Scrymser is accompanied on his
trip by his wife, Miss Delafeld Of New
York and Miss Minturn, writer and lee.
|