Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-07
The International or All-American
Routes Described.
LATTER GOES BY WAY OF HAWAII
Comparison on a Globe or a Gno-
monte Chart.
BRITISH PROJECT COSTLY


regard to the various Pacific cable projects
you must know little about what is called
great circle navigation. Harrington En-
erson of Philadelphia, who is the man most
in evidence in the movement for a cable
that shall skirt American and Asatic
shores, instead of crossing the Pacific di-
rect, has made a study of great, circle navi-
cation and has appeared before the United
States Senate and various officials in WASH
ington for the purpose of explaining what
he considers the advantages of the route
he favors.
To elucdate his explanation Mr.. Emer-
son uses a small globe and a copy of the
"gnomonic' or great circle sailing chart
of the Pacific ocean," issued by the hydro
graphic office of the United States govern
ment The physical features of the earth
as shown on such chart are curiously dis
torted, but not more so than when shown
on a chart constructed on the Well-knoWn
projection of MerCator. Mercator proJec-
ton charts are familiar to every school
boy: they are drawn as If the entire earth
were a cylinder instead of globe, and IT'S
surface had been peeled off and then: spread
out fiat. BY this treatment Greenland Is
America and Alaska large. almost. as
the United States. This is all wrong, OF
course, a glance either at globe or
map drawn on the ordinary hemlsphercal
have received ineffaceable false impressions
as to the geography of the earth through
charts on the MercatOr projection.
So far as the general public IS concerned
these false impressions can do no harm,
but the use of MerCator charts by naVlGat-
Ors has been the cause OF many long EoE-
ages that should have been short since on
such a chart any course lying east ana west
seems shortest when following a parallel
latitude. whereas the shortest course be-
tween any two points is along the great
circle upon which they are both located.
This great circle can always be found when
a globe is at hand by passing string. or
better yet. rubber band. around it in such
a way that it shall touch both points. To
illustrate his memorial to the Senate COM
mittee on naval affairs. Mr.. Emerson made
use of a globe encirced by a band which
touched Seattle, as the most westerly city
of the United States, and the Island of Luz
ION. the largest of the Philippine group
This. he explained, showed the shortest
possible route between these two points.
An International Route.
Contrary to what might be supposed by
one familiar only with the Mercator pro-
lection charts. this route does not cross the
Pacific ocean in a generally southwestern
direction. but first passes to the northwest,
touching the southwestern tip of the PENN
Sula of Alaska. cutting across the Aleutian
chain of islands. and from thence going
southwesterly across Japan, and on to
the Philippines.
the of the great circle sailing chart of
the photographic bureau before mentioned.
Though this chart is distorted, a line drawn
from any one point to any other point will
represent the shortest possible distance be-
tween them, the same on globe.
The cable route proposed by Mr.. Emer-
son, then, known as the International be-
cause not all the localities it touches are
under control of the United States govern
ment, would begin at Cape FIattery. near
Seattle, run to Sitka, S'E; miles: then to the
Kadiak Islands. 6S2 miles; then to Dutch
ernmost North American island $40 miles:
then to northern Japan. SO miles; a total
of Ass miles. it only being necessary 10
allow ten per cent for slack cable, be-
cause of the shallowness of the water in
which the cable will be laid.
This route follows very closely but not
exactly, the great circle on which Seattle
and the nOrthernmost point of Luzon are
located. 1t lies comparatively close to the
shore everywhere and consequently does
not pass over any spots of profound ocean
depths like the Nero deep, lately sounded
by the expedition that was engaged in sur
veying the proposed southern cable route.
For this reason this cable could be lighter
than If it were laid directly across the Pa
cific. and this. well as the lesser length
of cable required, would make it much less
costly. Mr.. Emerson would not continue
the cable beyond Japan, for the reason that
there connections could be made with land
wires already in operation. From the south
ernmost point of Japan to Luzon, GOO miles,
he would lay another cable (making a
of cable. thus completing the electrical
communication between the United States
and our oriental possessions.
The "All American Route.
The Pacific cable route, sometimes called
no 10