Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-05-19
TELEGRAPHS AND CABLES.
Government Connecting All The Philippine
Islands by WIre
There are Now 100 Telegraph and
$50 Telephone stations and 1900
MILES of wire,

Washington, May ia new progress
map Of signal corps telegraph lines and
cables IN the Philippines, just prepared
under the direction OF Gen. Greeley, Is
Of especial interest at this time II
showns not only the system as it exist
ed on March 8lst. but also projected
military telegraph lines and cables now
IN process Of construction.
Telegraphic communication between
Manila and the south has been entirely
dependent upon the English cable to
the Visayan Island of panay. Negros
and Cebu. This cable, which was
broken by an earthquake on April 14th,
has not yet been repaired, and the long
Interruption emphasizes the great mill
tary importance OF the alternate tele-
graph line TO the southern islands from
Manila, which is now being constructed
by the signal corps. The system rec
commended by Gen. Macarthur has been
fully approved by Secretary Root and
will be pushed 70 rapid completion A
single cable has already been laid for
the Cebu to Leyte and Is being extend
ed eastward 20 Samar and nOrthWard
10 Luzon via the island OF Masbate
The military scheme Is TO have long
stretches Of cable. supplemented by as
short land lire as possible 50 as TO en-
sure the greatest possible freedom
from hostile interference with cOmmu-
nications. The military Geographic
system 20 Cebu. via Samar as soon
as the English cable is repaired Will
afford Gen. Macarthur two routes by
which 20 reach garrisoned posts In the
department OF the Nisayas. The eX-
tension southwark looks 10 the connec-
ton by cables Of the very important
islands of Cehu Leyte and MlndanaO.
The latter island win be reached by a
combined system OF land lines and
cables, via cable from Negros. and thus
all garris0ns on this great island will
be In speedy communication. Ulu-
mately. IL IS expected that Mindanao
will be connected by cable via Zambo-
anga with Jolo and the latter with the
Taul Taui group
II is expected that the entire Vlsayan
group will be connected by military
lines before July. and that the south
ern system Of cables ana land lines viii
be IN operation by the end Of the rainy
season. The extent and magnitude Of
the telegraph and cable operations OF
the signal corps In the Philippines is
hardly realized or known. There are
100 first class telegraph offices, manned
by nearly 200 skilled operators, who
handle by telegraph on the island OF
Luzon alone about 100000 words each
day In addition, there are about 1850
long distance telephone stations In
operations in various parts Of the archi-
pelago.
The work Of the signal corps. when
completed will stretch through nearly
Il degrees Of latitude Six signal corps
cables are now IN operation. and IN an
probability the cables and land lines
which We're nearly two thousand miles
In length on March Slst, will aggregate
at present $500 miles.
While some branches are for strictly
military purposes the most Of these
lines are permanent structures which
viii have very important bearing In
the DEVELOPMENT OF the trade relations
OF the various islands,