BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1901-11-12
For 4 Pacific Gable.
Gen. Greely Points Out Necessity
For American Line.

Brig. Gen. A. w. Grsely, chief signal
officer, in his annual report recommends an
international cable conference to prepare
regulations for ocean cables. Concerning
the proposed Pacific cable, he says.
It is only matter of time when Luson
shall be connected with japan and Tonkin
and the Chinese empire. The Philippine
Islands are now only accessible telegraphic.
the Eastern Extension Company, between
Manila and Hong Kong.
serhe experiences Of the War Department
in connection with the relief OF the legation
at Pekin show clearly the tremendous dsad.
vantage under which the United Sta.es
would labor without its own cable facilities
in case Of an extended war in the east.
"An American transpaciic cable is
military and commerciallnecessity if Amer.
ican interests are to be safeguarded in
Asiatic regions. Such a cable, while of
great value militarily, will especially foster
industrial interests ar d facilitate commercial
Operations.
Gas it is officially known that an Amer
lean cable can only enter Japan from the
east and not from Russia, China nor the
Philippines, the only possible route is that
already recommended to congress BY the
\ President, via Hawaii and Guam.n
Concerning the signal work OF the army,
hs says:
1.-The operations of the signal corps have
been coexistent With the operations of the
army of the United States, not theoretically
but on broad lines and activities which have
comprised practically the entire area, moi
only Of the United States proper, but also
of Alaska, Cuba, Porto Rico, the Philip
pines, and q portion of China. The corps
should be increased to meet present de-
mands.
tsThere have been constructed 1886 milei
Of telegraph line in Alaska, and arrange
ments have been made with the Canadian
government to use its line to ALASKA.
"The signal corps operates 8, 418 miles o.
telegraph in Cuba, an increase Of 1872 milel
during the year.
"The operations of the corps in the Philip
pines have been very extensive, there being
4,8O1 miles of telegraph line, an increase O.
Of 2,054 during the year. The military
cable lines in the Philippines connect Ma
nila with Mindoro. Martinique, Masbate
Samar, Leyte, Oebu, NegroS, Mindanao
Jolo and Siasi.
.sIf the officers ard men of the sigma
corps had struggled only against tle nat
ural disadvantages they were under thei
work in the Philippines would have com
! manded commendatioD; but to this must b,
E added the extreme difficulties arising from
the practically constant efforts of the insur-
gents to destroy indispensable means o
inter r.communication. In the regiol
southeast of Lsguna de Bay, Santa Cruz t,
, Antimonan and thence to the head of th,
Gulf Of Ragay, the insurgent troops ha,
} caused no end CT trouble and annoyance
not only by the cutting of the wire, but b,
the removal or destruction of considerable,
stretches Of line. The commanding officer a
, Santa Cruz informed me that experience
had caused him to furnish every repai
lparty with at least . mile of wire, as nearl,
/ that amount was taken away at each break
Destruction of sections Of two, three ani
even five miles of line was not unusual
but the climax scas reached in the tots
destruction Of thirty eight miles Of line
, every insulator being broken, every bracke
destroyed or removed, every pole cut dowI
and the entire wire carried away.
"In wireless telegraphy the signal corp
has perfected its own system, which was th,
first one ever successfully operated in til,
United States, on. Sept. 80, 1899, bstweeI
Fire Island and Fire Island LIghtship.
distance of ten miles, There are now il
successful operation two stations in Sar
Francisco harbor, one at Fort Mason ani
another at Alcatraz Island. Arrangement,
have been made for the establishment O
stations in the Philippines at suitable points
The chief signal officer adheres to the OPT
MON that this system has its limitations
which are rot entirely dependent on di
tance".