The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-09-04
SOUND|NGS
DEEP SEA oozE NOT WITHOUT
IT'S BEAUTY.
Work Of the New Cable-suggeste
Branch From Hawaii to Tanning
Island-would Cost Half a Million.

lsland-WOuld Cost Half a Million.
II is generally with willing hands and
hearts that the crew OF a cable steamer
point her bowsprit toward nome and
the crew OF the Britannia ~ no except
ion. Not that they nave any fault 10
find with their snip or their officers but
IL Is dreary WORK day AFTER day taking
up sounuings of deep sea ooze, the same
monotonous duty week In ana week
out.
10 the Officers and experts the feel
ing that the toll is but a step to laying
communication between two great con-
tinents and the interests of an expert
in his work prohibits dullness, but
Jack, now that the cable tanks are fill
ed with coal and her nose is turned
ready for the long run home, is only
too ready to sing
Soon Wen be i'm London Town. Sing
my lads yo, no.
And see the king in his golden crown.
Sing my lads 70, no.
1t is still a far cry to the home port
from Honolulu to London, but time
and space are not measured by the
sailor once the end of the outward
voyage is reached The return trip
through the China Sea, by the road 10
the Suez canal and so to dear old Lon
don town will be shorter with every
MONDAY observation. The Britannia
has already her share of parrots, cock
atoos and other South Sea curiosities
for Poll and Moll abroad, curios that
will grace the mantel of many a small
cottage in England and tempt genera
lions as yet unborn to try their for
tune in mysterious seas.
The sluggish deep sea ooze brought
up by the soundings of the Britannia
is under the microscope, by no means
the foul i'll smelling mud that might be
imagined. Dainty globes of crystal,
tiny spiked shells perfect in their min
iature construction show the beauty of
living organisms that lie far out of
sight.
From Norfolk Island to Fiji, from
there to lonely Tanning Island and up
here to Vancouver" says G. w. Clarke,
the engineer in charge of the sounding
operations on board the Britannia, the
bottom has an average depth of about
$500 fathoms with only one range OF
submarine mountains that came within
700 feet of the surface near Norfolk
Island. We christened the range after
our vessel"
The stretch of the cable from Van
couver to the break in the reef at
Whaler's Anchorage on Tanning Island
is long one over 5000 miles but the
bottom discovered has been uniformly
good for the requirements of laying thC
cable. The messages of the world viii
this time next year, be flashing
through the sea bed within paltry
two hundred miles or so of Honolulu
while that town is still practically {
week behind the times. Captain Leacl
of the Britannia laughingly suggested
that 7 piece might be attached to thu
nearest point for the benefit of TIN
newspaper men of Hawaii who Nigh
make regular excursions to tap tn
wire. 1t is only a short distance com
paratively to Tanning Island, however
and the suggestion that cable from
Hawaii to that point be contracted fo
by a local company has already beer
suggested.
The average cost of laying the cabl,
is e140 a mile and the extension from
here to Tanning Island would cost il
the neighborhood of half a million
dollars. The laying of the cable viii
commence from the Australia end b!
the specially constructed steamer An
glia early next year.
1t is not an easy job laying a cable
The theory of coiling the cable up IL
tanks and sending It over the sterI
seas and storms render the task mucl
more complicated. To break the cabl
means a loss of profits that would maxi
two or three such casualties disastrous
although the locating of a broken o.
damaged cable is accomplished witt
wonderful celebrity, considering tn
magnitude of the task of fishing up
wire from two thousands fathoms deep
Tanning Island. according to Captain
Leach will not be an ideal place for thu
unfortunate cable dispatcher who Il
sent there.
The billet of that Individual in lonely
places is anything but enviable. Th'
news of all the world is always fresl
to him, but the inability of telling thu
exciting news to anyone but himself Of
a tame parrot takes off the interest anC
in time renders the monotony unbear
able Day and night exciting incidents
are possibly changing the fate of en-
pires, while he, mere atom, is out OF
the hurly burly and out of the fun
On Tanning Island there are always {
considerable number of Solomon ISL
anders gathering and preparing coprf
1 under the direction of one of the kings
of Tanning Island the Gregg Brothers
one of whom is always there while the
other takes a vacation amid more
worldly affairs, but Solomon Islanders
are apt to pail on an educated mind
| Captain Leach suggested that a dry
dock might be found profitable to this
port. The Britaunia's bottom was
badly fouled by her southern voyage
and would have been cleaned here had
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