The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-02-12
Seattle. Wash, Jan. "a, 1901.


Seattle. Wash, Jan. "a, 1901.
To the Editor: Consul General Bray,
at Melbourne, Australia has notified the
state department at Washington that
the postmaster general of Victoria has
accepted the bid for laying the all
British Pacific cable at a cost of very
nearly 10000,000.
This proposed cable is in no sense a
trans-PaCific cable as it runs almost
north and south through the Pacific
from Vancouver Island, b. c., to New
Zealand. The cable in no wise supplies
the need of an American-AsiatiCc cable
across the Pacific, as the New Zealand
or Australian terminus of this Bri-
fish cable is further from Japan China
and Siberia than it's initial point on
Vancouver island, and it will cost more
and take longer time to reach Japan OF
the other Northern Asiauic points than
by the existing British and Russian
routes.
Tanning Island lies 1000 miles south
of Hawaii The stretch from Vancou-
yer to Tanning is the longest single ca
BILE span ever projected, and this
stretch, although but half the distance,
will cost three quarters of the whole,
as it will require $50 pounds of copper,
400 pounds of gutta "ercha to the mile,
and necessitate a cable steamer of enor-
nous size and equipment.
At one time it was thought that the
available supply of gutta percha in the
world was not sufficient to provide for
this all-British cable, but the big Bril-
fish manufacturers have been accumu-
lating supplies for several years, and
can now undertake it, but it will sweep
the market bare and leave three Anne
rican manufacturers who are dreaming
of that other abSurdity, an all-Ameri-
can cable via Hawaii and Guam, with
,Nrtf t9N1 81 g til.
it.
This British folly is of interest and
profit to the United States in many
ways, and it is not our business to COM
plain If British money is squandered for
no benefit. 1t will bring to the Pacific
some of the best cable ships and train
ed cable experts in the world which
may be available for out own American
cable projects. 1t will solve many of
the Pacific cable problems. 1t will di-
rectly connect the United States with
New Zealand and Australia, and most
important of all, the laying of a short
and cheap cable of 1000 miles will con-
meet Hawaii with Tanning island, and
thus put it in cable communication
with the United States.
This is of commercial importance to
our Hawaiian commerce, and a Hawai-
ian cable can serve no other purpose
whatever.
AS is by this time well known to ex-
perts, Hawaii has no value as a stra-
tegic naval station.
1t is more remote from any point of
Importance than any other harboN in
the seas. Dutch harbOr is nearer Guam
and four hundred miles nearer the
| United States. Dutch harbor is nearer
the whole of Asia, and in fact, the
shortest line from Hawaii to the near
est Asiatic coast runs through Dutch
harbor. Guam has value because it is
$500 miles nearer the Asiatic coast, and
the Philippines. 1t as we'll as Dutch har-
Dor have value, as both are directly on
the ocean shortcut from India to any
portion of the North American or Nj
caraguan canals. San Diego has va
lue, being the nearest of all American
stations to Central and South America,
including the eastern terminus of the
Panama canal (Which runs westward
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, Pa
go-pago in the Samoan Islands, is near
est to Cape Horn, to New Zealand and
to Australia, and is a naval strategic
point Of extreme value. but Hawaii is
lost in the center of the greatest stretch
of uninhabited area on the globe. When
the Oregon returned from New York
to Manila she went $500 miles out Of
her way to touch at Hawaii.
The American Asiatic cable, whether
laid by government or private enter
prise, should be in the shallow waters,
and be of the short links easy to lay
and maintain, between the shore of
the state of Washington and Sitka Ko-
diak island, Dutch harbor, Attu, Sbe-
ria, and Japan an ideal route from
every point of view, except that of
squandering the money of the United
States treasury on an expensive and
impractical enterprise via the atolls Of
the Pacific.
HARRINGTON EMERSON.