The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-12-07

There are. in fact. no insuperable OBJ
stacles to the laying of a cable, the
only adverse development being that
of great depth, in some places the
soundings showing more than 5000
fathoms. The two deepest soundings
gave 5.160 and 5,269 fathoms, or nearly
six miles, which far exceeds the height
of any mountain in America. But the
deepest spot can be avoided as well as
the highest submarine mountains,
which are more dreaded by cable layers
than anything else, owing to the danger
of breakage on account of strain and
the possibilities of volcanic action rails
ing the temperature of the water and
setting free elements inimical to the
composition of the cables. But there is
a vast plateau on this route, and in the
ooze of the ocean depths, once the cable
has been successfully laid, it may rest
for years in greater safety than if
nearer the surface, exposed to the dan
gers of navigation and the assaults of
whales. swordfish and other leviathans
pertaining to Neptune's domain.
While the route necessarily chosen
as that for the projected cable uniting
the continental United States with its
insular possessions in the Pacific is
most favorable TO the project. it is not
the shortest distance between our Pa
the Pacific from the equator to the arc
tic circle il Will be seen that the two
continents approach each other most
nearly in the northern region The
shortest possible length Of submarine
cable connecting Asia and America
would be, of course. across Boring
strait, less than forty miles in width
in it's narrowest part, but it is doubtful
if that would be feasible, though the
route for great trans-Siberian ana
Alaskan line was surveyed years ago.
Southwark, again, we find the Aleu-
tian islands. stretching invitingly from
Alaska to Kanchatka, by which a sue
cession of land lines and cables could
be run from Seattle or Vancouver, via
Sitka, to Kamchatka, to connect with
the trans-Siberian line ending for the
present at the mouth of the Amur.
The most inviting route is that be
tween San Francisco and Yokohama,
about 5000 miles, but there are no in
tervening islands. 1t would be
straightaway stretch, like that across
the Atlantic between Great Britain and
America.
The fourth route. which is the one
surveyed and practically selected, is
that between California and the Phil
ippines, via Hawaii, the Midway and
Guam. with a cable to Hongkong and
route dips southwesterly from our
coast until below the tropic OF Cancer,
reaching about it's southern limit at
Guam, thence westerly to Luzon and
TO Hongkong.
Still another route across the Paclnc
IS that surveyed and coveted by the
British government for the completion
Of an aII-British line around the world,
or. rather, TWO routes have been sur
veyed-the first between Vancouver, IN
British Columbia. via Uniak and the
Aleutian archipelago, to Japan, dis
lance of about $500 miles; and the sec
ond to connect Australia and British
Columbia via the Fijis. not far from ,
], 900 miles.
Australia and New Zealand are con-
nected with the continental system by
cables southwark from China and In
iia. and eight years ago Queensland, /
Australia was united with the French
colony OF New Caledonia, which lies
about SEQ miles northeasterly OF Aus
.ralia. or approximately half way 10
the Fiji islands. This has sometimes
been termed the first section of the
British trans-Pacific cable which is 10
,lose the circuit with Great Britain 5
lOminions across the sea. Unless. then.
The United States shall construct its
inc very soon, or the perfection of
wireless telegraphy obviates the neces-
;ity of laying cables in the very near
future. the British line Will probably
,ventuate, ard the gap will be closed.
Both the British and United States
governments feel the necessity of con-