The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-25
All Oceans Crossed bu the Pacific, and
Even that Has MAJ Big Loops
Around Its Borders.
TWO LINES TO CROSS IT SOON
BRITISH CABLE ALREADY Is LAID
TO TANNING ISLAND.
American Cable Projected Further
NOrth-Land TeIegraphs in All
Parts of the World.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.

|
WASHINGTON, Aug. 24.-"The Subma-
| rine and Land Telegraphs of the World"
is the title of a monograph prepared by
the Treasury Bureau of Statistics which
will appear in the forthcoming Monthly
| Summary of Commerce and Finance. 1t
presents some information regarding the
submarine telegraphs of the world which
is especially interesting at this time in
view of the prospective construction of an
all-American cable across the Pacific. 1t
shows that the submarine telegraphs of the
world number $50. Their aggregate length
is nearly 10000 miles; their total cost is
| estimated at 900, and the number of
messages annually transmitted over them
is more than 100000. All the grand divi-
sions of the earth are now connected by
| their wires, and from country to country
and island to island the thoughts and words
| of mankind are instantaneously trans
mitted. Beneath all oceans save the Pa
| cifc the universal language which this
| system has created flows uninterruptedly
and man talks as face to face with his
| fellow-man at the antipodes. Darkest
Africa now converses daily with enlight-
ened Europe America, and the great
events of the morning are known in the
evening throughout the inhabited world.
Adding to the submarine lines the land
telegraph systems by which they are con-
| nected and through which they bring in
| terror points of the various continents into
| instantaneous communication, the total
| length of telegraph lines Of the world is
| 1,1SOO00 miles, the length of their single
wires or conductors 3, 900 miles, and the
| total number of messages annually sent
| over them about 4OOOOO,OOO, or an average
of more than 100000 each day.
In the short half-century since the prac-
| ticability of submarine biography was
demonstrated the electric wires have in
vaded every ocean except the Pacific. Near
| ly score Of wires have been laid across
| the Atlantic, of which no less than thirteen
now successfully operate between the
| United States and Europe, while three 9TH
ers span the comparatively short distance
| between South America and the African
| and south European coast lines. Through
! out the Indian ocean lines connect the far
| East with Europe and America via the
| Red sea, the Mediterranean, the western
| coast of Europe and the great transatlan-
| tic lines The Mediterranean is crossed and
| recr0Ssed in its entire length and breadth
| by numerous cable lines and the "Medi-
| terranean of America" the Gulf of Mexico
and the Caribbean sea, is traVersed in all
| directions by lines which bring its islands
| each other and with South America, Cen
! trail America, the United States and thence
with Europe. Africa, Asia-the whole world.
Along the eastern coast of Asia cable lines
| loop from port to port and island to island,
receiving MESSAGES overland from eastern
| Europe via the Russia Siberian land lines
| and forwarding them TO Japan, China,
Australia. New Zealand. the Straits Settle
ments, HongKong and the Philippines
and receiving others in return. South
| America is skirted with cable lines along its
| entire border the extreme south,
| where they are brought into intercommuni-
| cation by land lines. Along the entire
| coast of Africa cables loop from place to
| place and from colony to colony, stretching
| along the entire circumference and pene-
| trating the interior by land lines at various
points
Every body of water lying between the in
| habited portions of the earth, with the single
| exception of the Pacific ocean, has been
| crossed and recrossed by submarine tele-
| graph lines. Even that vast expanse of water
| has been invaded along it's margin, SUBJ
| border from Siberia to Australia, while it's
| eastern borders are skirted with lines
1 which stretch along the western coasts of
| the two Americas. Several adventurous
! pioneers in Pacific telegraphy have VEN
| tured to considerable distances and depths
| in that great ocean, one cable line run
ming from Australia TO New Zealand. a
| distance of over 1000 miles, and another
| extending from Australia to the French
| colony of New Caledonia, 500 miles sea-
| ward. A cable which is to connect Canada
| with Australia across the Pacific is now
| being laid at the joint expense of the
| United Kingdom, Canada and the Austral-
ian commonwealth. and has already been
| completed from Vancouver, British Column
| bia, to Tanning island just south of the
| Hawaiian islands, and it is expected that
| the entire line will be completed by the end
| of the present year.
| The chief obstacle in the past to the con-
| struction of grand transpacifc cable
| ing places could not be satisfactorily OBJ
| tanned or arranged for, no single govern
ment controlling a sufficient number of
suitable landing places to make this seem
| practicable, in view of the belief that the
| distance through which messages could be
| sent and cables controlled was limited
With landing places at -, Hawaii, Wake
| ever, no section of a cable stretching from
the United States to Asia and touching
| at these points would have a length equal
to that now in daily operation between
France and the United States. The length
of the French cable from Brest, France,
TO Cape Cod Mass, is $3.50 miles, while
! the greatest distance from land to land
| on the proposed Pacific route would be
| that from San Francisco to Hawaii 2OS9
miles, that from Hawaii to Wake island
| being 2,040 miles, from Wake island to
! Guam 1920 miles from Guam to Manila
1.520 miles. and from Manila to the Asiatic
| coast go miles.
While the depth of the Pacific is some
what greater than that at which any cable
| has been laid, the difference between it's
| depth and the greatest depth reached ov ca
bles in the Atlantic would be very slight the
cable recently laid from Haiti TO the Wind
ward islands being in $4,000 feet of water
| The recent survey for a cable between
the Pacific coast and Manila justihes the
| belief that a route can be selected i'm which
| the depth will not exceed 10000 feet and
| may not exceed $4,000 feet The recent sur
! vey made by the bureau of equipment.
| Navy Department, under the direction of
| Rear Admiral r. y. Bradford disclosed
| the greatest ocean depths heretofore known
| living between Midway island and Guam
! and being 81. 614 feet. or but sixty-six feet
| short of six miles depth of water This
! depression, however, which has been named
! the Nero deep in honor of the vessel
| from which the sounding was made can be.
| avoided by a detour. and il is believed
| that the necessary depth will not exceed
! 20 900 feet and may not be more than Is 900