New-York tribune., 1902-08-26
CIBLE ROUTES OF THE WORLD.
AN ENUMERATION OF THEM BY THE
TREASURY BUREAU OF STATISTICS

TREas1rRY BUREAU OF STATISTICS.
,,,o.,,r,.o- aps 25 (speciaD-"The Submarine
and Land Te,esraphs OF the World" is the title or
a monograph prepared by the Treasury bureau "a
Statistics which will appear in the forthconilhs
Monthly Summary of Commerce and Finance. Ii
n-asan-s some information regarding the suoiHa-
5na +e,eeraphs Of the world which is especially
interesting at this time. in view Of the prospective
construction of an all-American caDe across '
pac,ec II shows that the submarine telegraphs of
the world number / $50. Their aggregate iens'h Is
,earv 90 Oo miles: their total cost is estimated at
s275 900 epO and the number Of messages annually
transmitted over them is more than opo"' All
the grand divisions of the earth are now connected
by their wires, and from country to country an"
island to island the thoughts and words OF man
kind are instantaneously transmitted. Beneath al
oceans save the Pacific the universal languages
which th, system has created flows uninterruPt-
edIv and man talks face TO face with MS reno"
-oor ar the sntipodes Darkest Africa now con-
verses daily with enlightened Europe or America
and the great events of the morning are known III
the evening throughout the inhabited world, Add
ing to the submarine lines the land telegraph sys-
TENS bv which they are connected and through
which they bring interior points OF the various
continents into instantaneous communication ile
total length of telegraph lines Of the world is
$50 miles the length of their single wires or
conductors $4,000 miles. and the total number OF
messages annually sent over them about 4ooecoeS
or an average of more than 100000 each day
In the short half century since the practfcahity
electric wires have invaded every ocean except the
Pacific Nearly score of wires have been iaid
across the Atlantic of which no less than thir'eeh
now successfully operate between the United states
and Europe while three others span the compard-
lively short distance between South America and
the African and South European coast lines
Through hout the Indian Ocean lines connect the
Far East with Europe and America via the Red
Sea the Mediterranean. the western coast of hu-
rope and the great transatlantic lines The Medt-
terranean is crossed and recrossed in It's entire
length and breadth by numerous cable lines ana
the .'AIediterra of America. the Gulf OF Mex
leo and Caribbean Sea is traversed In all direc
tions by lines which bring its Islands ana colonies
into speaking relations with one another and with
South America Central America. the United States.
and thence with Europe, Africa. Asa-the Whoie
world Along the eastern coast OF Asia cable lines
loop from port to port and island 10 lsiaho re-
caiyinc messages overland from Eastern Europe
via the Russian Siberian land lines and forwarding
them O Japan. China, Australia. New-Zealand' the
Straits Settlements, Hong Kong and the Phihp-
pines and receiving others in return Sou'h Amer
ca is skrted with cable lines along its entire Dor
der save extreme south. where they are pfouehl
into intercommunication by land lines. Along the
entire coast Of Africa cables loop from piace u
place and from colony to colony. stretching along
the entire circumference and penetrating the IN
terror by land lines at various points
Every body of water lying between the Inhabited
portions of the earth. with the single exception of
the Pacific Ocean. has been crossed and recrossed
by submarine telegraph lines Even that vast ex-
panse of water been invaded along it's margin.
der from Siberia to Australia, while its eastern
borders are skirted, with INES along me western
pioneers in Pacific telegraphy have ventured to
consider able distances and depths in that great
ocean, one cable line running from australia to to
miles and another extending from Australia TO the
French colony of New-Caledonia eight hundred
ada with Australia across the Pacific is now being
laid at the Joint expense the United Kingdom.
Canada and the Australian CommonweaIth and
has already been completed from Vancouver, b. g.
to Tanning Island just south of the Hawaiian Isl
ands and II is expected that the entire line will
be completed by the end of the present year.
rbe chief obstacle in the past TO the construction
os a grand transpacifc cable was found in the
fact that midocean resting places could not be
eovernment controlling sufficient number of suit
able landing places to make this seem practicable
in view of the belief that the distance through
was limited With landing places at Hawaii Wake
Island Guam and the philippines howeyea no s,se see
TO Asia and touching at these points would have
length equal to that now IN daily operation between cen
French cable from Brest, France. to Cape Cod.
Mass is 1850 miles. while the greatest distance
would he that from San Francisco to Hawaii. 2.0S9
miles that from Hawaii to Wake Island being
fron, GI,ai, 10 Manila 520 miles. and from Manila
70 the Asiatic Coast $50 miles. While the depth of
any cable has been laid the difference between Its
depth the greatest depth reached by cabies In
cen,lV Iaii from Hayti to the Windward Islands
being In 1900 feet of water The recent survey Ior
fes belief that route can be selected IN wnlcn
the depth will exceed 5000 feet ana may not
S,tean Of E,o,nment NAVY Department under
direction OF Rear Admiral r. Il. Bradford. disclosed
between Midway Island and Guam. and being 3ol4
feet or but short OF six miles depth or water
This @ nsen IN honor Of the vessel from which
the sounding made. can be avoided by a detour.