The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1902-12-26
SEA CABLE LAID
AND CHRISTENED
ITO the memory Of John W.
Mackay ehristen thee Pacific
Cable. Good luck to thee. May
you always carry messages Of
happiness"

After an unsuccessful attempt to send
ashore the shore end of the cable at
San Francisco, made on Friday morn
| ing, December 18th, that portion of the
work of joining the continent and the
! island Of the Pacific, was completed on
| Sunday, ten days ago, without incident
and in remarkably short time. The fail
ure of the first trial was due to the
| high surf on the Coast and was the re-
! suit, in large part, to the caution which
has marked the entire work on the part
of the contractors. The Silvertown left
| san Francisco harbor on December 18th,
and returned that day, leaving again
! on Sunday morning. This conforms,
except as to dates, with the information
| from Tanning and without doubt gave
rise to the false reports.
! When the Silyertown began the work
of laying the cable shore end, it was
II o'clock Friday, the ship having been
for two hours In a fog about one mile
off shore. The lifesaving crew went out
and got the end of the tow line which
was TO bring ashore the heavy cable,
which in turn would drag in the deep
beach $4,000 people, who desired TO as
sist in the inauguration of the great
work and the officials of the cable COM
pany, including President Clarence w.
Mackay, We're in attendance, with many
invited guests. When the lifeboat with
the line approached the shore, the surf
being high and the wash on the shore
Threatening, "A crowd of people, headed
by Mr.. Mackay, and including many
Istudents of the state University, rushed
to the boat and got hold of the line,
assisting in dragging it ashore.
! 1t was when the heavy cable had been
secured to the shore end that the trou-
bles began. The ship signalled that the
surf was too high and a wait of an hour
was had for the tide to turn. Then
there was a commencement. The heavy
line was rove through a block and a
team of dozen horses hitched to the
end for the purpose of dragging the
cable ashore. From the very first there
was disorder. The animals became
frightened and made rush into the
Icrowd and several persons were bruised.
Another start was made and the heavy
line being suddenly tightened President
Mackay was knocked down, though only
slightly hurt and G. w. McNear was
rendered unconscious for an hour.
Finally the cable was hauled in, until at
the middle of the afternoon, when
twenty fathoms of the sea end had been
dropped overheard, the Silvertown sig
nailed that 1t was too rough to carry on
the work and that a return to the har-
bor would be made. This was a disap-
pointment not only to those who had
come to see the work, but as we'll to
- N a1 Ia
kay was the most thoroughly disheart-
ened OF all He assured his friends that
II was due entirely To the contractors,
who had 10 lay the cable and keep II
in operation for one month, and that
their judgment was to rule.
The Silyertown returned to the har-
Dor Of san Francisco and an immater-
lal break In the machinery was repair
ed II was then decided that as the
heavy draft OF the Silvertown made II
impossible for that vessel 10 come
near 10 the shore, the steam schooner
: Newsboy should be chartered aud six
miles ~ the cable put aboard that lit
tie ship, The light draft of the
schooner made Il possible for Il "a
Some within "A quarter OF a mile OF
tho beach ana rendered the danger OF
trouble very much less The transfer
of the six miles Of cable occupied sat
urday and II was not until SUNDAY
morning that the second and successful
attempt to land the cable was made,
: Early In the morning the two ships
went out 90 point opposite tho rlin
house ANA before nino O'clock the Worl
of landing tho tow cable was begun
+ THIS was successfully accomplished, th'
. NE boat ana teams ~ horses assist
ms Fl4ally at al6 O'elorh lhe IRE
( section NJ ihu deep sea conductor Wa'
I sem on iha heNsboy and toward lhl
I shore Tho cable Was punyri heg,
and there Wlih air-hlled balloons an,
u took only ihlTls-Rln minutes a
a l1fer lha quarter N mile from lAi
schooner lo tbs beach