The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-12-12
A GREAT DAY
FOR FRISCO.
Work of Connecting the c. S.
With Hawaii by Wire
Begun in Presence of Thousands
of Cheering Citizens.
IMMENSE CABLE COIL.
Is Spliced to the Shore End
Amid Great Enthusiasm.
The Governors Little Daughter
Breaks Bottle of Champagne
And Cable Ship Steams Away
Towards Honolulu.

San Francisco. Cal. Dec 12.-Thou
sands of people assembled on the ocean
beach this morning to witness the com
mencement of the laying of the cable
that is to bring Hawaii into closer con-
nection with the United States and
which will eventually be extended to
the Philippines to bring Uncle Sam $
newest island possessions into closer re-
lations with the mother country
Early morning cars going to the beach
began to show unwonted life for this
season of the year. Thousands of school
children and their parents gathered, and
long before 10 O'clock the official hour
for the ceremony of splicing the port
end of the cable with the submarine
strand. the beach was black with peo
pie, who stood in good-natured silence
on the cold sands and in a chilly atmos-
pherc awaiting the coming of the Silver
town The great cable ship carries, coiled
up in her hold, nearly $500 miles OF
| cable. which will trace its way over the
mountains and valleys that are hidden
from human sight by old ocean, bus
whose elevations and descents have been
accurately recorded by the survey ship
Nero and furnished by the gov vernment
to the Pacific Commercial Gable CON-
pany for use in laying the cable.
When the Prov of the big vessel
unal1y S1OWeQ llSel1 around the end OF
Seal Rocks a mighty cheer went up
from the assembled crowds. Cheer upon
cheer greeted the vessel as she steamed
to ner designated anchorage about a
mile south of the Cliff house to await
favorable opportunity for sending the
end of the cable ashore. Owing to an
unfavorable tide. the work was delayed
somewhat, and during the interval the
crowds on the beach became more denst
and carriages bearing the cable officials
! Mayor Schmitz, Governor Gage, Gov
ernor-eiect Pardee and many invited
guests from civic and private life
arrived on the scene.
In the meantime the engineers and
crew on the cable ship had not been
/ idle. Balloon buoys and pontoons had
to be made ready and launched and the
| boats mad to be manned to carry the
end of the able toward shore Finally
one end of the cable was made fast to
a buoy and assisted by boat manned
by sturdy crew from the SiIvertown
was started ShOreward. AS the boat
containing the supervising engineers left
! the SilvertOwn a great burst of cheering
went up from the multitudeS on the
beach; as the boats from the cable ship
carried the end of the cable closer in
land the cheering increased and the ex-
cltement grew more intense. The rollers
were high and it was feared by those
on the beach that the crews from the
| SilVertCwn would be thrown into the
water at any moment. but no such dis
aster occurred and when. after much
difficulty and dangerous work the end
of the cable approached within 100 yards
| of the shore. life boat with a smaller
| cable was launched from the shore to
conect with the larger cable and to tow
the end ashore to the point where the
splice was to be made
Tremendous cheers rent the air The.
work of towing the end of the cable to
! the shore was not accomplished without
difficulty. As the end approached Shore
hundreds of men including the officials
/ of tIa II l.,1
the tow line and assisted in bringing the
end of the beach. AS the splice end
/ emerged from the water a mad rusn
was made for it, the crowds being anx-
/ icus to participate in the work OF land
/ ing the San Francisco end of the first
oceanic cable to be landed on the shores
of the Pacific ocean, United States ter
ritory Finally the end of the cable
! touched terra firma amid continued
cheering with which was mingled whist
ling of the great siren of the Silvertowr
and the many tugboats and steam
| launches which had gathered around
| the big vessel.
When the task of splicing the shore end
| of the cable with the end of the sub
marine cable was completed and the final
/ coil of insulation wrapped around the ioin-
ID ends, Governor Cages little daughter
| christened the cable by breaking a bottle
| of California champagne. encased in a
silver frame and inscribed with the date
| and the name of the cable steamer Sew
| eral short addresses, feIicitating the ac-
| complishment of the greatest commercial
event in the history of this state since the
| coming of a continental railroad were
made, and the signal was flashed to the
| silvertOwn, whose great siren scree eched
! forth a salute in answer to the God speed
Of the people who were assembled on the
beach and with her prov headed toward
| the Hawaiian islands. the big steamer
commenced to unreel the cable which will
| bring Honolulu into quick communication
with the rest of the civilized world.
The officials of the cable company and
Captain Morton of the Si.vertown conf
| IDENTIFY believe that communication with
Honolulu will be established on Christmas
lay.