The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-31

trial interests in the new colonies and
the facilitation Of commercial opera
tons.
The route then recommended is the
one which has now been practically
adopted, extending from San Fran
cisco to Mania via Hawaii and Guam.
Ship Ready to Sail.
The Silvertown, one of the ships to
be employed in the laying of the new
cable, is ready at any moment to
steam out of the Thames with 1900
miles of the new cable aboard and to
proceed with it to San Francisco where
the laying will commence. The total
length of the new cable is to be 5000
miles and the length necessary to COM
plete the distance to Honolulu 2,400
miles.
The work can be completed within
year if the cable company is allowed
the use of the soundings taken by the
government. The signal service corps
met with SnagS at almost every turn
in the course Of their work in the Phil
ippines. Some of the cables laid by
them are at a depth of one and one
eighth miles. 1t is expected that some
of the new cable will be laid at
depth of three miles.
With the completion of the new all
British commercial cable expected in
about three months we would, with
out our own cable, be at a vast disad-
vantage should that country ever be-
come anything than a friendly pow
err" This line links Australia, Canada
and Great Britain, and when finished
will have a total length of $500 miles
1t will be a most important factor in
the new imperial federation under way
and form an important military ad-
junct to the Canadian Pacific railway
system which as all know was built
largely for strategic purposes.
From a broader point of view the
completion of our own Pacific cable
will mean the forging of the final link
in mighty chain of international ca
bles which will form two separate
routes around the world.
BY Way of Vladivostock.
From Hongkong these. connections
can be made northward up the Chi
nese coast to Vladivostock, whence
they will connect with the great Sibe-
rfan system and all the points through
Northern Europe to France, linking at
Brest with one of the North Atlantic
routes or turning south through Chi
nese water from Hongkong to Siam.
the Straits Settlements, and on to Aus
tra1a to connect with the Australian
and Southern Pacific route, with the
alternative of passing along Southern
Asia, through Madras and Bombay to
Aden, thence up the Red sea to Alex
andrla, Malta, Gibraltar, Lisbon and the
Azores, where another Atlantic cable
Is reached and separate circle form
ed.
word or two may be appropriate
here concerning the construction of
the cable itself.
Whilst the wire itself will be Of the
same diameter all the way through.
.o9 OF an inch, the size Of the cable
VIII vary considerably. This is rem
dered necessary by the different condi-
uons 1t will be subjected to. The
shore end is necessarily of a consider
ably larger and heavier type than the
deep sea cable, it being about two and
a half inches in diameter. This is he
cause it is liable to dangers from an
chors dropping and the various re-
suits of a heavy traffic near port.
The deep sea cable is of three types
ranging from about IA inches to ~
inches in thickness. The cable is laid
over shoal grounds.
The outer covering, or armor, of all
the types is formed of numerous GAL
Van1zed iron wires with a breaking
strain of from 25 to 80 tons to the
square inch
Inc new cable apparatus for receiv-
ing. and transmitting will consist of a
slphon recorder and an automatic
transmitter.
The dangers to which those instruct
ed with the laying of the cable are
SUBJECTED in the present case owing to
the typhoons common in the Philip-
pines is very obvious.
Willis Holcombe.