The National tribune., 1902-02-06
THE PROPOSED PACIFIC CABLE.
Some Of the Enormous Difficulties Involved
in the Great Enterprise.
(ColIier's Weekly
Many of the present generation have

=
; ton planned on the Pacifc-or, to be
I more precise. in the Paciic-it sinks into
5 linsigniicance. Leaving aside all other con-
sideratiOns, and touching on the single
point of mileage alone, some idea OF the
. enormity of the undertaking may be
gained when the fact is considered that
, the shortest cable route possible of con-
, struction, joining us in direct communica-
tiOn with Asia, will exceed 1000 miles, or
three times as long as the longest cable
now spanning the Atlantic Ocean. Or.
l to bring one to 4 more concrete realization
. of the enOrmity of this enterprise, the fol-
20 lowing comparative facts seem well-niSh
/ appalling: A stretch of cable to span
. the distance from San Francisco to Ma
Mia will aggregate allowing for snkage
: and the necessary detiections to inteIme
diate stopping places, 6,SO1 miles. Ord-
nary threc-strand cable. such as is used
upon the Atlantic weighs five pounds per
linear foot. The total weight of a single
cable line to Manila, therefore, would be
SJ.S02 tons. This is over seven times
the gross tonnage of our largest battle
ships; or, what may perhaps appear more
startling, is equal to the combined weight
of the entire human population of New
York City. To lay this enormous span Of
cable without a break would require a
cable-laying ship with capacity for stOr-
age and a size surprising that Of the
Great Eastern ~ times. To the lay mind
such figures are startling; but the ques-
ton of the enOrmity of the project is that
which concerns modern engineering enter
prise the least.
Although popular attention has not been
widely drawn to the subject, our Govern
ment has been for years interested in the
subjcct-in fact had made tentative adj
vances looking to the construction ard
maintenance of cable across the Pacific
a number of years before such a pOssibil
ity as being drawn POLITICALLY into affairs
in the Far East had been dreamed of by
the most farsighted prophet The neces-
SIty for instant telegraFhic cOmmuniCa-
tiOn between our Pacific Coast and Ha-
| waii-the stragetic point on any Pacific
cable over which we may wish to exercise
cOntrOl-has been brought repeatedly to
the attention of Congress lat successive
sessions by Executive messages since ISS1
Before the overthrow of Queen LiliuOka.
lani in January, 1893. Hawaiian cable
was desirable. After the establishment
of the Hawaiian Republic, it was highly
necessary. Now, however, that Ameri-
can expansion in the Far East has be
come a fact, such line, continued clear
across the Pacific, is Indispensable.
An interesting fact developed by what
preliminary surveys have already been
made under the authorization of the Hy
geographic Office of the Navy Depart
ment is that, Notwithstanding the far
greater distance trayersed. the construc-
ton of a Pacific cable presents many fea-
lures which simplify the situation and
which are not to be found in Atlantic ca
BILE construction. Chief among these are
the number of islands of large size, and
what is almost of equal value in cable
| construction, upraised portions of the
oceans bed which are placed with stu
| dlOus eXactneSs across the Pacific. While.
| therefore, the entire span of cable neces-
sary to bridge the intervening distance of
M Yt1- t,NfIp
to Manila is largely in excess of that re-
quired to link together opposite sides OF
| the Atlantic, the abundant presence of
| these intervening islands and ocean shall
lows, forming sort of series of natural
| telegraph poles, does not require that the
cable shall be suspended at Such depthS
as in the Atlantic, rendering the work of
| laying it MUCH easier and in great meas
IRE Obviating the chances of its frequent
| ly breaking and being lost while in nro-
cess of laying, one of the most veXatious
md eXasperating accompaniments Of ca
BILE laying. 5a .,r=T.-.r -.r o.
Although any number OF preliminary
surveys, extending over number Of
years, have been made. those made in
| 1881 and again in 1900 by the Hydro
graphic Office of the navy, are the only
ones of Importance.
From the Hawaiian Islands westward
| to Manila several good routes have been
discovered in the course of preliminary
surveys, but that which seems TO present
| the best features, although not perhaps
| the most direct, leads from Honolulu to
| Wake Island, over which our flag now
flies, by way Of the Midway Islands, an
| additional distance of 20i4 miles: thence
| from Wake Island to Guam, 1903 miles
| further, and the last span from Guam to
Manila, 1.350 miles. This would make
the aggregate length of the cable from
San Francisco to Manila 6.S07 miles
When one considers the cost entailcd and
the enormous amount of patience and la
bor involved in carrying through such a
tremendous project. the thought might
naturally suggest itself that it would be
advisable, after leaving Hawaii to lessen
the total cost and save time and energy
by pursuing a more direct route to Ma
Mia than by DETECTING the course Of the
cable so frequently.
There are two potent reasons to be ad-
vocated in favor Of the aforementioned
route. The first is that which is per
haps of most vital concern. viz, that by |
following the line advocated by the Hy- |
geographic Office survey the cable will not |
be obliged to land at territory or cross
territory other than that owned and con |
trolled by the United States. The value |
of this feature is patent at q glance
This Is the most important reason why |
the longer route from Hawaii to Manila |
paradOXical as it may seem is in the end |
the DelleT one. fUTJnelmOfe, the former ]
route, from an engineering point of view |
is more practicable. Directly southwest |
of Hawaii, for a distance of over 900 |
miles, the bed of the Pacific makes n |
tremendous drop, forming a gigantic cal |
drOn in spots so deep that it has been i'm
possible to sound to the bottom. These |
conditions are the worst possible for ca
bic laying, and competent engineers have
computed that the distance saved by fol- |
lowing this direct route would be nulli- |
fed by the increased labor of laying and !
the chances of frequent breakage and loss /
of cable.
The surveys that have already been
made disclose but two serious obstacles |
in the route which has virtually been do
cided upon. Fortunately, while their
"rcSence will add to the total expenditure e
they can be avoided or overcome without
any serious results. The first of these OBJ
stacles is short and curious submarine
range Of mountains short distance west
of the Midway Islands, rising from the
floor of the ocean at depth of 5000
fathoms to within 50 fathoms of the sur
face. The second obstacle is one of the
deepest marine abysses yet found in the
world, 800 miles east of Guam. The
derth of water there is more than 4.9OO
fathoms, or over five and two-thirds
miles.
The preliminary surveys have disclosed
that several active volcanoes lie close 10
or in the natural ocean lane extending
from San Francisco to Honolulu 1t is