Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-01-08
PACIFIC CABLE
LANDED AT
HONOLULU
COMMUNICATION ESTABLISHED
WITH THE MAINLAND.
SHIP HAS EVENTFUL TRIP
Is Beset by Bad Weather a Few
and Cable Narrowly Saved From
Breaking in Deep WaSer-President
Felicitates.

Honolulu, Jan. 3.-(By Pacific Ca
ble.)-The laying of the first section
of the Pacific cable which will connect
the United States with it's insular pos
sessions was completed at $40 Thurs
day night, when the two ends were
brought together in Molokai channel
near the point of landing at the beau
tiful private park of Sans Souci beach,
five miles east of the city of Honolulu.
With the shore end landed there still
remained span of almost two score
miles to be closed between the buoyed
deep sea end in Molokai channel and
the heavy beach line laid out from the
shore. The closing of this gap proved
a task that taxed the patience as well
as the ingenuity of the Silvertown's
staff. Five days elapsed, the most of
which was spent in awaiting the favor
of the wind and sea before their la
bors were completed and the first sig
nal flashed along the entire length of
the thousand or more miles.
Story of the Voyage.
Honolulu, Jan. 3.-The voyage of
the cableship Silvertown was eventful
and at times unpleasantly exciting.
Twelve hours out from San Francisco
the ship was beset by bad weather,
which continued with the exception
of one day to the end of the voyage.
At times the wind approached the We
locity of gale and the heavy seas
that buffeted her about retarded her
progress as we'll as endangered the
safety of the cable; in fact, every ad-
verse condition usually encountered in
the laying of a cable was met with
and at times made the task most
decks were washed by turbulent seas.
Those at work in the paying out room
on the main deck and about the cable
machinery waded in water to their
knees. The companion-ways were bat
tened down, in order to prevent the
flooding of the saloon. One of the
cooks was badly scalded by a cauldron
of spilled soup. The saloon steward
was hurled against the door and Sc
verely bruised and injured. At times
the ship rolled terribly and it seemed
as though the great strain would
prove disastrous to the cable. AS the
ship lifted and lurched the great
drum around which the strand was
passing would almost cease to revolve
one moment, only to resume with a
rush the next, endangering the life of
the men in the tanks. The cable was
in danger of breaking and being lost
in 1890 fathoms, but the ship and the
cable were so we'll handled that an
accident was averted and when the
storm abated the work proceeded.
Strong winds and heavy seas caused
delay at various times. The Vancou-
ver-Australian cable was crossed the
morning of Dec. 81. That day, too,
the first batch of news was received
from San Francisco, consisting of bull
letins covering various important mat
tiers. Christmas was stormy, making
it unpleasant aboard. After an anx-
ious and sleepless night for all hands,
the sea eud of the cable was buoyed
and the line cut at 500 the morning
of the 26th. A marked buoy was
dropped as near aes possible to the
cable buoy and the vessel stood by
until o'clock in order to get the
bearings. She then proceeded to Hon.
olulu where she arrived at noon.
The cable was not spliced with the
shore end sufficiently to get a signal
through until Thursday night.
President Congratulates.
Washington, Jan. 3.-The following
cablegram was received at the white