The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-01-03
CONNECTION
 WITH HAWAII The Pacific Cable is Now
 Completed. OPENED WITH CEREMONY Voyage of the Vessel Doing Work Was Eyentful. There Were Shouts of Joy and Music in Honolulu When Responses Game Under Ocean from
 San Francisco.
OPENED WITH CEREMONY


 Honolulu. Jan. 2.-(By Pacific Cable.,- Having buoyed the deep end of the sea cable in the turbulent waters of Molakai channel at 5:2O o'clock on the morning of Friday, December 26, after much dif- dculty and great risk |, the Mackay- Ben nett cable ship Silverton came to Homo lulu, docking at the naval wharf at noon. The big ship was met in the harbor by the tugs and excursion boats, carrying welcoming delegations with bands of music, and escorted to the wharf, where a great crowd awaited. It was the in- tention of the engineer in charge of the expedition to take on board one thousand tons of coal as ballast and await favora- ble weather to return, pick up the sea end and bring it close in shore and buoy it. The shore end of the cable was then to be laid out and the final connection made at that point
 Saturday brought no improvement In the weather conditions. The winds blew great guns from the northeast. and craft arriving through the channel reported the sea stirred to a maelstrom- It was then decided to make no move that day, but delay the attempt until Sunday morn ing. December 28, when a start was made. The vessel had not proceeded one mile from the dock when the full force of the gale behind the high hills struck her.
 The skipper at once decided not to go outside. as picking up the buoy in the channel was quite impossible. It was then determined to lay the shore end while the conditions were favorable on that side of the island
 Watched by Expectant Crowds.
 The Silvertown was taken in shore within half a mile of the coral reef and preparations were made to hoist a line ashore. The character of the bottom, which is rock with a narrow opening through the coral reef, rendered great care necessary in placing the extremely heavy type of cable. Throughout the Aay Crowds aslons4 watched the staazn launches running in and out and awaited patiently the actual landing of the long expected submarine telegraph.
 At a quarter to o'clock in the evening the end of the cable left the Silvertown's s bow with balloon buoys attached at in- tervaln of fifteen feet. A half mile of heavy line was hauled ashore by steam power without hitch or halt.
 One hour and five minutes from the time the line left the Silvertown the cable was hauled upon the soil of pictu- resque San Soir park amid the shouts of thousands and the crash of a band of music playing a cable marcl dedicated to President Mackay Just as the cable touched the shore a heavy shower Of rain fell upon the gaily attired multitude, but danger of wetting was ignored in the eagerness to catch a glimpse of the magic line that was to connect them with the rest of the world. There was no official ceremony at the time, further than the laying of lei, or native wreath upon the end of the cable by Mrs. Hawes, .-yI,o rapaof tod fha ruStOunarV native greet ing Aloha"
 Connection was made at 4:40 between the two lines and Honolulu by the ship.
 There was joy on board the Silvertown when the extraordinary strain which had rested upon the entire staff for nineteen days came to an, end. Four hours were spent fin testing and allowing the recently laid hne to acquire the temperature of the ocean depths. At $40 p. m., Honolulu time, came the first call from San Fran cisco.
 Voyage Was Eventfu1.
 The voyage of the silverton was event ful and at times unpleassntiy exciting. Twelve hours out from San Francisco the cableship was beset by bad weather which continued with the exception of one day to the end of the voyage. Variable winds that at times approached the ve- focity of gales; heavy seas that buffeted her about, retarded the progress as we'll as endangered the safety of the cable; fin fact every adverse condition that is usually encountered in the laying of a cable was met with and at times made the task hazardous.
 When the Silvertown steamed away from San Francisco at 10:3) Monday morning the weather was fine. At noon the same day the vessel ran into a squaH of wind and rain. The velocity of the wind in- creased. and during the afternoon great green seas boarded the starboard bow and swept along the deck and escaped into the sea through the port scuppers. To- ward evening ropes were strapped about the deck and everything was made fast. The rain ceased, but the storm continued with unabatsd force throughout the night. A deviation from the course was obviously out of the question, because such action would not have lessened the strain upon the cable, on account of the danger of get ting into unknown depths. To cut and buoy the cable would have been equally dangerous. The vessels bow was kept to the southwest. Tuesday December l6 brought no improvement in the weather.
 One particularly heavy sea boarded the starbeard bow and swept the deck fore and aft doing considerable damage and flooding portions of the vessel. One of the cooks was badly scalded by a cauld- iron of spilled soup. The saloon steward was hurled against a door and severly bruised.
 Under ordinary conditions. the line is laid out seven per cent faster than the speed of the vessel. This was increased during the storm to 10 per cent, even with this concession. the strain was ter rife. 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 rush the next, threatening the lives of the men in the tanks. The dynamometer regulating the speed of. and the strain on, the line at such times, fuctuated wildly, rushing from an indicated strain of two tons or less up to four and even five tons. The breaking strain is only eight and three quarters tons. Rare good judgment in the handling of both the ship and the ca- ble at critical times averted the losing of the, cable in 25OO fathoms of water
 First Section of Cable.
 The wind abated at noon on Tuesday.