New-York tribune., 1903-07-06
NINETEEN HOUR VIGIL.
ANXIETY At OYSTER BAY.
announcement of Cables Com pIetion
Eagerly A1oaited.

at least quarter of the way around the world
yesterday in connection with the splicing of the
American Pacific cable and the sending of the
first messages From o'clock in the morning
until midnight an unbroken connection direct
from Oyster Bay to San Francisco was main
tanned San Francisco and Honolulu were ex-
changing inquiries and answers all the while
and after the cable had been taken ashore near
Honolulu, and a boat had started to lay the
seventeen miles Of insulated wire from the
beach to where the end of the deep sea section
TO Midway Island was buoyed, at 7:15 a. m
Honolulu time, or lis p. m, New-York time
At 1920 a. m. New York time, 4:20 D. m.), the
cable was released from coral reef in which it
had become entangled.
These facts were communicated to George H.
Usher, superintendent Of the New-York division.
VINO was seated In the private Office of Secretary
Loeb. as they were learned at the cable office
at Honolulu After the freeing OF the cable
from the reef nothing of Importance was told
Oyster Bay by Honolulu until 3:45 p. m. C9:45
p. m. New-York time) when H. N Bauer. cable
electrician for the Postal Telegraph and Cable
Company, who was seated at the instrument.
announced that the cable ship Anglia was at
that hour raising the buoyed end of the cable
from Midway, preparatory to making the splice
which would complete the circuit
DEEP ANXIETY AT OYSTER BAY
From early morning there was deep anxiety
at Oyster Bay, lest Independence Day should
pass without the completion Of the cable. Two
wires between New-York and Oyster Bay had
been leased from the New-York and New-Jersey
Telephone Company for the occasion, and a
special connection between the Oyster Bay Tele-
phone Exchange and the Presidents offices had
been carefully made with each by James NJ.
Bigler, line foreman, who was constantly at
49, u, to hat
everything worked properly Five Iinemen were
constantly patrolling these wires where they
were above ground from the day before until
the cable was opened. Mr.. Bglers vigil at the
switchboard lasted nineteen hours.
SIMPLE PREPARATIONS
The preparations for the opening of the cable
in the Presidential offices were simple On a.
rough table had been spread a thick sheet of
manila wrapping ,aper which was folded under
the edges Of the top and tackled into place. At
the right end Of this table a typewriting
machine mounted the end OF an empty
soap box from the grocery store below the
Offices. On the table were two Morse sounding
receivers and two ordinary telegraphtc trans
mitting keys.
At o'clock Mr. Loeb left the office for Saga
more Hill, the summer White House. He re-
turned about II. but left soon afterward to
the messages to open the cable which Presi-
dent Roosevelt had written with his hand
and signed, were placed in the custody of As
sistant Secretary Barnes
All day long Mr.. Usher, A z. Price his as
sistant, and H. n. Bauer, the cable electrician
relieved each other in watching at the little
table. Assistant Secretary Barnes having
completed his work. began to read.
OLDTIMERS SWAP YARNS.
The two receivers on the little table clicked
rnerrily away. Nearly all the oIdtimers in
telegraphy were those two wires. swapping
yarns and ticking greetings to old friends not
heard from in many years. The boys were
numerous at the San Francisco end, and New
York had it's inning often and again Oyster
Bay said little. and what it said was more dig
nifled. as became the place. Thus the day
waxed and waned
The President had returned from Huntington
and, surround oy relatives and neighbors, was
watching the fireworks at Sycamore Hill and
still the messages were unsent- Mr.. Usher said
in response to a question:
Yes it's tedious TO here, but what must II
be to the operator on that barren rock we call
Midway, away out in the Pacific All day he
has been signalling He has had no reminis-
| cences and no jokes. and he has no merry com
pany like ours. He and Guam may have talked
together with the hands Of their galvanometers
but he has passed most Of his moments calling
for the cable ship Anglia, off Honolulu-calling
in vain His is the most anxious lot Of all the
operators on this globe enctrcling wire. Those
poor fellows tossing in the sea OF Honolulu
too are having harder time than ours They
know the programme They are straining every
nerve When the end OF the shore section and
the buoyed end Of the deep sea section are on
board the Anglia. IL viii be all over In very
little while. 1t is nearly 10 o'clock here-it's
Continued second page.