Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-07-04
DLO EARTH C|RCLED
President Roosevelt to Send
Message Around World.
[ALl-AMERICAN CABLE
DISPATCH TO PASS THROUGH
MANY HISTORIC WIRES.
of Enterprise That Has
Brought Manila Within Half an
Hour of National Capital.


OYSTER BAY. L. l.. July 4.-President
Roosevelts opening of the cable from San
Francisco to Manila has been deferred,
bwing to the interposition of the elements.
furious storm which ragged near Honolulu
yesterday prevented the cable ship from
taking up the terminus of the cable there
and making connections with the Manila
lines.
1t was intended to start the Presidents
message on it's gobe-encircling journey
about o'clock this morning. All arrange
ments for transmitting the message from
the executive offices here have been COM
pleted. The Postal Telegraph and Gable
Company yesterday placed set of intru-
ments in the office. and not having it's own
wires between here and New York connect
ed the instruments with a long distance
telephone wire.
Storm Delayed Cable Landing.
President Roosevelt wrote his message
to Governor Taft yesterday and also pre-
pared that which is to be sent around the
world to President Clarence Mackay of the
Commercial Cable Company. Just every
thing was in readiness this morning mes
sage was received from New York announc-
ng the opening of the cable had to be de-
ferred at least temporarily on account Of
the troubles at Honolulu. 1t was
hounced by Secretary Loeb that the Off
cials of the cable company hoped to have
he line connected in time to start the mes
sage at o'clock this afternoon.
President Roosevelt was disappointed at
The delay, he was particularly anxious
hat the opening of the direct cable be-
tween the United States and it's possessions
n the Philippines should occur on the
Fourth of July, as the completion of the
line would mark a distinct effort in the
history of this country. Assurance is given
hat no further delay will occur and that
he messages will be sent surely this after
hoon.
President at Huntington.
At 1 o'clock this afternoon the President
will start fo; Huntington, L. l., to par
icipate In the celebration of the two hun
fred and fiftieth anniversary of the found
ng of the town. The trip will be made
from Sycamore Hill to Huntington bay in
he naval yacht Sylph. The President will
deliver address about o'clock He
will return to Sycamore Hill in ample time
'or the fireworks party tonight.
The completion of the cable, over 5000
miles in length, has brought to a successful
conclusion the greatest and most difficult
bf submarine cable enterprises undertaken
n the history of ocean telegraphy.
The route followed is unique for it's lack
bf natural stations. traversing as 1t does
he greatest uninhabited waste of water on
he globe. Up to the time when this enter
prise was undertaken the government of
he United States had been able to connect
by telegraph with Manila only by a route
containing fifteen or sixteen separate sta
tons
That supplied by the Commercial Cable
Company, which did not differ essentially
rom the other cable routes required that
cablegram from Washington to Manila
khOuld take folloUipO To
York by land; to Canso by cable; to Fayal
n the Azores by cable; to Lisbon by cable;
TO Gibraltar by cable; to Malta by cable;
TO Alexandria by cable; to SueZ by land;
to Alden by cable; to Bombay by cable; to
Madras by land; to Singapore by cable; to
Saigon, Cochin China, by cable; to Hong
Kong by cable; to Manila by cable-the dis
tance being 14OOO miles and the number of
ransmissions fifteen
For this service our government was pay
ng up to the end of the Philippine insur-
Fection at the rate of about 800 600 a year
for Its own messages
American Cable Needed.
The permanent and vital union which had
been established between this country and
the far east made it in the last degree in
hdVisable that our government should rest
Batisfed with the means of communication
with that part of the world which it was
compelled to employ. 1t was universally
become an absolute necessity
On February 10, 1880 President MCKINLEY
addressed message to Congress directing
attention to the necessity OF establishing
telegraphic communication with the Phil
ppines via Hawaii and Guam
The present conditions" he said "should
not De allowed to continue a moment longer
than Is absolutely necessary"
Congress resumed consideration Of the
subject, and series hes rjp
House ''ie
The late John w. Mackay. in 1901. Of
fered to lay the cable without subsidy or
guarantee of any kind and solely as a prf-
vate business enterprise. This offer lifted
the whole subject out OF the maze of dis
ownership. and when the bill favoring gov
ernment ownership came to vote ii was
rejected by 116 to IL
Great Ocean Depths.
When IL Is remembered that the greater
the depth the greater the pressure and
strain upon the cable. and that the aver
age depth by the route selected was about
three miles. the magnitude of the task
marked out by these soundings becomes
sufficiently impressive.
The route had four great ocean stretches
OF 22I6. 1,254, 2,593 and ,49O miles On
the first between San Francisco and Ha-
wall, the mean depth is $500 fathoms.
with maximum OF 3.O73: on the second
between Hawaii and Midway Island the
mean depth is 1900. the maximum 3,02S:
on the third. from Midway Island to Guam
the mean depth .is 2.6OO. with a maximum
of 1900 and with sudden and great huc-
tuations; on the fourth, from Guam to
Luzon. the average depth is 2 2oO the max
imum 3. 400 fathoms.
To bring home the significance of these
immense depths In cable laying il may
be explained that the amount of cable in
suspension necessarily varies according 10
the depth and rate of paying out In $500
fathoms, with the ship steaming at eight
knots per hour, no less than twenty-five
miles of cable are in suspension in the
water.
Two and a half hours are occupied in
such case by any particular point in the
cable from the time of leaving the ship to
touching the bottom. Then. at any time
during the paying out. which may last
with a long section. some ten or fourteen
days. a storm may arise some mishap
may occur on board, resulting in the loss
of the cable In depth of three miles be-
low the surface In such a case the date
Of its recoyery cannot DoSxiblv he pre-