The sun., 1903-12-06
ALASKA'S TELEGRAPH LINES.
OABLE.LINE FROM SEATTLE WILL
RE COMPLETED IN APRIL.


RE COMPLETED IN APRIL.
Communication by Wire with Most or tho
Mining Centres Now-Nome Cut on by
. Break in the Cable Uniting 1t With
| IT. Michael-Stations on the Yukon.
| The next few months will zee the COM
! pletion OF the cable line between Seattle
and Alaska. 1t was hoped to lay the cable
from Puget Sound to juneau, the big mining
and commercial town on the mainland north
east OF Sitka, before the end OF this year;
but owing TO the delayed arrival On the
Pacific Coast of the steamship carrying
, the cable to San Francisco, the work will
not be completed till next April.
The cable was authorized by Congress
on March last. The entire 1 800 miles Of
It was manufactured near this city, trans
ported around Cape Horn and delivered
at last at San Francisco after voyage OF
10000 miles The complicated machinery
to handle the cable and the delicate instr'i-
ments necessary to operate IL were planned
by the Signal Corps, made TO order in Great
Britain and delivered in San Francisco
The route from Seattle to Sitka was sur
veyed by Capt. j. F. Pratt OF the Coast
| and Geodetio Survey. All this work. done
In seven months, from March TO the end OF
September, ls great achievement.
The War Department has Issued q map
prepared under the direction OF Brig
Gen. Greedy, Chief Signal Officer, showing
the cable lines in Alaskan waters that have
been completed. those that are proposed
and will be carried out next year, the tele-
graph lines completed In the territory and
the British Columbia land line 10 Dawson
and Eagle which connects through the
| Canadian Pacific Railroad station OF ASH
croft with the United States. By means
of the Canadian telegraph and the conf
pleted lines in various districts of Alaska
we are already in electric communication
with parts OF the territory.
Dispatches, for example, may be sent
from Juneau by the cable that has been
laid up Lynn Canal to Skagway and thence
forwarded by the land line toward the
Yukon River to be transferred to the Brit
ish Columbia Telegraph and the United
States: or they may be sent from Valdes
Copper River mines. by the military line
which we have completed across Alaska to
Eagle on the Yukon River and thence UP
the Yukon to Dawson British Columbia and
the United States.
These long land lines passing II throagh s'!,g,
country, are peculiarly liable to periods
of interrupted service. The safest and
surest means Of lectrioal communication
with Alaska will be by the cable connection
from Seattle. soon to be in operation.
follow the coastal waters. but passes from
Puget Sound right out into the Pacific to
the west Of Vancouver Island and the
Queen Charlotte Islands. which are Cana
dian territory. From the Queen Char
the south end of Baranov Island, on which
Sitka is situated
At the south end OF this island the cable
will divide. one branch going north to Sitka.
the other northeast. through the coastal
channels, to Juneau. This is the cable,
which, unless unforeseen accidents occur.
will connect Puget Sound with the two
chief towns in southern Alaska in April
next
Two cable lines in Alaskan waters have
extends from Juneau up Lynn Canal to
Skagway. The other connects St. Michael,
to the northeast of the Yukon delta, with
Nome, the centre of the largest placer
gold fminng ndu,5 IN cabs Aasfs betxssn st.
Michael and Nome is not now in operation
1t has been broken by ice In the shallow
waters Of Norton Sound, and the break
is not yet repaired. Thus Nome, a town
Of about rs, 900 inhabitants. is now isolated
from the rest OF the world, and will be till
about June next.
Behring Sea. on which Nome stands. is
shallow, and owing to the fresh water
which many rivers pour into IT,. the sea
is brackish rather than salt. The result
is that in winter ice readily forms and
extends over the surface OF the sea for
300 to 400 miles south Of Nome, completely
isolating the city.
Several projects are under consideration
for keeping up communication with Nome
an ice breaker in Behring Sea. which would
seem to be practicable, as the ice Is not
very thick
There are also railroad projects for con-
Meeting Nome with the lower Yukon or
with Cook Inlet But years are likely to
elapse before any OF these plans is carried
Most Of our mining centres on the coast
and in the interior Of Alaska are now
provided with telegraphio facilities. The
region of the Seward peninsula, of which
Nome is the main point, the mining camps
of Cook Inlet and, in the interior, the re gion
around Circle City and the big northern
bend of the Yukon.
Many telegraphic stations are scattered
along the lines. There are twelve Of these
stations between Valdes and Eagle, twelve
on the line skirting the Yukon, and eleven
along the Tanana River line which connects
with the line from valdes to Eagle. There
are also many stations along the Canadian
line from Eagle and Dawson, which connects
with the Canadian Pacific telegraphio SER
vice at Ashcroft, a station on that railroad
in British Columbia.
Our telegraphio service as far as COM
pleted is already great factor in the busi-
ness Of Alaska. It's importance Is en-
hanced by the fact that the great number Of
miners in the country are rapidly enlargng
prices Of nearly all commodities are very
high though fluctuating, and business risks
are proportionally great unless merchants
have the means Of quickly communicating
with sources Of supply.