The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-03
DIFFICULTY ATTEND
ED The LAYING
OF CABLE
Steamer Silyertown Had a
Tempestuous Voyage to
Honolulu-But Her Mis-
sion Was Performed Sue
cessfully and Cable Will
Open for Business Jan. 5.

| hONOLOLU, Jan. z (by Pacific
| cable).-The laying of the first sec
ton of the Pacific cable which win
| connect the United States with it's
1nsular possessions was completed at
| 8:40 last night, when the two ends
were brought together in Molokai
| channel near the point of landing at
| the beautiful private park of Sans
| Souci beach, five miles east of the
| city OF Honolulu. With the shore end
| landed there still remained a span of
| almost two score of miles to be closed
| between the buOyed deep sea end in
Molokai channel and the heavy beach
! line laid a half mile out from shore.
| The closing of this gap proved
| task that taxed the patience as well
as the ingenuity of the Snvertown's
staff. Five days elapsed, the most of
| Which was spent in awaiting the favor
of the wind and sea. before their labors
were completed and the first signal
flashed along the entire length of 1000
and more miles,
Voyage Was Exciting.
The voyage of the Silvertown was
eventful and at times unpleasantly ex-
| citing. Twelve hours out from San
Francisco the cableshfp 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 velocity of gales;
heavy seas that buffeted her about,
! retarded the progress as well as en-
| dangered the safety of the cable; in
| fact every adverse condition that is
usually encountered in the laying of
| cable was met with and al times made
| the task a most hazardous one.
The start from San Francisco was
made at 1890 on Monday morning,
| Dee. Is. The favorable conditions con-
| tinued until II o'clock on the morning
| lie IL u
q Squall of wind and rain that came
out of the west. Steering through a
| southWesterly course, the SilvertoWn
offered broad star beam to the storm.
S0on the seas were whipped into con-
| fusion, rolling the vessel in a manner
| most dangerous to the cable. The
velocity Of the wind increased and
early in the afternoon great green seas
boarded the starboard bow and swept
along the deck and escaped into the
sea through the port scuDpers. Toward
evening ropes were strapped about the
deck and everything was made fast.
Anxious Hours.
The rain ceased, but the storm con-
tinued with unabated force throughout
the night. These were anxious hours
for those in charge of;the safety of the
cable. Two courses were left to them
either keep on the through course, or
fraught with great danger. devia-
ton from the course was obviously out
of the question, as much for the rea-
son that such action would not have
leSsened the strain upon the cable as
the more important consideration Of
the waste of time and danger of get
ting into unknown depths. To cut and
buoy the cable would have been equally
dangerous. Even one of the great
buoys, carried for just such emergen-
cies, could scarcely have weathered the
storm with $500 fathoms of cable,
weighing five tons, tugging at it.
All chances were carefully weighed
and the vessePs bow was kept to the
southwest. Tuesday, the 10th, brought
no improvement in the weather cOndi-
tions. The wind continued to blow
great blasts from the west and the sea
/ : constantly bombarded the big ships
starboard beam.
One particularly heavy sea boarded
the starboard bow and swept the deck
from fore to aft, smashed the scullery
light and broke the gangway ladder.
The chart rooms on the hurricane deck
! were flooded and the bridge itself was
invaded at times by the turbulent seas.
Those at work in the paying-out room
on the main deck and about the cable
machinery waded in water to the knees.
A Few Casualties.
The companion ways were battened
down in order to prevent the flooding
of the saloon. One of the cooks of the
gallery was scalded by g cauldron Of
| spilled soup. The saloon steward was
| hurled against a door and severely
bruised and injured. At times the ship
rolled terribly and it seemed that the
great strain would prove disastrous to
the cable. Under ordinary conditions
| the line is paid out several per cent
faster than the speed of the vessel.
| This was increased during the storm to
| 10. This concession to the strain was
| terrific. 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, rendering the life
| of the men in the tanks a probable, if
not real, hazard.
The dynamometer regulating the
/ speed and the strain on the line at
such times f1uctuated wildly, rushing
| from an indicated strain of two tons
| or less up to four and even five tons.
| When it is understood that the break
ing strain is eight and three-quarters
tons, it must be apparent that failure
| to relieve the strain promptly meant
disaster to the previous line and it's
| loss in $500 fathoms would have meant
| a long and serious delay in the COM
| pletion of the work of laying the cable,
as well as being most expensive hap
| pen1nS TO the contracting company.
| Rare good judgment in the handling of
both the ship and the cable at these
| crucial times averted an accident.
6uoying the Sea End.
| The wind abated at noon on Tues
| day, but the seas continued with a
heavy swell that ran counter to the
ships course. On Wednesday the
| weather improved apd everything ran
smoothly and fair pr9gress was record
ed Sunday was notable for two things,
| the crossing of the Vancouver Austria
| liam cable at 4 o'clock in the morning,
j and the receipt of the first news from
| San Francisco. Considerable stormy
weather followed.
Between and s, O'Clock Tuesday
morning three soundings were taken,
and preparations were made to buoy
! the sea end. The operation proved a
most difficult one; owing to the motion
of the vessel, which at times rolled to
the angle of 43 degrees. 1t was with
difficulty that the line was made fast
| to the cable and the end buoyed. Word
was given to cut the line at $40, and
as the siX-ineh manila haWser was cut
with the knife it parted with a snap.
I So great was. the strain upon it that
/ friction caused it. to take fire as it pass
ed over the sheaves at the stern, and
! the sparsk scattered about the deck in
| a pyTotechnic display The buoy was
/ 4