The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-08-19

sive as now, though it was a big thing
for Alaska people to know what was
going on in the world as gathered
from meager dispatches that found
their way through a wire almost as
long as the continent is wide.
Most of the distance along the coast
the wire lays in 1000 fathoms of wa
ter, but in rounding Vancouver Island,
Just before entering the Straits of Juan
De Fuca, depth of 1000 fathoms-10.-
200 feet-was encountered. From the
Sitka end to the entrance of the
straits required 500 miles of cable,
weighing 1850 tons-a good sized load
for ship. Midway in the straits the
end was buoyed and the Burnside came
back for more and then steamed into
Seattle harbor ready to connect with
the line running from the shore to the
Walker building in Seattle, where the
signal corps officers are located and
where, with the most delicate electri-
cal apparatus the officers for months
have been practicing sending and re-
ceiving messages and studying no on
cable lore.
Gen. A. w. Greedy, chief of the Sig
nal CORPS and ranking brigader gen
eral In the army, who has had charge OF
all the work in Alaska and has direct
ed operations personally, both in lay
ing the cables and stretching the wires
has encountered obstacles that seemed
lnsurmountable in opening up this big
system of communica tion in Alaska,
and has met discoura cement that to
Z. man less bold or persevering would
have meant failure. Stripping wires on
poles across thousands of miles of I'M
inhabited country, where winter, 60 and
100 degrees below, occupies a good
share of the year and where summer
merely adds to the difficulties, is not
like such work in more favored parts
of the globe. The task has been one
of years. Difficulties of the worst sort
have been met in getting material and
transporting it. setting 1t up properly
and then in operating the systems es-
tablished.
To overcome the difficulties of wire
communication Gen. Greedy has been
trying for two years to install wire
of the country, UP from st. MiChaels
and drought the Tanana, and as a
result the faith of the chief signal Off
Ger is sadly shaken in wireless sys-
tens. At least, he says, he wants
something more than promises. His
contracts have been broken and his
attempts to secure connection between
far separated points without the inter-
vention of metal have met with failure
and discoura cement.
Apparatus in huge quantities have
been shipped northward by various
companies having contracts with the
government. Fearing they would be
unable to secure proper timber for
masts at the wireless station long
timberS were shipped by boat from the
states to be transported up the rivers
far from the coast. Last year the
season for work was too short. it was
argued to accOmnIiSh much hut this
year 1t is hoped to do more toward
supplanting the wire with the wireless
system.
Right at Nome the most battling
discoura gements have been encounter
ed. With st. Michael in communica-
ton with the outside for the greater
part of the winter. Nome was sew
eral days further away, though only
across tho sound. 1t would seem that
the laying of a cable across this short
gap might be accomplished without
much hardship, but for at least half
the year the water is frozen and the
ice snaps the metal like straw. Mes
sages must come from Nome to ST.
Michael by courier Several attempts
have been made to talk between the
two places without wires, but only the
fainteSt impulses have been transmit
ted, and those fitting and of no value.
Something was always the matter
with the sending or the receiving APP
paratuS.
But by October Gen. Greedy really
expects to see this link in the sys-
tenn completed, for there is no good
reason why this short space might not
be bridged successfully. In the in
terror, mountain ranges between the
stations have proved very serious OBJ
StaCleS.