Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-10-03
CABLE LINES TO ALASKA.
Good Work Achieved by Men of the
 Signal Corps.

W markable results have been achieved by the officers and enlisted men os the signal corps of the army in ex- tending and maintaining the tele- graph, telephone and cable lines in Alaska. So complete and efficient Is the system that message now may be flashed from Washington to the remotest part of Alaska in no more time than 1t would take to send a like message from Washington to Lon. don. The conditions under which the lines in Alaska were erected and are being maintained are the worst possible, but the soldiers never have faltered in the work, which general ly is regarded as second only in inn portance to the establishment of tele- graphic communication with the Pa ciflc coast.
 The American government owns and operates both the land telegraph and the cable lines in Alaska. The establishment of these lines of com munication was not an experiment In government ownership, but the crea- ton of an absolute necessity. Prior to the erection of lines, 1t always was weeks and often months before com munications could be conveyed from the states to remote parts of Alaska. Now 1t is practically matter only of hours.
 The cable system begins at Seattle. Wash, extends to Sitka, thence to Valdez, and then on to Seward. on pna ct nf 1,S3S miles. A branch cable extends from Sitka to Skagway, 413 miles: and another branch runs from Valdez to Fort Liscum. four miles; making a total of 2,255 miles. As soon as possible an extension will be laid from Frederick Sound by way of Wrangell and Hadley to Ketchikan. The volume of business transacted over these cable lines has become so great that steps have been taken to accomplish the duplexing of the trunk portions, which will make the cppac- ity of the gable equivalent to that ot two wires.
 The land telegraph system in Alas ka starts at the terminal of the sub- marine cable at Valdez. It extends northward, touching all the principal points. to Fort St Michael. From Fort St Michael across Norton Sound wireless system is installed with its terminals at Fort St Michael and Safety Harbor. TOT miles apart. An other land line runs from Safety Harbor. to Nome. The trunk line, including the wireless, is 1.432 miles in length. Branch lines bring the total length up to 1.512 mills. This telegraph system affords the only means of communicating promptly with Nome. Fairbanks and other im- portant towns and cities of Alaska Beyond these points. however. com munication has been established to the far north by telephone lines. While the establishment of these cable and telegraph lines has not been a profitable investment to the government yet, from a purely finan- cial view point. they are a source of considerable revenue. Last year. the money turned into the treasury as the proceeds of commercial messages aggregated s17s.77s: and the value of the business transmitted for the several government departments amounted to s1O4.s07 making a total benefit to the United States o: szs3.sss.
 The lines are being extended and improved constantly and the bust mess. both governmental and purely commercial. is increasing at a won- derful rapid rate It is regarded as certain that. In a few yesrs. the en tire system will be firmly established on a profitable basis.