New-York tribune., 1906-03-11
GERMANY'S CABLE LINES.
Zap Circuit Completes Non-Emglish
iCustem around World.

When CYRUS w Field proposed the first ocean
cable his ideas were characterized by dolhters all
over the world as Yankee nonsense. but the cable
was laid and its success as a medium of comr1u-
nication between the two worlds immediate
and pronounced. The result that deep sea
cables soon became Tad" with enterprisng cap
itasts and to-day the electric spark traverses the
civilized world through the wires of the submarine
cables. When, from any accident. the wires are
blocked and communication ceases temporarily.
the world of business suffers shock which almost
paralyzes its energy. and until the connection is
again made the commercial community is prac-
tically at a standstill.
OF all the nations of the globe Germany is one
OF the most energetic in the work OF sinking cleo
trio cables in the depths Of the ocean. She has
just completed a new line between Shanghai and
Yap. in the Caroline Islands. which the dis
tance of than two thousand miles. This cable
is laid at the greatest depth Of any in the vast
system Of the world. and it closes a gap which
makes it the first continuous on-English line to
encircle the earth
The year 1905 was for the German cable industry.
a most significant 1t not only gave the
Kaiser's dominion great many cables. but It
showed that the process of laying these lines had
advanced wonderfully in its technique, that the
work can be done rapidly. in comparison with
the records of past achievements in this line OF in
dustry, The number of German cables which have
a length of than sixty-two miles has been
increased by this new cable to thirteen. These in
Spain, to Sweden. two to New-York, a distance Of
47s0.4 and 49l1 miles, two 70 China. TO CONSTANT
nope and the LadrOne Islands. Besides these
large ocean cables, there are a great number Of
shorter ones which are partly IN use between vaTi.
Gus German seaports, and between Germany and
neghboring countries.
Altogether, Germany has more than 1886 miles
of submarine cable. OF which, however, only about
1888 miles are owned directly by the government
The total cable length in service in the world is be-
tween 27S, 4O2 and 279616 miles, that Germany's
percentage, Notwithstanding the progress which
she has made IN the last year. is very modest
Really only about one-ffteenth OF the total cable
length at the service Of Germany is German in its
proprietorship, while England more than two
thirds of II. Not more than two years ago, how
ever, Germany did not more than one-twen-
teth of the cable length upon which she depends for
service. Up to a few years ago no ocean cable was
a greater depth than 16, ,404 feet. The American
cable in the Pacific ocean was in 19o3 laid in depths
%. 400 feet. The cable Menado- Yap-G Guam. laid
by the German cable steamer Stephan in 1905. sur
passed this record as il reached depths OF p $50
feet and in laying the Shanghai-Yap cable, 1t was
necessary in the vicinity of the Lukin Islands. to
reach depths OF 246 feet, which Is OF the deep
places TO be found anywhere in the oceans OF
the world. The new cable was manufactqred in
in Nordenham. at the mouth OF the Weser.