Douglas Island news., 1919-06-13
GOVERNMENT CABLE
 TO BE ABANDONED
Alaska to Depend Entirely on Wire less, as Cable Has Gone
 Out of Date

Out of Date
 One Of Che biggest wireless sta- tions In thc world Is Co Doc erected at Seattle by thc War Department lt ! win work directly with another heavy power station to be installed at Fairbanks. Alaska The Alaska cable. having ouuivcd its usefulness, will bc abandoned us soon as am n- tcrcommuuicaung wireless system working from Seattle to Alaska can be installed
 These are the plans of thc Signal Corps. under which the Alaska tolc- graph system has been operated for Che past twenty years. Am item in Che military appropriation bin calls for S25O.OOO Co cover thc cost of six additional wireless stations In AL asko
 Col. R B. Paddock. chief signal officer of thc engineering and re- search division which has charge of commercial communications, said that the site for the big station at Seattle has not yet been selected. but thct it most likely win be placed on one of the hills.
 The plan outlined by the depart mcnt is Co build two high power stations at Seattle and Fairbanks. Thirteen smaller stations already operating in the territory will be able Co communicate with the cen- traI one and six additional small stations will be installed. lt will take about two years Co complete Che work. after which the cable, which has always proved more or less unsatisfactory because Of ire Qucut brcakagcs, win bo abandoned.
 Commercial messages sent over thc government wireless system in Alaska have paid more than Che cost Of upkccp and operation The of- flcial messages transmitted over the system were sent without cost Co che government
 Erection Of Che big wireless sta tious at Seattle and Fairbanks would furnish the first unit In a new line of communication between the United States and the Orient for which the Seattle Chamber of Com mcrcc and Commercial Club has been campaigning, because of congestion on Che present cable and the delay in receiving and transmitting mes sagcs.
 It has been suggested that the most practicable way Co span the space between the United States and Asiauc shores would be by way of Alaska and Attn island, far west ward from tho mainland.
 Frank c. Doig, director of pub ucity of the Chamber of Commerce. has outlined suggestions of Lieut. Col. B. F. Lcuoir. of the United States Army Signal Corps. who s stationed at Seattle in charge of the governments Alaska cable.
 Lieutenant Colonel Lcuoir was quoted by Mir. Doig as advocating a high power radio station at an Alas kan point. suggesting Valdez, and then another station on Attn island, with a cable from that point to Yo- kohama. Tho government proposes Co build station at Fairbanks, which is directly north and inland from Valdez. and it is pointed out that the second unit could extend from Fairbanks to Attn island as we'll as from Valdez The army of- dcer suggested using Che present AL aska cable over the first unit.
 Mir. Lenolr believes a cable should be laid Co the Japanese coast, said Mir. Doig At Attn island the messages could be taken from the radio station and transmitted to Yokohama by the projected cable.
 By using a cable from Attn island west. according to Colonel Lenoir, delays a; relay points would be avoided to a large extent. He points out that if over the entire distance Co the Orient messages were handled exclusively by wireless stations, con- siderable delay would occur because Of one station interfering with an other while sending or receiving.
 There is some difficulty in sending and receiving radio messages at the same station at the same time, ac- cording to the officer, and for this reason he believes it would be a better plan to have a cable from Attn island to Japan and relay the messages by wireless between Attn island and Alaska. In this way by having one leg Of the route covered by cable and the next by wireless, interference would be avoided and service expedited.