Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-02-03
It's Successor to
Be Employed at
Task of Providing
Improved Commu-
nication With
Alaska-Pioneer
Gable Laying In
PHILIPPE e $
Whale $ Fatal En-
counter on Ocean
Floor.

cable looped entirely around the jaw,
holding him fast. Although the steel
armor wires did not break the twist
Ing and pressure crushed the insula-
ton. causing the cable to develop a
fault that prevented the transmission
OF electrical signals through it.
Being thus held, the whale died
About two months later he was
pulled to the surface when the cable
was raised for repairs. The delay In
efecting the repair operation was
due to an encounter of the Burnside
with Ripple Rock. During the long
period, to express it mildly, the whale
spoiled, and when 1t came to the sur
face, 1t was test of the strongest
stomachs Of the hardest old sailors.
Gas masks. If available, would have
been welcome to every one on board.
The whale was cast adrife as
quickly as possible without looking
for ambergrls, even though 1t Is said
TO be found on dead whales
When the cable beyond Sitka was
interrupted by the whale, the Burn
side promptly steamed northward
from Seattle for the repair operation,
but met with an accident en- route
that was very narrow escape from
total loss. In the month of Novem-
Der, with much bad weather in the
north Pacific. the steamships plying
to and from southeastern Alaska
ordinarily use the sheltered channels
between the coastal island and the
mainland of Canada, which, with
other protected channels farther
north, provide an inside passage as
far as Skagway, except for an occa-
sional crossing of an open sound into
which roll big waves as a sample OF
what would be experienced by skip
not sheltered by the fringe Of islands
near the coast.
Probably the most dangerous part
of the inside passage to Alaska is a
narrow spot in the channel separat-
ing Vancouver Island from the main
land of British Columbia a very
strong tidal current at this point per-
mits large vessels to pass only at
high-tide slack water, because Of
Ripple Rock. about twenty feet below
the surface and almost in midchannel
The Burnside carried a special pilot
who was experienced in navigating
this route, but apparently his eager
ness to take advantage of the few
hours Of daylight Of late November
impelled him to leave the nearby
anchorage and start the ship into
Seymour narrows too soon. The water
had not reached sufficient height
for the Burnside completely to clear
the rock, and the rapid current car
ried her quickly into the center of
steering to one side OF the obstruc-
the channel without even time for
ton.
Suddenly the vessel was violently
Jared and shaken as the keel and
bottom plates came in contact with
the rock, but that continued for only
a few seconds, as the ship was car
ried on by the current.
The sequel to this encounter with
Ripple rock was most extraordinary.
Capt. Latin ordered the carpenter to
Sound the bilges." It was promptly
done, when. much to his surprise, the
measuring rope. with an from rod at
! the lower end, continued going down
into the channel That did not seem
amusing at the time. The lower
plates Of the vessel had been torn off
for a considerable distance, but.
strange to relate, no water, or very
,, little, at least, entered the ship. That
. is accounted for by the fortunate cir
cumstance that the underwater OBJ
struction was at a depth that did not
quite reach to the tops Of the ballast
tanks, only few feet above the keel.
1t was the tops OF these ballast
BILE ships have special need for many
such tanks. which are filled as re-
quired to maintain proper trim" as
cable is. being laid. In this case they
saved the ship from total loss and
permitted her to steam back to Seat
tie. where all damage was repaired.
Upon viewing In dry dock the dis
torted keel and ragged bottom plates,
one wondered that the ship did not
! sink in a very few minutes.
THE Alaskan cables were laid un-
= der the immediate supervision Of
| Lieut.. Col. James Allen and Maj. Ed
gar Russell, both OF whom In later
] years became general officers of the
! Army. But now transferred to the
retired list.
|. The Alaskan cable system north
from Seattle has total length Of
about $500 miles. Crossing the At
lantic ocean there are seventeen ca
bles. Across the wide Pacific there
| are only two at present-one from
| San Francisco to Manila via Homo
! lulu, Midway and Guam; the other. a
British government cable, from Van:
couver. B. c., to Australia. via Fan
ming, FIJI and Norfolk islands.
The first two sections of this Brit
fish cable are the longest in the world
and have the remarkable record of
continuous service without Interrupt
lions from natural causes since the
original laying twenty years ago.
Communication was interrupted, how
ever. early in the world war, when the
German cruiser Nurbers cut this ca