THE CAPE YORK TELEGRAPH LINE 663 



suitable route commencing, in the south, at the nearest angle of 

 the Cooktown-Palmerville line. My own recent travels between 

 the two termini had shown that a Telegraph line was, at least, not 

 impossible, and it may reasonably be conjectured that my report 

 was taken into consideration before Mr. Bradford received his 

 instructions. 



The Telegraph line, as it was finally constructed, is almost 

 straight, and the preliminary exploration, the construction and the 

 final surveys have added so much to our knowledge of the geography 

 of the Peninsula that it can hardly be regretted that much of it 

 runs through inhospitable and (so far as horse-feed is concerned) 

 almost desert country. At the same time, better " going " for the 

 line would probably have been found if more time had been 

 spent on the preliminaries. If I had to make my journey again, 

 and if my sole object were to travel from point to point, I should 

 leave the Telegraph line at the Archer River, hug the western 

 sides of the Mcllwraith, Janet and Carron Ranges, follow the 

 coast-line of Temple Bay, cut off the Cape Grenville triangle and 

 follow the coast-line of Shelburne Bay, and north of it to the mouth 

 of Henderson Creek, strike westward along the watershed of the 

 Peninsula (lat. ll 5'S.) to near the Jardine River, go north and 

 reach the west coast near Red Island, and follow it to Peak Point. 

 Such a line, had it been taken by the Telegraph, would have been 

 easier, if longer, than the actual line, and over better country. 

 Against this is to be set the vulnerability of a Telegraph line 

 easily attacked from the sea, besides the loss of the knowledge to be 

 gained, and the facilities afforded, by an inland line. 



The exploring party was led by MR. BRADFORD, under whose 

 supervision the Telegraph line from Cooktown to Palmerville had 

 been constructed in 1874-6. The team consisted of William 

 Healy (Second in Command), James Cook, William Macnamara, 

 John Wilson, Jimmy Sam Goon (Chinese) and Johnny (Aboriginal). 

 There were thirty-six horses (of which thirteen reached 

 Somerset). Each man was armed with a Martini-Henry carbine 

 and a Colt's revolver, and a fowling-piece was also carried by Healy. 



While in Cooktown making preparations for a start, Mr. 

 Bradford informs me that almost all his spare time was employed 

 in copying, from my office copy, the map which was part of my 

 official report on my two expeditions in the Cape York Peninsula, 

 and which was not published, for some reason which has never been 

 explained, and which searches in all possible Departments in 

 Brisbane have failed to discover. The topography of my map had, 

 however, been embodied in official maps issued by the Lands 

 Department before my report was officially issued. Mr. Bradford 

 explains that he called at my office at Townsville in May, 1883, 

 while his steamer lay there on its voyage to Cooktown, and I showed 

 him, and finally lent him, my office copy of the map. Having 



