The Influence of Submarine Cables 



7 



Island, thence to the Island of Guam, and 

 from there to the Island of Luzon. 



A cable system from Vancouver via 

 the Aleutian Islands to Japan and the 

 Philippines has long been proposed, and 

 has many points, commercial and techni- 

 cal, in its favor as a trans- Pacific route. 

 The true solution is thought to be the 

 early construction of both of these trans- 

 Pacific cable lines, thereby furnishing, 

 first, a direct connection to the Alaskan 

 system, and by a later extension to the 

 Philippines a duplicate route for the pro- 

 tection of the more southern line via 

 Hawaii. A short cable from Sitka to 

 Valdez would be one means of perfect- 

 ing a junction with the Alaska land sys- 

 tem. 



The recent acquisition by the United 

 States of the island of Tutuila, and the 

 construction in Pago Pago Harbor of 

 a coaling station, makes it desirable to 

 join this advanced American station in the 

 southwestern Pacific to the Hawaiian Isl- 

 ands by submarine cable. 



This can probably be most readily ac- 

 complished by connecting it directly to 

 Fiji, a station on the British-Pacific cable 

 route. 



To further complete this proposed colo- 

 nial telegraph system, it will be necessary 

 to connect the island of Porto Rico by 

 submarine cable to the United States, and, 

 although of greater length, a line direct 

 from New York to Porto Rico is sug- 

 gested as offering many advantages. The 

 shortest line is not always the most ad- 

 vantageous. For instance, Haiti is con- 

 nected direct to New York City, instead 

 of to the coast of Florida, which^ would 

 be much nearer, and Bermuda is con- 

 nected direct with Halifax, for the sole 

 object of exclusive British control under 

 all circumstances. 



ESTIMATED COST OF PROPOSED 

 COLONIAL TELEGRAPH SYSTEM. 



CABLES IN THE PACIFIC. 



Trans-Pacific cable, San Francisco 

 via Hawaiian -Islands, Midway, 

 Island, and Island of Guam to 

 Luzon $12,000,000 



Inter-island communication for the 

 Hawaiian group $150,000 



To complete the Inter-island tele- 

 graph system of the Philippines.. 250,000 



For Alaska telegraph system, as al- 

 ready authorized by Congress . . . 45o,ooO 



To extend the Alaska telegraph sys- 

 tem and to connect it to the 

 United States by direct cables, 

 and also for further extension to 

 the Philippines via the Aleutian 

 Islands, providing a duplicate 

 trans-Pacific route to the Philip- 

 pines .• • 10,000,000 



For cable connections with Tutuila 

 Island coaling station at Pago 

 Pago Harbor 650,000 



CABLES IN THE ATLANTIC. 



Direct cable from the coast of the 

 United States to the island of 

 Porto Rico 1.500.00Q 



Total • • .$25,000,000 



Estimated cost of proposed Isth- 

 mian Canal $200,000,000 



Relative cost of two enterprises i to 8 



This estimate, which is necessarily a 

 very general one, due to the great fluctua- 

 tions in the price of materials, the inex- 

 perience of American manufacturers, etc., 

 shows that with an expenditure of $25,- 

 000,000, or perhaps $30,000,000 at most, 

 the United States can have a telegraph sys- 

 tem connecting all her possessions, and 

 placing each part of such possessions in 

 direct connection with the United States 

 by the best and most efficient means of 

 communication known. 



For the expense of three or four first- 

 class battleships, the United States can 

 provide herself with the most powerful 

 means known for extending and preserv- 

 ing her commercial influence and for the 

 speedy pacification and civilization of the 

 people who have recently come under her 

 control, and can secure a strategic ad- 

 vantage — military, naval, and political — 

 which is necessary to her position as a 



world power. , ,• , j 



Submarine cables are now established 

 for colonial, political, and diplomatic rea- 

 sons, as really as for their purely com- 

 mercial purposes. Nor is actual state of 

 war of the country itself the only fear; 

 witness the present plight of France due 



