SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH TO AUSTRALIA.

Southland Times, Issue 1263, 10 June 1870, Page 3

SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH TO AUSTRALIA.

The Mowing report on the proposed eitehsion of the submarine telegraph to the Australian . continent, has been furnished to the Postmaster-General of Queensland, by Mr Cracknell, the superintendent of electric telegraphs in that colony :— - : j : ; "The Superintendent of Electric Telegraphs to-the Hon. the PostmasterGeneral. ".Electric Telegraph Department,! Superintendent's. Office, Brisbane, .May ....•; ,..- "10, 187a , « ; S'iE,—rrl have the honor to inform you tijat of certain correspondence between Commander Noel Osborn, now in Adelaide, agent for the Telegraph Cpn--atractiion- and Maintenance- Company, London, the superintendent of telegraplhs, South Australia; and the Chief Secretary ■ :p/jS.puth-A.M* p ftJ^: r e^y e "*-°:-- t ? ie P ro " posed extension of the electric telegraph to this continent by the British Australian J^e.legrj.p.hjQjompany,.haY«e_beenjpublis.hed, amLas the, matter is of great importance 'as regards the telegraphs of this colony, I, dp nQt.hesit'^teTj'ui reporting on the subjeict. '',?", '.■",'■'.."."" ."''•',' i ' '.'?* o>n 19thrApril> I received from 4 your -office copy of letters, dated January last, from Captain Sherard Osborni ■' B^N., managing director of the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company, to the of for the Colonies, forwarded under cover of despatch to his Exceliertcy the Governor, and from Capt. Sherard' Osborn to his Excellency the ;G^veraioS^fi^ng~tharthe ' British Australian Telegraph Company had been formed, and contracts entered into for landing a cable at Port Darwin, and constructing land line thence direct to Burketown, . . requesting that ' every countenance and support might be given tP Commander Noel Osborn, 8.N., the agent of the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company, to enable him :to_ carry "out "the landmines, and urging that the Queensland Government lose no time in completing their portion^ of the work as:far as/Burketown. i " Accordingly, this department is now vigorously pushing on its works to Normaritoh, which will be completed early in!B7l.— The additional 110 miles to Burketown might be, carried on simultaneously with the works of the Telegraph ■) Construction .and Maintenance i Compatiy from" Port Darwin to Burketefwnja distance of L 750 miles. .1. " Commander Noel Osborn arrived; in Adelaide by .the April mail, to treat with the Governmentof South Australia for permission 'to^Brectthe land line^ through their territory,' from Port Darwin to our jwiestern boundary. ...■'-■ , , r . « The superintendent of telegraphs, South Australia, has since recommended, in a report to his Government, that they should undertake to introducea measure, immediately aSter the. new Parliament Imeetsj'for providing, by meaaa of a loan,

for the constrttctiotii at once, of a line of telegraph from Port Augusta to Port Darwin. This report- has been adopted by the Government, and the company communicated with, urging the termination of their line at Port Darwin, oijl the northern coast of South Australia. < " The estimated length of the proposed line is 1,600 miles, and cost of construe-, tion £120,000; annual cost for maintenance, £8,000. " With regard to distance, I observe that little of no allowance has been made for deviations- necessary to avoid natural -obstacles, such as broken and flooded country, swamps, <&c, and to secure permanent water : — 10 per cent, may be safely ' added for this purpose. The description given by Stuart in his journal of a journey across the continent during 1861 and 1862, would aeem to show that the route proposed offers few facilities for the construction of a line ; the country for the most part being described as intensely - hot, devoid of necessary timber, and, owing to its sandy nature, permanent water is exceedingly scarce. Tender these circumstances, it is not at all improbable that the work would cost cojlsiderab'ly "more : thap. the amount estimated; and experience obtained in this colony would show that, owing to the many unforeseen difficulties to be |Burmounted in constructing long lines through unsettled patriots, it is hardly possible to frame a reliable estimate of the cost of construction until the country has been examined, and 'its nature thoroughly ascertained. \: < ■■•■•*' It ia proposed to finish -the line by the end of 1871, in order to be in readiness to meetrthe Company's cable on! jtsr being:lajided at Port Darwin. When the nature of, the-coiintry is -duly JBohsidered it may be anticipated that under _the jaost favorable circumstances j the, work would pceupy ; three years, ;and perhaps a ipiigerj' period. Only four stations are considered necessary. In ;this colony it has been found that a line cannot be depended upon for constant communication, unless repairing-stataons are placed at distances hot exceeding 80 miles. In the .event o£ an interruption occurring during a rainy season on.a lino with .stations sot distant as proposed, and no assistance being obtainable, ;th© necessary repairs could not be effected perhaps for .weeks or months. In the settled districts it . ia proposed to depend upon the settlers to , make the necessary repairs. This arrangement would never answer/ as? not being employed working 1 the ' line,; they might 'remaiii weeks unaware of .sra interrup^ionl With a proper number of stations, * the cost of transit ofprovisiens and stores woul4 be considerable. Jf it were intended to niake this line the means Pf carrying the^ whole Australian business, it should be in the .highest state of efficiencyjVand always workable. Altogether, the estimate; for •maintenance may be considered too low. ■■■■" The mere fact of the telegraph line passing through unsettled districts would do little or nothing 'to i promote settlement. Up, to the presenVdate, lam not aware that South Australia has any line^ extending—into- unsettled— districts, -or & greater distance from her capital than 300' .miles';'; and Port. Augusta^ the" present Northern terminus, J is not" 200 znjiles distant. from Aclelaide. .„„ . i " It is a question of little moment; to Queensland whether ther_ South Austra? liaS proposal" is ."carried out or not, provided I&ey do not interfere with existing arrangements . as^ regards this colony. -This would- *eem td be tijieir purpose by. attempting, to jtha #i British AustraliarifTelegraph Company to terminate their works at-Port Darwin. The proposed line, if constructed, could not successfully compete with the line now' in operation by the eastern route, which is already Belf-supporting. " I think that the importance of Ijort Darwin has been greatly over-estimated with regard to this work, and have always advocated, as a means of communication more reliable- and less expensive to maintain* that t^d cable : sft6uld be' brought direct to one of pur settlements on the Q-ulf of ■' Garpentaria:; !:rr Pdrt Darwin might then be provided for by ;k, branch, line from the nearest cable station, sayMelville Island- " - By. ; this , means the heavy cost of 'constructing and maintaining a land line from Burketown to Port Darwin might be avoided, and the cable, when once laid, would require but little attention. : ; " The action lately taken by the South Australian Government will, I fear; tend to delay the completion of this great work ; and I would therefore respectfullv urge the desirability of at once communicating with the British Australian Com- . pany, and taking such step3 as may be deemed necessary to secure to this colony the advantages which the present position of our telegraph lines in the north would warrant.-^! have, Ac., ! '. *♦ W.. J. Cbackktbli, "Superintendent of Electric Telegraphs. ."'■■ "The Honorable the PostmasterGeneral." '-i ...