GREY RIVER.

West Coast Times, Issue 704, 26 December 1867, Page 2

GREY RIVER.

Hi&h Wateb, This Day. — 9.47 a.m. 10.12 p.m.

THE PACIFIC OCEAN TELEGRAPH.

(FEO3I THE SAN FBANCISCO BULLETIN.)

The project of a submarine telegraph to the Sandwich Islands, Japan. and China, is already beginning; to attract attention. There are no difficulties greater than have already beeu overcome in laying ocean cables. It is rather a question of profit on the investment. Probably such an enterprise is now ahca'd of the times. But in a few years, tho commercial wants of the great cities* of China and Japan will second a movement of this kind, with the certainty of very great advantages. China and the further Indies will be in communication with this metropolis, and with the chief cities of tho Atlantic Slates. Certainly, it vould not be cafe to predict that such a work will nofc be undertaken within the next ten years. One of the great highways of commerce will be from Key York, across the continent lo San Francisco ; thence through the 'Pacific Ocean to the great cities of Japan j thence to the commercial cities of China. It it is an open question if any more important commercial route will bo known on the globe a quarter of a century hence. The New York merchant who now communicates with the merchant of Sun Francisco in the " twinkling of an eye," will know the state of the markets in Yokohama and Canton on tho same day. Projects that have been laughed at a3 impossibilities, have been so often successfully accomplished that nothing now is impossible with man which does nofc require omnipotent power. Some years ago, the United States surveying schooner Fennimore Cooper, Lieutenant Brooke, took soundings between the Faralones and Honolulu. The " Commercial Advertiser" of that port ha 9 resuscitated souse of the results Obtained. About 300 miles west of the Golden Gate, and parallel with the Coast Range and Sierras, a submarine range of mountains was found with an average depth of water on their top 3of two miles. This range probably runs parallel with the coast, and seems to be as distinctly defined a3 tho two ranges upon the land. Of sixteen soundings obtained by Lieut. BrooJce, three only have been made public. These give the following results : — Latitude 31 deg. N., long. 130 deg. W., 2400 fathoms; latitude 25 deg. N., long. 132 deg. AY., 2600 fathoms ; latitude 21 deg. If., long. 144 deg. 25 mm. W., 2500 fathoms. Beyond the submarine mountain mentioned, the bed of the ocean was found to be a nearly level plateau, to within a short distance of the Sandwich Islands. Lieut. Brooke said that there would be less real difficulty in laying a cable from California to the Islands, than between Newfoundland and Ireland. It appears from this data, that nearly ten years ago a pretty thorough survey was made of the ocean between this port and Honolulu, as is shown by the fact that sixteen soundings were made with tho improved apparatus which Lieut. Brooke had then just invented, and which has since been so successfully used in making the soundings. Brooke went from the islands to Japan, taking, as is supposed, deep sea soundings all along the route. But while at Hakodadi a terrible earthquake occurred, which carried the surveying schooner and a Russian frigate high up on the shore, where they were broken up; and from this point the public have no further trices of the submarine survey rdong tho line of this great commercial route. Probiibly rho remaining data is on file at Washington, ;-n'l Lieut Brooke, we believe, is still alive to tell his own story. Evidently he was the pioneer in tracking the great deep, and marking 'the pathway for a submarine cable wich is yet to span the Pacific Ocean. It may look now like a great undertaking, but already prac i al minds are addressed to the work, and the transition from theory to an accomplished fact will bo easy and natural when the great commercial interests to be beneficently uffected shall inspire the work.