1930-08-01 — Page 13

ON

SUPPLEMENT TO HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 1930.

Cable

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N December 20, 1866, history

that day the Canadian Pacific Trans- Canada telegraph system was linked up between Now Westminster and the Atlantic Coast. Then an his- teric message was rolayed direct to Old Westminster in London from the little namesake city on the banks of the River Frager. To commemorate the inauguration of this "All-Red" route J. W. Wilson, at that time superintendent of the Pacific Division of the Canadian Pacific Railway Telegraphs, con-" ceived the happy idea of sending a message from New Westminster to its ancient namesake in London. This message was as follows!—

"EMPRESS OF CANADA.” was completed south from New Westminster connecting with the Western Union Telegraph Com pany's system at the international boundary. Victoria and Nanaimo were connected with New Westmins ter by land-lines and a cable across the Strait of Georgia, and a line was later built through the Fraser Valley to Yale, and then along the famous Cariboo road to Barkerville, a line branching off at Cache Creek-an important mail and tole graph centre in the early days to Savona's Ferry and Kamloops. In 1867 the Western Union took over and operated the, lines, "but abandoned them in 1869, and tur. nearly a year the interior of the "December 20, 1888.-New West- colony was isolated as far as tele- minster. British Columbia sends graphic communication was con greetings to Old Westminster, 12.20 cerned.. On August 7, 1870, the p.m. weather cloudy, light rain, Government resumed the operation thermometer 44 dégrta above. What of the lines, and in 1871, when Bri- is weather with you? We are work.tish Columbia catered the Canadian ing with cable office

circuit of 4600 milanso ever Confederation, the telegraph sys-

tem was transferred to the Cana

This message was timed as receiv-dian Government. ed at Canso at 12.23 p.m. and was started across the Atlantic at 12: 97: 45.

The reply to New Westminster's greetings was in the following

terms:-

"Old Westminster to New West minster sends kindliest greetings to its sister namesake. Weather here is heavy and foggy. Temperature about 32 degrees Fahrenheit. The city enveloped, but about three miles outside the weather is clear. We all send you compliments of the season, and hope that this year which has seen such tremendous strides made by you and your friends will be long remembered and that in years to come will prove the value and importance of your great undertaking. We wish you the best luck possible."

Bixty Years Ago.

One of the strongest arguments advanced for the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway was the necessity for military purposes of a railway through British terri- Lory on the North American contin cat. And if the necessity for such a railway existed, the need "was equally pressing for an "All-Red" telegraph line, to quote the term coined by Sir Sanford Fleming in connection with the installation of the Pacific cable in 1001. British Columbia had had communication with the outside world by telegraphi since the fall of 1864, when, a hinn

An Expensive Luxury, But the service was very unsatis- factory, and the line connecting the Atlantic and Pacific provinces. passed through foreign territory. The business was small, and in 1880 the number of messages handled at New Westminster averaged only twenty daily, and the total revenus over the entire system amounted to. $7,000 annually. The line was very expensive to maintain, and thus, on July 4, 1858, when the Cana- dian Pacific Railway was complet ed to Port Moody, the Dominion Government was quite ready to transfer its telegraph-lines and cables to the railway company, that portion of the line from Ashcroft north to Barkerville being excluded from the deal between the Dominion and the Canadian Pacific Railway and remaining under the control of the government.

The Canadian Pacific Railway opened its office for commercial telegrams early in September 1880, and a big business was done from the very start, as besides messages originating on its own system, it handled all the business of the Unit States Postal Telegraph Company the Eastern between points in States and San Francisco and other Coast cities, in addition to Press reports for the Coast newspapers,

A Humorous Interlude. An interesting event occurred on February 17, 1889. On that date

Across A Continent

the Canadian Pacific Railway direct telegraph line reached. Fredericton, New Brunswick, from Vancouver, and greetings by wire were exchang od between the Mayors of these citica. The great difference in climate between the oxtreme west and the extreme east of Canada in February was emphasized in the wires. New Brunswick was in the depths of winter, while British Columbia on, the coast was enjoy-

Copper Coins.

Another curious result of tho tak ing-over of talegraph service by the Canadian Pacific Railway was the fact that the railway was the first tu put copper coins into circulation in British Columbia. This occur red in 1887 As in most Western cities, coppers were unknown "in Vancouver in those days. The rule was that when anything came to an odd three conts, the buyer paid five cents, but if it was one or two sents the seller lost that amount. This practice was also followed with telegraph tolis. But an Eastern man one day demanded exact change, and on being told that the office had no copper coins wrote an indignant letter to Six William Van Horna, then President of the system. The latter at once shipped out several sacks of copper to the office, and wrote a courteous reply to the angry Easterner, informing him that in future ho would be able to get his exact change. At the same time Sir William ques- tioned the wisdom of introducing coppers," as "it would probably tend to lower wages generally. But" though the telegraph-office after that would always offer the exact change, few people wanted the cop. pers, as they were then of no use, and it was not until this century that copper cents came into general circulation.

180,000 Miles of Wire.

On December 31, 1888, the outside plant consisted of 4595 miles of poles, 14,500 miles of wire, and 50 miles of cable, most of the latter being used to connect Vancouver Island with the mainland. The wire was of No: 9 and No. 5 BWG iron. Extensions of the lines and the provision of facilities for in- creased traffic were so great that on December 31, 1928, there were 16,301 miles of poles, 160,297 miles of wire, (of which 61.9 per cent were copper and the balance iron), and 324 miles of cable, containing

"EMPRESS OF RUSSIA."

Bedroom in Private Suite on " Empress of Japan.”

and telephone wires used for rail way serivco are under the supervi- sion of the Commercial Telegraph Department. Telephone lines were used to a considerable extent in the mountains to connect the watchmen and other people with nearby stations, but were not generally used for despatching trains until June 1908, when a trial circuit was put in operation between Montreal and Farnham, Quebec Fhia me thed of handling trains was found

Telegraph Cable Company of the United States, the former being direct cables to the British Isles and continental Europe, as well as Japan, China, and other countries in the Far East, while, the Postal Telegraph Cable Company connects with all points of importance in the United States,

capacity sa the first was added by the end of the year. In this con- nection, John McMillan, general manager of Canadian Pacific Tele- graphs, gives the following descrip- tionBy means of this, new sys tem Canadian Pacific is speeded up, as the carrier system will give an equivalent of ten channels of com munication as well as a telephone In 1890 traffic agreement was - circuit from the Atlantic to tho entered into with the Halifax and Pacific It is effective from Van-Bermuda Cable Company Ltd., 'and' couver to Montreal, and of course the West India Cable Co. Ltd., over to intermediata" points. Tho fret which direct connection was obtain- carrier system was operated ciaod to the West Indies, Bermuda, Toronto, and Winnipeg was aand islands to the south." strategic point on the line," More. than 83,000,000 will be expended in improvements and extensions in

1830.

Enter Radio.

, Sorvica to Australasia.

Direct service to Australia, New Zealand, and countries in the Southern Pacific was established in The year 1930 was marked by the 1920, through the completion of the entrance of the Canadian Pacific Pacific Cable Board's Pacific cable into the rádio field with its "Cheer-connecting Bamfield, on the western ful and Good" music every Friday coast of Vancouver Island, with night from 10 to 11 Eastern Stan-Sydney, Australia. In 1910 the dard Time. This radio service traffic over this cable (principally thoroughly blankets the Dominion, from Europe and the United and is accepted by the National States) had grown to such propor- Broadcasting Corporation of the tions that a wire was leased from United States, who send it out over the Canadian Pacific from Montre- the Eastern United States. Toronto, al to Banfield. In July 1817 the Montreal, and nine other Canadian British Government acquired one stations are linked together in a of the former German Atlantic transcontinental network by the cables, which was brought into and new broadcasting programune terminated at Halifax.. Upon the transmission system of the Cana- completion of this arrangement da dian Pacific Telegraphs. Stations exclusive working agreement was in this network are Quebec City, entered into between the imperial Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Re cable authorities and the Canadian" gina, Fleming, Edmonton, Calgary, Pacific whereby traffic was to be Red Deer and Vancouver. The exchanged exclusively, and in addi- programme sent out is of two kinds, tion thereto a wire was leased by the selection's from a series of ballad Imperial Cable authorities from opera, and dance-music from the Halifax to Montreal, connecting Royal York Hotel, Toronto.

with the leased wire that had been in operation since 1910 between For the purposes of the system the Dominion is divided into Eas- Montreal and Bamfield for the tern Lines Fort William to Pacific Cable Baard, the latter be- Sydney and Western Lines-Forting composed of representatives of William to Vancouver. These are the British, Canadian, Australian, in turn, divided into four districts and New Zealand Governments. At on each divison. Headquarters of the present time the leagod-wize re- the Atlantic district is Saint John: ferred to it worked continuously 24 for Quebec, Montreal: for Ontario, hours of the day between Halifax Toronto and for Algoma, Sud- of the Atlantic coast and Bamfield ing high spring. So the Vancouver | 5505 miles of wire. The number of 30 satisfactory that it has been ex-buzy. On the Western division, on the Pacific coast, with the same wire ran: "Wish we had transcon- telegrams handled in 1887 were tended, and now the entire main lise headquarters for the Manitoba dis speed and accuracy, as any wire of tinental telescope as well as tele 567,840. in: 435 offices; during 1929 of the Canadian Peific Railway is trict is Winnipeg: for Saskatche 300 miles in length. In connection graph so that you could take a there were handled 6,858,697 telo-operated in this manner as well as wan, Moose Jaw for Alberta, Cal. with the Imperial Cable traffic from continental peep at our gardens and fields this grams from about 1850 offices. Cable. large number of main and branch gary; and for British Columbia, the British Isles,

Europe, and beyond, destined to morning. Take my word, they look grams filed in 1928 number 440,530, glorious." The Fredericton Mayor, and cablegrams received were 389,797, Trans-Continental Telephones,¦ ¦ From its inception the Canadian Canada, United States, and coun A new carrier and telephone sya Pacfic Telegraphs has had exclu- tries farther afield, it is interest with his city feet deep in snow, totalling 823,388 in all for the year. replied: "On re ont of your tele Outside of a few short pieces in tem was completed in 1020 for the sive connection with the Mackay ing to note that all this traffic passes gram several of the audience faint cities the first copper wire erected Canadian Pacific purposes, and a system, comprising the Commercial cyer the lines of the Canadian Paor cd and the few remaining got up in 1898 from Montreal to Vancouver second carrier system between Mon- Cable Company's Atlantic and fic Telegraphs, radiating out of

weighed 200 lbs. per mile. This treat and Winnipeg of the same Pacific Cables, and the Portal Halifa und left for Vancouver.“

copper has since been found so effeg of cient that it has been very exten- sively brought in 18, and now.com." prises as stated above 612 percent: of the total wire in use. This cop- per wire is No. 6 and No. 9, the first weighing 300 lbs per mile, and the second 210 lbs. per miley

Blue-stone gravity batteries wore in general use throughout the sys tem-until 1906, Storage batteries were installed in Ottawa in 1896 and afterwards at various other main points, but wherever more than one source of power could be obtained, it was replaced by motor generatora, and to day all farge. offices of the company are supplied with curront either from storage. battery or machines. Where only one source of outside power can be obtained, storage batteries are used to bridge over any breakdown in the source of power. But where more than one source of power is available, motor generators are. used.

Bedroom in Private Suite on Empress of Japan!

The printer telegraph was first Hartalled on the bison of this, comed Dans between Montreal and Toronto on August, 1912. Additons circuits have been put into opera tion from time to time, until now all the importang cities in Canada are connected by this method. For exaraples Halifax to Montreal; Montreal to Toronto Toronto to Winnipeg; Montreal to Winnipeg: Vancouver, Calgary, and Moose Jaw, Winnipeg to Vancouver, Cal- gary, Moose Jaw, etc. beside other shorter circuite. All the tolographi

lines

Vancouver

"EMPRESS OF ASIA"