Length of first successful cable, miles.........................

25

Length of first successful Atlantic cable, miles.........................

2,134

Length of direct United States cable (Ballinskelligs Bay, Ireland, to Halifax, Nova Scotia), miles.........................

2,564

Length of French cable (Brest, France, to Cape Cod, Massachusetts), miles.........................

3,250

Distance from San Francisco to

Hawaii, miles.........................

2,089

Distance from Hawaii to Wake

Island, miles.........................

2,040

Distance from Wake Island to

Guam, miles.........................

1,290

Distance from Guam to Manila, miles.........................

1,520

Distance from Manila to Asiatic

Coast, miles.........................

•630

Depth of water in which first successful cable was laid, feet.. ..

120

Depth of Atlantic cable lines,feet.

14,000

Greatest depth at which cable has been laid between Haiti and Windward Islands, feet . .

18,000

Greatest depth between San Francisco and Hawaii, feet. . .

18,300

Greatest depth between Hawaii and Manila (estimated), feet. .

19,600

Capital of first Atlantic cable company........................

$1,750,000

Contract price of cable for first

Atlantic line..............................

$1,125,000

Contract price of cable for first successful Atlantic cable line. .

$3,000,000

Present cost per mile of cable

(estimate by Bright)

$750

Cost of laying per mile, average..

$375

Number of words per minute sent on first line..............................

3

Number of words per minute on first successful Atlantic cable line at beginning

8

Number of words per minute on first successful Atlantic cable line after experimental stage. .

15

Present rate of speed (without duplex)......................................

25

Present rate by automatic system (without duplex)....................

50

Increased use of wire by duplexing, per cent.............................

90

Number of cables laid across the

North Atlantic

16

Number now working

13

Average life of cable, years

25

Original rates for messages, first Atlantic lines (minimum 20 words or less).......................

$100

On first reduction (minimum, 20 words or less).......................

$50

Original word rate, without minimum....................

$1

Present word rate, without minimum.....................................

$0.25

Length of telegraph cables of the world, miles......................

193,000

Length of land lines of the world (1898) (estimate by Bright), miles........................................................See page 185

Cost of cable lines of the world (estimate by Bright).........

$250,000,000

Cost of land lines of the world (estimate by Bright).........

$310,000,000

Total length of telegraph wires, land and cable (estimate by

Bright), miles.....................

2,300,000

Number of cable messages sent annually (estimate by Bright).

6,000,000

Per cent of world's lines built by governments................

10

Per cent built by private enterprise...........................

90

Time of message and answer, Washington to Santiago battlefield and return, minutes................

12

Time of message, Washington to London and reply in chess match of 1898, seconds..................

13 1/2

Number of cables owned by nations...........................

1,380

Length of cables owned by nations, miles.....................................

21,528

Number of cables owned by private companies.....................

370

Length of cables owned by private companies, miles. ......

171,679

Longest single line without intermediate landing, miles...........................

3,250