THE BROKEN CABLES.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXIV, Issue 140, 3 July 1888, Page 2

THE BROKEN CABLES.

O BLAMING THE CHINESE. THE WAR SCARE IN AUSTRALIA. (UNITED* I'RBSS ASSOCIATION.) Sydney, July 2. The New South Wales Government feel no alarm at the sudden interruption to the cables. . .' Adelaide, July 2. The breakage of the cables gave rise to great uneasiness here. A belief is growing that the snapping of the cables was the work of the Chinese as a preliminary retaliation for the restrictive legislation. A Council of War was held, and the gqnboat Protector was placed m fighting trim. The members of the permanent force were ordered to remain m the barracks and at the force. . | Melbourne, July 2. The scare resulting from the break m the cables is subsiding. The Government state that they merely used the occasion as a pretext for testing the alacrity of the forces. Wellington, July 2. The distance between Banjoewangi and Port Darwin is 1082 miles, which a steamer would cover m about four days. If the Cable Company send messages along m this way, as they did some time ago, a batch may be expected about Friday. The Sherard Osborne's engagement m New Zealand will somewhat retard the labor of repairing, as she is the steamer best suited for work at long distances from ports. Mr Browning, superintendent of the Cable Company at Wakapuaka, has received the following information from the superintendent at Port Darwin : — " The old cable was perfect on the 29th, and we worked on it to Singapore during the morning. On the night of the 29th, when the cables became interrupted, the test of both were made, and found breaks between 800 and 900 miles from here. The cable is now perfect up to the break, about 850 miles from here. We only work one cable at a time, and immediately the new cable failed we joined up an old cable, but found it had gone also."