Mr. Wharton to Mr.
Egan.
Department
of State,
Washington, May 6,
1891.
No. 98.]
Sir: Inclosed herewith is a copy of a letter of the
1st instant from Mr. James A. Scrymser, president of the Central and South
American Telegraph Company, in which the desire is expressed that such
special privileges as may be permissible may be granted in the ports of
Chile to that company’s steamer Relay, which is used
for the purpose of repairing cables.
The company in behalf of which Mr. Scrymser writes maintains and operates a
line of submarine cables from Galveston, Tex., to Coatzacoalcos, on the Gulf
of Mexico, thence across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, southward along the
Pacific coast to Valparaiso, Chile. The extreme
[Page 121]
urgency required in making repairs renders it
necessary that the steamer engaged in that service should, so far as
possible, be exempt from entry and clearance, the certification of papers,
and other formalities which in the case of such a vessel are productive of
inconvenience and delay and are not likely to serve any useful purpose. For
this reason it is believed to be the rule to treat cable repair ships in an
exceptional manner.
You are instructed to bring the subject to the attention of the Government of
Chile, and to ask that it may receive all proper consideration and
attention.
I am, etc.,
William F. Wharton,
Acting Secretary.
Note.—A similar instruction was sent to the
legations of the United States in Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua,
Peru, and Salvador.
[Inclosure in No. 98.]
Mr. Scrymser to Mr.
Blaine.
Central
and South American Telegraph Co.,
37 and 39 Wall
Street,New York,
May 1, 1891. (Received May
2.)
Dear Sir: I have the honor to inform you that
this company maintains and operates a line of submarine cables from
Galveston, Tex., to Coazacoalcos, in the Gulf of Mexico, thence across
the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, southward along the Pacific coast to
Valparaiso, Chile, and for that purpose employs on the Pacific coast its
repair steamer Relay. This steamer is stationed
at Callao, Peru, and is at all times manned and equipped for immediate
use.
In Europe and the East cable repair ships are treated everywhere in an
exceptional manner. In fact, they have all the privileges of war
vessels, and are exempted from the formalities observed at Central and
South American custom-houses in the matter of clearances, ship’s papers,
etc. The extreme urgency of the operations of cable ships is my excuse
for asking that you will at your earliest convenience request the
Governments of Mexico, Salvador, Nicaragua, United States of Colombia,
Ecuador, Peru, and Chile to extend to this company’s steamer Relay special privileges to the end that there
shall be no delay whatever in observing the formalities in clearing and
entering the ports of the countries named. I ask this because in many
cases our cables are landed on the coast a few miles beyond the port in
order to avoid the anchorage ground. It frequently happens that, in
repairing a cable, tests have to be made at the landing places, and
under existing custom-house regulations tedious formalities have to be
observed before our engineer can land and make tests, which could be
quickly accomplished were it not for the inconvenient rules of these
foreign ports.
Telegraphic communication being so essential to the commercial life of
nations, any delay in its establishment caused by custom-house rules is
sensibly felt, and frequently prolong interruptions through the repair
steamer not being able to take advantage of a few hours of fine weather,
causing much loss to the public and comparatively little gain to the
customs department. As a rule custom-houses in these foreign ports close
at hours which occasion much inconvenience and delay in the repair of
cables. This I am hopeful can be avoided if the honorable Secretary of
State will ask the governments named to issue special orders to their
customs authorities exempting this company’s steamer Relay from the existing rules of the ports so that she shall
at all times be free to enter and depart.
I also ask that the governments interested be requested to issue a
special license to the steamer Relay according to
her such special privileges.
I have, etc.,
James A. Scrymser,
President.
