The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-08-14

OF the industries of Honolulu
the operation of the Marine Railway
Is one of the most important in n
variety of ways. 1t gives employ
ment to much skilled labor, thus
helping to keep Il good class of peo-
pie in the city. By a large consump-
ton of shipbuilding material, the
railway adds much directly to local
trade. Its existence is a powerful
inducement for shipping in these
seas to call at this port for needed
repairs; also for vessels trading be-
tween this and foreign ports to have
works of renovation done here that,
without such Il convenience, they
would require to go to San Francisco
or elsewhere to have accomplished.
When it is considered that vessels
while waiting for repairs are the
means of circulating money from
outside sources, in addition to the
expenditure of the railway work
mems wages in the shops, the i'm
portance of the work, in that respect
alone, to the city needs no magnify
ing. AS convenience for inter-
island shipping, which was one of
the main objects held in view by the
projectors of the enterprise, the
railway has been boon of incalcula-
BILE value. 1t would be needless to
90 into particulars to prove this
manifest advantage of having such a
work established in the chief port of
the kingdom.
The Honolulu Marine Railway is
a monument to the statesmanlike
forethought, public spirit and enter
prise of the Hon. Samuel G.. Wilder.
In the year 1880 the Government of
this kingdom ,Sof which Mr.. Wilder
was Premier and Minister of the
Interior, advertised in England,
America. France and Sweden, for
estimates from engineers for either
dry dock or marine railway at
Honolulu. OF all the responses re-
ceived the estimates of Mr.. Horace
1. Crandall, forwarded through the
Hawaiian Consulate of Boston, were
accepted. In April, 1881, Mr..
Crandall arrived here to make the
necessary surveys. After an ex-
animation of the harbor and its
bottom he reported to the authorities
that a stationary dry dock was i'm
practicable, on account of the coral
formation, that would form its floor,
being so porous that it would be inn
possible to keep it dry, even at an
enormous expense for pumping. y
floating dry dock was also out of
the question on account of the cir
cumscribed limits OF the harbor. A
marine railway was therefore decided
upon by the Government, and Messrs.
Wilder q Co. contracted to build it,
the head of the firm having in the
meantime retired from His Majcsty's
Cabinet. OF course, Mr.. Crandall
was selected as engineer, and in
view of his record, particularly as a
submarine engineer, it would in
deed have been difficult to have
found better man. In the year
1854, while living at New Bedford.
Massachusetts, he invented an inn
proved style of marine railway,
since known as "Crandal's Patent
Marine Railway" Up to the time
he became known here, Mr.. Gram
dali had built no less than twenty
three of these railways on the coasts
of North and South America, from
North Sydney in Nova Scotia to
Buenos Ayres, Argentine Republic.
In addition to these works, he had
built an important bridge on one OF
the Pacific Railway lines, and was
for time propietory manager of a
coal mine in Cape Breton, n. S.
lie was also the author of many
mechanical inventions of great uti-
lily, and is relative of Mr.. James
Crandall, of the United States, tho
inventor of the famous and ingeni-
Gus "Crandall's Toys"
The work of construction was
begun on the railway on February
18th, 1882. A large amount OF
material for filling up the ground OF
the site being required, it was ne
cessary to build a land railway from
the spot to the base of punchbowl
This work was accomplished under
the mechanical superintendent o.
Mr.. James Lyle, who had been EN-
ployed as foreman of the works
He had been Mr.. Crandall's fore
man, many years previous, in thu
construction of the Buenos Ayre
marine railway, and also in late
works of the same kind at othe
places. Mr. Crandall came out il
the same season from Canada, will
a brigade consisting of two skilfu
divers, thirteen shipwrights accus
toned to marine railway work, ant