The sun., 1889-11-09
PEARL RIVER nARBoR.
FIttinE Up Our CoaiipR station in the I.iaua
of Oahu.

| 1ANtAHE ~ tuE CNhhuR ENNNhNh ~ ING Asttno
OF Onhu.
! WASHINGTON Nov s.-The growing i'm
portance OF the Pacific archipelaRoes and the
special urgency Of the Samoan question will
probably induce Congress to seriously con-
| sidor, ut the coming session. the expedIoncy Of
| hitting M the port assigned to the Government
for occupation under the renewed reciprocity
| convention with the Sandwich Islands. Article
second Of this treaty. which was inserted at the
instance OF tho Senate in 1884 reads as follows:
lis Majesty the King Of the Hawaiian slands grants
right to enter the hsSor ef Pearl River in the snd o
ana 10 thai end The United states may improyS the en-
the purpose aforesaid
This stipulation, which was not in the
original commercial treaty Of 1876. was made
| by our Government an absolute condition Of
renewal. 1t distinctly gives not cession OF
| territory, but only right OF occupation, like
that granted by Samoa In the harbor of PaEo-
Pago. Still the question was raised By
Hawaii whether this right was not, under the
wording OF the treaty perpetual; and her as
sent to this article was only given after ro-
ceiving assurances from Mr.. Bsyard that he
could not discern the slightest ground for the
Interpretation that the amendment relating
to Poarl Harbor had any longer life than the
rest OF the agreement OF which 1t formed a part.
Those assurances are no doubt binding but
they suggest at once an objection that may be
raised to an appropriation OF money for use at
Pearl River HRrbor. The exchange OF ratiflca-
tions OF tho renewed treaty took place two
years ago. Nov. 8. 1887 and accordingly out OF
the seven years for which the concession is
made only five remain. Tho Vandalia effected
somepreliminary examinations of the proposed
anchorage and lands in Oahu. and 1t has been
r0nOrtad TINT II tuL,a ahn tTnO fo
improve the entrance for the proposed uses.
There is. OF course, no question at present Of
fortifications. To insure the harbor against
attack from the sea defensive works would be
required, and such works would hardly be
built on land that would revert to the Hawaiian
government at the end Of five years from the
pres present time and perhaps at the end OF two
,,lt 1t is doubtful even whether the removal of
tne coral bar at the mouth Of Pearl Harbor
unless some new treaty Is first secured giving
our country longer lease Of it. The discus-
arrangements ior the removal OF the reef, and
IT'S actual removal would hardly be consuIn-
nalt or Two years. SO leaving only three out Of
the seven years OF the grant. The Government
possessed the grant OF harbor In the island Of
any Important use Of It. aithouSh n It could have
Pee neen occupied without 30 great an outlay at
ane "a entrance as the harbor In Oahu requires to
80 The Hawaiian harbor is unquestionably
capaeious and safe. There may have been
InarStime power that Roids Pearl River a Harbop
north Pacific" but it Is certainly go good d an an
ehoraGe river for small war vessels. and could
be made adequate for those Of any size. There
ato Si 9 }S d9d apart from the strategic sit
San Francisco; and their advantages as sta |
ton on the line Of trans Pacific travel and |
Of our government vessels from Mare Island |
to Apia and the further fact that we often |
into consideration. The Importance Of the |
Sandwich Islands will increase; and although |
cur station ut Pago-Pago Is at last to be |
there. the value Of Pearl River Harbor is not
lessened
Oahu. is only about a dozen miles from Homo
lulu. and is thoroughly land locked. On one |
side It is dominated BY high blufrs, and the en-
tected BY, a fort, should that be desired. The
channel. however possesses width OF 800 feet,
which ts quite enough for our purposes. on
five fathoms hundred feet distant from it
and and twelve at distance Of a thousand feet.
;!,i.e, Ihe coaling citation would be, on an island
within the harbor containing about 100 acres
!, Apparently there ought to be no objection on
the part OF Hawaii to Increasing the period OF
IL by se
inure to her benefit and revert to her in the
end Probably there would be no reluctance on
her part were 1t not that she counts on Pearl
River, ,Harbor as lever for procuring the re-
moyal OF the present reciprocity treaty whep 1t
expires. But as an Offset she should reflect that
her very best friend in checking the tendencies
of nations whose ayowed policy is that Of an
nexlnR everything they can In the Pacific. This
alone should make her eager to
have the United States acquire permanent
naval and coalinR foothold in her domains,