The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-08-29
THE OAHU BELT LINE
A SEATTLE MAN THINKS HE
WILL BUILD 1T.
Information By Way of Seattle Which
is Important if True-Some Facts
About the Oahu Territory.


date. Although it does not appear to
be true that Mr.. Feek has a contract
to build the Oahu road, it is a fact
that he has made proposition to that
end. Whether bargain will be struck
is a matter for the future 10 decide.
The island of Oahu, the chief Of
the Hawaiian group, is to be almost
encircled by railroad, and A. Feek,
Seattle man, has secured the contract
for its construction, which will cost
over ST., 900, 900.
The road is to be built for the Oahu
Railway and Land Company, which
has a franchise for a narrow gauge line
with a three foot track to go completely
around the island, the Government
giving a subsidy Of $500 a year per
mile for five years, or $500 mile in
all. Of this road eighteen and one
half miles are already built from Homo
lulu by way of Pearl Harbor to EVA
mills, IN northwesterly direction.
From here it is intended to extend the
line, closely following the shore, to
Waimanalo, on the east coast. The
length of new line to be built is ninety.
three and three-quarter miles, making
the total length about II2 miles. Mr..
Feek has just returned from Honolulu,
where he examined the route and Sc
cured the contract, and will 60 there
again in September to begin work.
The Oahu Railway and Land Com
pany is composed of some of the
wealthiest planters on the island, and
is itself one of the largest landholders,
owning 3,I58 acres and leasing ga,
acres of land. A large part of this
land is in sugar plantations along the
line of the road, and another part is
used as a ranch at Kahuku, where
there are 1900 head of cattle. The
company also owns town sites at Pearl
harbor, where the United States coal
ing station is to be established, and at
Kahuku, and has coal docks at Homo
lulu.
From the Eva mills the road will
skirt the shore, touching at Waianae
mill, sugar crushing, not saw or
-four mill, then run through some
heavy rock cuts for three miles to
Kaena point, pass the Mokuleia, Waia-
lua and Waianae plantations and mills
to the Kahuku ranch and mill, then to
Kualoa and Kaaaea to the Heeia mill,
where it will leave the shore and cut
across the Mokapu peninsula, then
again along the shore to Waimanao
mill. Here it will end, as precipitous
mountains block the way along the
shore; and further inland towards
Honolulu the Pail, line of precipitous
bluffs, rises to hight of 1900 feet to-
wards the center of the island.
For most of the distance the work of
preparing the roadbed will be easy, as it
will be light earth work or digging
through the sand of the shore, with
here and there stretch of boulders
and a rock cut. There will be two
steel bridges 200 feet long, each of two
Ioo-foot spans, and the remainder of
the bridges will be trestlework with
cedar mudsils. The rails are to be
steel, fifty pounds to the yard, and a
large part of the ties will be Puget
Sound cedar, while all the bridge
timbers will be Puget Sound fir. Thus
the road will consume large quantity
of lumber from the Sound, all of which
will probably be shipped from this city.
For the grading and common laboring
work, Mr. Feek will employ Cinnamon,
but he will take men from here to do
the rock work, build the bridges and
lay the track.
The part of the road already built
pays well and statistics show that the
section to be traversed will also furnish
good business, which will be largely in
creased in volume by the improved
transportation facilities the road viii
afford In 1891 the product of this
10000 tons of rice, besides coffee,
fruit, fish, vegetables, cattle, coal and
machinery, and in 1892 the production
was greatly increased. AT present the
products of the north end of the island
are shipped at great expense by sea OF
packed by mule trains across the Pal
mountains to Honolulu. In some
places the products have to be hauled
down the beach by oxen until they
come to water deep enough to float a
light boat. This takes them out to a
larger one and this to a steamer Oh
sailing vessel. The banana industry ha:
languished in the northern part of the isl
and because the natives could not be sure
of getting the crop shipped. Severa
years ago they began raising the fru
and arranged for the steamer to cal
for it on certain day, but when tina
day came the sea was so rough that thu
steamer refused to land, and the whole
crop, the result Of years labor, wa
lost The industry new promises t.
revive, for the reduction in the price o
sugar has not only driven the planter
to study economy in its production
but has caused many Of them to turI
their attention to growing bananas
pineapples, tobacco, tea, guavas and
great variety of products.
Mr. Feek will begin construction a
soon as he returns to Honolulu IL
September, and expects to have tn
first fifteen miles of road completed b.