The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-02-11
THE NEED OF A NAVAL STATION,
Necessary to Give the United States
Command of the Pacific.
A sked For to Make Pearl
HarbOr Suitable for Station
Money for the Cable.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24.-Complying
with a resolution of the Senate the Act
ing Secretary of the Navy today sent in
reports of a preliminary survey of Pearl
Harbor, commenced last April by Rear
Admiral Irwin, and completed by Rear
Admiral Walker, who succeeded him.
Rear-Admiral Irwin submits that the
requirement of q naval station in the
Hawaiian Islands would give this Gov
eminent the command of the Pacific.
Not simply coaling station, but navy
yard is needed, and the positions COM
manding the bar at Pearl Harbor should
be strongly fortified and perfect torpedo
system completed. The rear-admiral
submits a report made by Lieutenant
Adams, who says that in his opinion,
from the experience in boring and sound
ing on Pearl Harbor, a dredge could
clear channel through the bar. giving q
depth of thirty-one feet at low water
without any great difficulty. The latter
thinks the previous estimated cost of
opening channels have been too great.
Rear-Admiral Walker, in his report to
the department, dated June 21st, last,
says examination showed conclusively
that there is channel through the reef
at Pearl Harbor filed with loose coral
and suction dredger can rapidly and
cheaply open a way for the largest ships.
The channel is practically straight, and
the distance between the walls OF live
coral is at no point less than 800 feet.
The rear.admiral promised a further and
detailed report.
Accompanying this report is a esti-
mate made by Lieutenant w. III. Wood
submitting total of $105, 900 as neces-
sary to make cut $50 feet wide through
the bar with a depth of thirty feet and
to widen and deepen the channel inside
to thirty feet, and of $S5 900 if the cut in
the bar is 200 feet wide.
MONEY FOR DREDGING.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23.-The Senate
Committee on Foreign Relations today
authorized a favorable report on Sena.
tor Morgan's amendment to the naval
appropriation bill, making an appropria-
ton of $110,0U0 for dredging the Pearl
Harbor bar.
There was an informal discussion of
the project for the amendment of our
treaty with Hawaii 80 as to permit the
landing of cable to be built by q British
com p2ny on one OF the d8WAuAn 4sLanoS,
but the matter did not appear to COM
mend itself to any of the members of the
committee. Senator White, in keeping
with the policy of the Administration,
expresses the opinion that the proposed
Hawaiian cable will not be built by the
United States Government.
CABLE FOR HAWAII.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23-Hale offered
an amendment to the Diplomatic and
Consular bill in the Senate today provid-
ing $5O0,0 for the survey of a cable
route connecting the Hawaiian Islands
with the United States.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23.-The Hawaiian
question was not debated in the Senate
today, but Senator Hale gave notice of
an amendment which he proposes to
offer to the Diplomatic and Consular
appropriation bill sppropriating $780,
600 toward the construction of tele-
graph cable between the United States
and the Hawaiian Islands. This amend
ment, when it is reached, will probably
cause another discussion of Hawaiian
affairs.