The Hawaiian gazette., 1898-04-22
$4,000 SOUNDINGS.
A New Map Of Pearl l0GhS Sent
to Washington.
WORK OF FIVE MONTHS
- \
Under Direction OF Lieut. Mayo, U.
:. Ma Draughtsman Borrow
ed" From This Government.

Prof. ". D. Alexander, Surveyor
General o. Hawaii. has just received |
from Secretary Of the Navy Long, at
Washington. D. c.. z letter which viii
b. priced with the most valuable and
prominent documents IN the archives
Of MS Government Mr.. Long aek-
nowledges The receipt, from the survey
department here. Of a map Of Pearl
Lochs. with soundings. and conpli-
meats highly the graphic sketch. It
5 expected that prints OF the map viii
soon be issued, as ne work has been
az Washington about Two months
NJ. c. J. Willis, OF Prof Alexander's
Office corps, made the map in question
This new map Of Pearl Lochs speaks
volumes under the head Of keen in
ceres- OF the United States in the land
bound har5or Of Oahu. The soundings
were made under the direction Of Lieu
tenant Mayo, OF the [. S. Gunboat
Bennington and The work occupied
four months. Mr.. Willis. was Dor
rowed7 from this Government 10 be
dzugacsman for Lieutenant Mayo and
was in the service Of the United States
Navy for five months from September
l, 1881. There IS q brief mention OF
his fac- in the biennial report Of the
Surveyor-General 10 the Minister OF
me Interior.
During the four months Lieutenant
Mayo had the launch, cutter, assistants
and Workmeu a. Pearl Loehs no less
than 1900 Soundings were made. Be
tween 1900 and 5000 sounding
show IN the map as completed by Mr..
Wills. Il viii be remembered that
Lieutenant Max Wood, now deceased,
when ATTACHED 70 the United States
Flagship Philadelphia here was en-
gagged for several months in making
borings or bottom sOundings" in the
channel OF Pearl LOchs. This work
was different entirely from the detail
OF Lieutenant Mayo. The task OF
Lieutenant Wood was 10 discover and
report OF the feasibility OF deepening
the entrance 70 the harbor. His data
went OF 70 Washington many months
ago and was wholly satisfactory. 1t
was positively settled by the work Of
Lieutenant Wood that the channel
could be made any depth desired Al q
comparatively small cost and that the
work proposed 70 be done could be
handled by the Government dredger in
daily use al the harbor Of Honolulu.
There IS 70 be removed only sand and
soft coral.
Of course the work Of making 5000
s0uudings was q stupendous task. The
depths were ascerCained with a lead
line which was measured twice each
day. Boat locations were made from
ne shore, notes taken and checks fur
Their made on sheet carried in the
boat The third map produced by this
process was the one accepted and
copied. IN speaking yesterday of the
sOundings, Lieutenant Mayo said that
his work established that previous sur
yeys and soundings had been careful
y made. There is much more deep
water az Pearl HarbOr than even those
most familiar with the Lochs suppose.
There are also some turns in the
courses 70 the anchorage that will re-
quiTe careful plotting. The Lieutenant
Mayo soundings resulting in the map
drawn by M Wills have produced a
more elaborate showing Of Pearl Lochs
than ever before placed on paper.
Autographs OF the drawing are await
ed with interest both by the survey
department here and the United States
Navy officers The first soundings
were made Al depFh OF forty fathoms.
This Is al the edge Of the roadstead,
about half z mile from the actual
mouth OF the channel.
The conversations with relation TO
this new map OF Pearl Lochs sound
ings were had yesterday. The facts
are not submitted as having any bear
ing whatever on war talk. The order
Tor The making OF the soundings was
issued long before the relations OF the
United States and Spain had become
acucely strained. The interest Of the
United States in Pearl Harbor is wei
known That Government has secured
by treaty permission 10 use the Lochs
for repairs, cOaling, etc. During the
past four years, in parts OF opposing
administrations a. Washington. sec
retaries Of the Navy for the United
States have had officers attached tc
ships here secure and compile exten-
siye and detail information as TO the
retreat However, never before has
there been furnished anything so com-
ple5e OF significant as the IL. 600 sound.
ings
4 comparatively new piece Of suryey
department work in which the head
Of the bureau and his assistants take
commendabie pride, is a map OF Molo-
kai A quantity OF the photo-liuao-
graph copies have just been received
from New York Professor Alexander
pronounces this the best map Of Moio
kai yet produced A relief copy of tn,
new map has been made at ST. Loui:
College Photographs Of the relle
work disclose a careful and correc
copy. Mr.. Willis made the map draw
ing under the direction OF Mr. F. S
Dodge. Il shows about all that can b,
5earned or told Of the Island of Molo
kzi.