The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-04-21
$1,000 SOUNDINCS
A New Map Of Pearl L0ClS Sent
to Washington.
WORK OF FIVE MONTHS
Under Direction of Lieut.. Mayo, u.
s. MA Draughtsman Borrow
ed" From This GOvarppap+

Prof. w. d. Alexander, Surveyor
| General of Hawaii, has just received
from Secretary of the Navy Long, at
Washington, D. c., a letter which will
| be priced with the most valuable and
prominent documents in the archives
Of this Government. Mr.. Long ack-
nOwledges the receipt, from the survey
department here, of a map of Pearl
Lochs, with soundings, and compli-
ments highly the graphic sketch. 1t
is expected that prints of the map will
soon be issued, as the work has been
at Washington about two months.
Mr.. c. J. Willis, of Prof Alexander
office corps, made the map in question.
This new map of Pearl Lochs speaks
volumes under the head of keen in
terest of the United States in the land
bound harbor of Oahu The soundings
were made under the direction Of Lieu
tenant Mayo, of the U. S. Gunboat
Bennington and the work occupied
four months. Mr. Willis, was "bor-
rOwed' from this Government to be
daughtsman for Lieutenant Mayo and
was in the service of the United States
Navy for five months from September
L, 1897. There is a brief mention of
this fact in the biennial report of the
Surveyor-GeneraI to the Minister of
the Interior.
During the four months Lieutenant
Mayo had the launch, cutter, assistants
and workmen at Pearl Lochs no less
than $4,000 soundings were made. Be
tween 10000 and $4,000 soundings
show in the map as completed by Mr.
Willis. 1t will be remembered that
Lieutenant Max Wood, now deceased, !
when attached to 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
Wood was to discover and
report on the feasibility of deepening
the entrance to the harbor. His data
went on to Washington many months
ago and was wholly satisfactory. 1t
was positively settled by the work of
Wood that the channel
could be made any depth desired at a
comparatively small cost and that the
work proposed to be done could be
handled by the Government dredger in
laily use at the harbor of Honolulu.
There is to be removed only sand and
soft coral.
OF course the work of making $4,000
was a stupendous task. The
lepths were ascertained with a lead
inc which was measured twice each
lay. Boat locations were made from
he shore, notes taken and checks fur
her made on a sheet carried in the
BOAT. The third map produced by this
process was the one accepted and
,opied. In speaking yesterday of the
oundings, Lieutenant Mayo said that
lis work established that previous sur
-eys and sOundings had been careful
Y made. There is much more deep
vater at Pearl Harbor than even those
most familiar with the Lochs suppose.
There are also some turns in the
ourses to the anchorage that will re-
uire careful plotting. The Lieutenant
Iayo sOundings resulting in the map
rawn by Mr.. Willis have produced a
lOre elaborate showing of Pearl Lochs
han ever before placed on paper.
of the drawing are await
d with interest both by the survey
apartment here and the United States
,avy officers. The first soundings
-ere made at depth Of forty fathoms. c
his is at the edge Of the roadstead, a
bout half a mile from the actual s
Mouth Of the channel K
The conversations with relation TO b
his new map of Pearl Lochs sound b