Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-06-03

Both Honolulu and Pearl HarDor are pro-
tected bv natural for;idratfons which need
nothing bat the placing of guns to become
Sn'preGnable. Three miles east of Homo
| lulu. projecting out into the deep water. its
summit only about a quarter of a mile
from the waters edge rises Diamond
Head. a hill Of solid rock. with an almost
perpendicular face, reaching an elevation
of 80 feet.
Natural Fortii;cntions
In the very heart of Honolulu. will,
shree-qUarters Of niia OF deep water. lies
second Hill Of solid rock. with almost
perpendicular face. rising to an elevation of
800 feet. Four miles vest Of Honolulu just
half way 90 Pearl hsr5or. lies third hill
Of the same rocky. perpendicular character,
reaching an e!CT3,iCn of 100 feet A bat
terry of modern guns can be mounted on
each of these three hills, at so little ex-
pense as to practically SliniTate the amount
as a factor for considera ton as an estimate
OF cost To the rear Of Honolulu the only
pass through the mountain is narrow cut
twenty feet wide. to approach which an
invading army would have 10 climb an al
most perpendicular bluff nearly LOCO feet
aish, which would preclude any attack
from that direction.
Honolulu is absolutely safe land
locked harbor. but is unsuitable for a naval
station. for two reasons: First, because it
IS SO small tina. it will not accommodate
more than 100 vessels at the outside, and
tie rapidly growing commercial use of the
port viii very soon tax its limit to the ut
most In the second place the shores of the
harbor are distant only from a half to
three-Guartcrs of mile from deep water
The dry docks, machine shops and maya
zines OF a naval station should be located
at such a distance from deep water as to
practically put them beyond the reach of
an ordinary commandment While Honolulu
can be sc fortified to absolutely prevent
an elective landing being made, it lies so
c:ose TO deep water that heavy battle
nh &C Nv Ir.f.
annilillte the effectiveness of the station
by few well-Girscted shots.
Pearl Harbor is an arm of the sea- la
COON. connected with the ocean by a long.
narrow rNer-iike entrance some three
miles i'll length: the inrer end expanding
and dividing into three lochs having to-
sether an interior frontage of some thirty
miles with an average depth of from
thirty to sixty feet. Its banks are formed
oil coral and sand stone with top layer
OF SOIL In many places the banks are so
perpendicular that a fuli-rigged ship could
ne alonSsiae without excavation or dock
Do1ldlnE. The entire herbor is surrounded
by abundant springs of pure, fresh water
and artcsian wells reach fresh water at
any point at depth of approximately 400
to 42o feet. which rises to an elevation of
about 80 feet above sea level The shores
are well wooded with algeroba forests and
the country on the land side is a rich, fer
TIE district. covered with rice, banana and
sugar Plantations, capable of furnishing an
unlimited amount of fresh supplies for the
Use of the station.
\ Convenient Reef.
barrier reef extends parallel with and
Instant about a. mile from, the shore, and
the water beyond does not reach a depth
oi over Jos feet for a distance of about
another mile. being well suited therefore.
Tor marine mining. These, with the assist
ance of the Notifications already spoken
tI,n
mouth of the harbor would be absolutely
prohibtiVe CT any successful attack upon
the station from the The Navy and
War Departments have already executed
most minute surveys of the harbor and its
entrance, and caused expert reports to
he MADE thereon. As early as 1872 Cen
erals Schofield and Alexander of the United
states army reported unequivocally in ia
Vor or the military value of this harbor to
the United States. The surveys of the
Navy Department have been made under
the direction of Admiras Irwin Walker
and Miller. They disclose that there is a
sand bar across the extreme outer entrance
OF the harbor, consisting almost exclusive
ly of soft, disintegratad coral sand which
can be disposed of by a suction dredge at
an estimated expense of not to exceed
S1'n,oD. The rise and fall of the tide is
less than three feet, and there are no cur
rents which need be feared to reform the
bar. A bar similar in character, some
what smaller in extent. was pumped out
from the entrance TO Honolulu harbOr in
1891, depth of over thirty feet being Sc
cured, which has not since changed a par
ucle. The expense of clearing the Homo
lulu harbor bar, exclusive of the cost of
the dredge. was only about $4,000. This
fedSe IS the property of the Hawaiian
government and is available at any time
for use by the United States government
at Pearl harbor if desired
Treaty Rights.
The United States now has, by the
treaty the right to the exclusive use of
Pearl harbor, but has yet taken no step
other than making the surveys mentioned,
to avail itself OF this privilege. a popular
view has been that the rights which the
United States possesses in Pearl harbor are
all that the United States needs in mil
ltary way. This is an erroneous view. In
the first place, there are doubts as to the
pernanency OF the title OF the United
States to the harbor. The Hawaiian gov
eminent, both the monarchy and the re-
public, maintains that the United States
title to the harbor is co-terminus with the
existing reciprocity treaty, and that if
such treaty is terminated the American
rights to Pearl harbOr terminate also. Be
that as il may, there is no grant of territory
by that treaty, and as a protective meas
ure 1t would be necessary for the United
States to own not only the land on which
its naval station is ocatcd, but it should
be able 10 control the territory for suf-
the non-occupatton of a hostile power.
The report OF Generals Schofield and Alex
ander in 1877 laiu especial stress upon this
point. At that time, basing their opinion
upon the then efficient range of cannon,
they reported that the United States
should secure territory for distance of
not less than four miles in every direc-
ton from the harbor. Since then the eff
cient range of heavy artillery has greatly
increased. Honolulu lies only seven miles
from Pearl harbor, well within range.
There certainly can be no claim advanced
that by the reciprocity treaty, which gives
the United States the authority to estab-
lish naval station at Pearl harbor it
was lnts nded to cede to the United States
the jurisdiction over the territory occu-
pied by Honolulu, the capital city of the
country, and yet without possession or
control of Honolulu there is no safety in
locating naval station at Pearl harbor.
The necessary coroliary of this situation is
that in order 10 make use of Pearl har-
Dor the control of Honolulu must also be
acquired.
Definite Alternative.
1t is not within the bounds of considera-
ton that the people of Ha vail would con-
sent to segregate the city of Honolulu from
the country and transfer 1t to the United
States. The proposition which the United
States must then face is to take the islands
as a whole or Pearl ha rbor is of no value