The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-06-27
A NAVAL
STATION
Report On Pearl Har-
boris Advantages.
BOARDS SUGGESTIONS
Full Text of Statement of the
Officers Appointed to
investigate.

| The following is a report of the Board
of Naval Officers convened last March
for the purpose of examining into the
! best location for naval station at
Pearl HarbOr as presented to the chair
man of the committee of naval affairs
of the House of Representatives by the
Secretary of the Navy:
Navy Department,
Washington, March 81. 1900.
Sr: ! In obedience to the Depart
| merits order. No. 20Se6l, Of March 7. 19O,
| a. copy of which is appended. mark ID
| a, the board met on the Goth instan,
! Present: Rear Admiral A. S. Barker, L
,. N, president; Capt. II. c. Taylor, L.
). N. Commander C. c. Todd L. S. N.
Lieut.. f. l.. Chaplin, L. s. N. members
and Civil Engineer H. H. Rousseau. u
N, member and recorder.
2 There was laid before the board for
its consideration all the correspondence
maps, charts, and miscellaneous data in
the possession of the various bureaus and
offices of the Department relating TO
Pearl Harbor. A Iist of these documents
is appended, marked B. should future
reference to any particular one or to the
whole appear desirable.
g. Before answering the specific aues-
tions set forth in the Departm or
der the board would call attention to
| certain salient points bearing upon the
Importance of this particular locality
The present rapid development of the
commerce of the Pacific, with the imme-
diate prospect of further expansion the
DISQUALIFICATION of the Hawaiian a,roup
with xeference to this commerce, relative
to value as a place OF refuge repair
Instructions TO masters, etc, apart from
Tthe tonnage needed to bring the necessi-
/ ties and carry away the products of the
| islands, at once point to the need of
greater-tonnage accommod "a tion than now
exists
a. 1he harbor of Honolulu. when all
| the projected improvements have been
completed. will wholly inadequate.
| even for the trade now touching there.
Again, the improved harbor at Honolulu
could not from any point of view be con
| sidered a refuge for our merchant vessels
| in time of war, as those lying within
would be open to attack from an enter
prising enemy outside the reef. Nor could
| full protection be given the shipping by
/ the installation of shore batteries, the
| military conditions rendering this i'm
| possible.
| ;. Such, then. being the case RELIEF
must be looked for elsewhere within the
island group. For many years the possi-
| bilities of the near by laudlocked body
of water known as Pearl Harbor have
1 =
| pediment has been the shallow bar lying
across the mouth>of Pearl River, the lat
| ter constituting the channel leading to
| the expanded lochs within, and where is
| found the anchorage for deep-water ships.
| Surveys and personal reconnoissances
| have been made at various times by diff
! ferent officers, and borings have been
| taken on the bar to determine its char
| acter that estimates might be made as
| TO the cost for opening it for deep-wateI
| navigation. The reports and results OF
| these operations have been at the dlspo-
sal of the Board.
| 6. An examination of the channel with
in the bar proper shows it to be narrow
and crooked, defects which must be mod
flied before vessels of the larger class
can safely pass through to the anchor
| age. Hence, in reaching q conclusion the
| Board considered what work would be
| required in addition to the operation of
cutting through the bar proper. This
last was deemed the only essential when
| the surveys were made and ocean trad
| ing vessels and men-of-war had not
REACHED the size commonly met with To-
day, and the original estimates for open
| ing the harbcr must, therefore, be re-
| v-sed and the work carried out on a
! more liberal scale than the former esti-
mate Indicated
| Z. To what has been set forth in para
graphs 4, and may be added that
| Pearl Harbor can be successfully defend
| ed, rendering it's anchorages safe from
outside attack, and that it possesses a
comparatively large deep-water anchor
age, capable of expansion, if needed And
| it should also be borne in mind that il
| s the only defensible harbor within the
entire Hawaiian group. The board has,
with careful consideration, approached
the subject OF Improvement ana reached
its conclusions, keeping ever in mind the
present and prospective needs of our
country in this part of the world The
great expansion Of American Interests in
| the waters OF the Pacific, as a result Of
recent events. has caused each point con-
sidered to be weighed carefully from ev-
cry standpoint
$. The board proceeds to answer the
questions submitted by the Departments
order. rs follows:
(a) What land is it necessary and de-
s.rable to acquire in order to establish d
naval station in Pearl Harbor, having III
view the present and prospective neeos
OF such a station.
The board recommends that for tie
purpose Of establishing a naval sta ion
N Pearl Harbor having in view the pres
ant ard prospective needs Of such a sta
ton, that the Government acquire the
portion Of the bcdy of land shown or
plan No. 1, accompanying. as Wa;pio pc
1insula. extending from the narrow neck
rarked with blue line to the southern
most point of the ennsula. comDr sirg.
u low-water mark. about $50 acres: also
TIE body Of land shown on plan Nc /. as
MckuUmoume or Ford's Island compris-
ing to low-wafer mark al out $40 acres.
includ ng the adjacent islets and the in
tcrvenirg shcel water
3. The board is OF opinion that under