The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-08-12

word of the transportation service
~ of the War Department, as evil
Gpnced By the leisurely voyage of the
Francisco and Honolulu. The War De-
partment has recently issued an order
reducing the number of engine revolu-
tons to sixty per minute under ordI-
nary circumstances at sea, only to be
exceeded in cases of emergency, or
when special orders are given for
transport to proceed with all due haste
to tie Philippines. AS there is nc urg-
ent reason for transports to hurry to
Manila at the present time, the war
Department believes that a saving in
coal should be made. The fitzpatrick
took ten days to arrive here from San
Francisco. She saved about five tons
of coal per day, and will continue to do
so between here and Manila. She took
on sufficient coal at San Francisco 20
last her until arrival at Manila with
the exception of landing two passen-
gers at this port and taking on rev
fresh provisions, there was no real rea-
son for her stopping at Honolulu. All
transports in future will follow the eX-
ample of the fitzpatrick. A story was
bruited here during the stay of the
Fitzpatrick to the effect that the trans
ports were loading all the coal neces-
sary for the entire voyage to Manila
on account of poor quality of coal OBJ
tanned here Major Robinson, Jr.,
ouartermaster u. S. A. of the HOMO
lulu Military Station, stated yesterday
to an Advertiser reporter that this was
not true.
The same coal is used in loading the
transports at San Francisco, and II
costs more money there than here. This
knocks out the argument of poor coal
to be obtained at Honolulu. We still
have on hand about 5000 tons of the
same coal and when that is used up the
Government will send US American coal
instead of the Australian product The
Government believes in utilizing the
American product. A transport takes
on an average about sou tons, and 1t
will therefore be some time before the
American coal begins to come in here.
AS to the transports calling here, ii is
nay understanding that they will con-
tlnue making this a port of call until
Eext December at least. The schedule
slows that two transports a month
will leave San Francisco for Manila.
one ON the 1st and the other on the
16tt Of each month.
The whole cause for the uncertain
condition of affairs relative 10 trans
ports calling at Honolulu covers pc
riod OF four or five months 1t has
taken that much time to overcome the
effect of the action of the Board OF
Health when the Fitzpatrick was here
on her first trip to Manila. At that
time she put into this port on account
of sickness aboard. There were two
cases of smallpox. The Board of
Health would not permit the vessel to
enter the harbor, and. she had to remain
outside the channel for nearly two
weeks. I appealed to the Board of
Health to allow the sick to be taken
off and sent to the quarantine camp at
Kalihi, and promised to establish a
double Gordon of sentinels about the
area used. This was done to get
everybody off the vessel. clean her and
give her a clean bill of health before
her departure No, the Board would
not listen to this proposition but COM
PEELED the soldiers and passengers to
remain aboard the ship and proceed to
their destination in this manner Since
then the Board has turned over to the
use of DR.. Cofer, the surgeon in charge
of the Marine Hospital Service por-
zion of this quarantine camp for just
exactly the purpose for which we ap-
piled. l do not see any difference for
if ship comes to this port with SMALL
pox patients DR.. Golfer will send them
TO the camp 1t is this very action of
the Board of Health which has caused
the War Department to make a change
in its schedule for the transports and
keeping away from this port unless alb
solutely necessary to come in It has
taken all the strong writing l could
muster together to modify that de-