The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-11-19
WENT DOWN
IN TIE SWELL
Dredger at Pearl
Harbor Finds
Bottom.
UNDER SEVENTEEN
FEET OF WATER
Less Will be Heavy and Will Cause
Some Delay in Bar
Dredging.

| After battling for heavy five DAYS
against the gales and the tremendous
surf that was sweeping over the Pearl
| Harbor bar the big suction dredge,
owned by Cotton Brothers, dragged
her anchors shortly after midnight in
Tuesday mornings gale, and then, fill
ing rapidly with water, the SAC, 900
| dredge sank in about seventeen feet
Five men who were on the dredge had
hard nights work in trying to save
her, but finally had to abandon the
effort.
! On last Tuesday the weather became
so bad and the swells sweeping. over
the bar so heavy that the big dredge
had to abandon the work until the
weather should moderate. The scows
| that had been in use were toWed into
Pearl Harbor. On Saturday and Sun
day the dredge had fierce tussle with
| the elements. YachtSmen who passed
near her said that the water was lift
| ing up the heavy dredge and pushing
| it around in several ways. On Mon
| day matters looked better, but the
storm that came on Monday night
caused the waves to rise so high that
| they swept over the dredge. Shortly
latter midnight James B. Agassiz of the
| firm of Cotton Bros, left the dredge,
| thinking that it would weather the
storm. At that time there was no
| water in her. but a short time after
wards waves swept over the dredge,
breaking in doors leading to its in
terror. The five men remaining on
her started the steam pumps and work
| ed hard to keep down the flood. Final
| ly four feet of water was standing in
the engine-room, and with the fires out
the men had no further way of coping
with the water. They realized that the
craft must sink, and, after big effort,
| the tug Kaena, which was lying a short
| distance off, came to their assistance
and took them safely on board After
| the men left the dredge the entire
| deckhouse was smashed up and wash
| ed into the sea, and at o'clock the
| big dredge settled down into the water
| at a point where the charts Indicate
| that there are seventeen feet of water.
| The tug Kaena then came to Homo
| lulu with news Of the disaster. and
| later put back to the scene with mem
bers of the contracting firm and in
surance men on board. 1t is impossi-
| BILE at present to say what the loss
will be to the contractors. The SAC, 900
dredge is insured for almost $4,000
but in addition to this there will be
the loss of time involved in the wreck
| ing of the dredger. a survey will be
made of the dredge, and there is i
possibility that it can be raised easily
| during fair weather.
The contractors state that the small
| suction dredge that has been anchored
| in Pearl Harbor for some time will
| now be put on the work, and that the
pipe line which has been anchored in
! side the harbor will also be placed in
position to work with the small dredge
Scows for carrying away the dredg-
ed material have not proven a success
During the heavy swells it is almost
| impossible to keep scow alongside
the dredge, and it is said that so far
less than fifteen scow loads of sand
have been dredged from the channel
and taken out to sea. The contractors
secured nine months extension of
the old Clark & Henry contract, and
two months of this time have already
elapsed. The channel that has to be
dredged is about three quarters of a
mile in length, but the contractors
feel that they have ample time remain
ing now in which to complete the lob.