The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-12-24
DREDGING
The PEARL
HARBOR BAR
Rapid Progress Is
Made in Good
Weather.
LOCAL MACHINE
WORKS FINELY
One Fifth Of Work of Removing
Sand Accomplished in Less
Than Two Weeks.

Given northerly or northeasterly
winds or calm weather, there is in
sight nothing which will prevent the
early and satisfactory completion of
the dredging, which will mean the
opening of Pearl Harbor for ships
drawing thirty feet of water, within a
short time. Despite the many diff
culties encountered and the set-backs
from accidents and weather, there has
been completed the excavation of some
AZ 900 cubic yards of the total estimated
200. coo yards, which must be moved.
The recent work of the small dredg-
er, which is now putting in two shifts
of twelve hours each day on the
contract, demonstrates that the me-
ehanical difficulties which were en-
countered when the task was under
taken are practically solved, and all
that now remains is to catch the
weather which will permit of the work
being pushed, and the result will be
satisfactory to the contractors, Cotton
Brothers, and the sub-contractors, the
Hawaiian Dredging Company. The
work has been prosecuted with vigor
when it is possible to work at all, and
the progress has been up to every an
ticipation.
The problem of using a suction
dredge upon the excavation was one
which was difficult of solution but the
success which has attended efforts of
the men interested in the contract has
been gained by the exercise of great
ingenuity and a thorough knowledge
of the capacity of the machine with
which Capt. Parker has been able to
do SO much work. When the task
was undertaken w. F. Dillingham;
went to San Francisco and there was
unable to find an engineer who could
furnish any suggestion as to the kind
of suction pipe which should be used,
for the purpose Of bringing the work
constantly to the suction end of the
pipe. The usual form of deep sea
dredge, that used in New York and
Liverpool harbors, is a vessel which
contains not only the dredging ma
chinery, but also the storage tanks
into which the sand is pumped and
inally taken to sea for dumping pur-
purposes.
The departure of providing a scow
dredge, with other scows for the
transportation of the material taken
out, to the dumping grounds, was one
| which offered no precedents from
| which to work, and the result was that
| the contract was undertaken with no
| previous experience Of engineers which
would serve to guide the managers.
Mr.. Dillingham; had to return with
| such supplies as might be found avail
able and the results which have at
| tended the work, have disclosed that
none of the previously formed plans
We're based on correct ideas of the
/ variety of experiences which were TO
be undergone by men and machines.
/ The first thing to be done was the
removal of the revolving cutter knives,
| which are OF service in getting into the
hard mud and the softer coral, which
is often encountered in inside work
| There We're difficulties in the way OF
| providing a suitable nose for the sue
tion pipe. which would keep it ever
up to the work, and yet would prevent
its being seriously damaged by the
constant grinding of the roll of the ma
! chine. The pipe was fitted with
| kruckle joints, rubber webbed hose
1 joints We're tried and every plan to
compensate for the pitching of the
scow, and at length the problems
seem to have been solved. The dredg-
ing machines now work upon a scow
which has been given freeboard
above the deck and there has been nc
occasion as yet when the waves have
i endangered the machine or the men,
as was the case with the larger ma
| chine which was lost when its weather
anchor cable broke, and permitted the
seow to swing into the wind present
| ing to the breaking waves an unpro-
| teeted stern.
When the contract was taken over by
| Cotton Bros. there had been dug out
| by the scoop dredge Of the first COM
pany which undertook the work, some
thing like $4,000 yards OF material. This