Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1903-10-08
GtHR ASKS DOLE
FOR EXPLANATION
Who Broke Open Box
Containing Maps
Of Kohala.
BIG DITCH AFFAIR
DEVELOPS SENSATION
PAPERS IN METAL coNTAINER
LEFT WITH GOVERNMENT
TOLD FACTS WORTH
THOUSANDS.

munication from A. c. Gehr, the pro-
moter interested in the Kohala ditch
franchise, asking that an investigation
ing with the lock of a metal map CON
tainer left in the care of the Govern
ment by MIR. Gehr two years ago.
As exclusively related in a recent Is.
sue of The Bulletin, Gehr, after many
times asking for the return Of his Ko'
hala maps. found that they had been
stored away in the basement OF the
Capitol. The box was produced and
the lock gave evidence of having been
broken into.
Gehr asked Superintendent Of Public
Works Cooper for a statement admit
ting the tin containers condition when
It was offered him, but Cooper declined
to sign such a statement, saying that,
for all he knew, the box was in the
same condition as when II came to the
Public Works Office.
Yesterday Gehr took the box. giving
a receipt for II. Now he has required
OF the Governor that an investigation
we maui do W Nht bp'h VI NV
case containing the three maps so i'm.
portant to the Kohala ditch interests.
None of the maps are missing. but II Is
evident that the box was forced open
for some purpose.
The Governor has not yet replied to
Gehr's letter, but It is understood, he
is making inquiries with a view to as.
certaining the facts of the peculiar cir
cumstance.
Gehrs letter to the Governor was as
follows:
Honolulu, Oct. s, 1903.
"Hon. Sanford B. Dole, Governor OF
Hawaii
the fact that when the case which con-
tanned the maps of the Kohala noun.
tains which ! left with you over two
years ago was presented to me last
Monday, the seal had been broken.
"Over a year ago | tried to obtain
these maps and they could not be
found. Now ! request statement in
writing showing who found them,
when and where they were found, and
IL it should develop that they were
found in n basement storeroom, why
they were not kept with the maps and
plans pertaining to other pending mat
tiers.
Respectively.
"a. c. GEHR."
The box which contains the maps in
question is about three and n half feet
long and about five inches In circum.
ference, the lid consisting of a cap Sc.
cured, when locked by a small Yale
lock and staples soldered on top and
container. From the present condi.
ton Of the box II would appear as II
someone had wrenched the upper sta
pies loose by laying the box across his
knee and eXerting heavy pressure on
the upper portion, the solder below
the upper rim of the contaiIrr itself
being cracked half way around. prop.
ably giving before the staple broke.
Pasted plainly on the box there is
still the following written on a piece
of paper:
Maps Accompanying Application Of
Colonel Jones and Others for Water
Rights, Kohala Mountains"
Someone suggested to Mr.. Gehr that.
the box lying in the storeroom, may
have aroused the curiosity Of some
person, who merely opened the con.
tainer to see what was inside. 1t
would have been easier to read the
label by far, unless some motive other
than curiosity prompted the self.ap.
| pointed investigator.
The maps contained in this box
which has been detained by the Gov
eminent for so long a time, are the
| only ones of the kind in existence.
They are tracings showing clearly the
elevations and all other results Of
Gehr's expensive survey and could cas-
lily have been used to make blue prints
Information as Gehr had spent thou
sands OF dollars for, would, in making
copies of Gehrs maps, save thousands
Of dollars and at the same time, per.
haps. obtain knowledge which he could
not otherwise acquire.
1t is limited in the Capitol that there
are likely to be sensational develop.
ments before this peculiar business is
ended. Meanwhile the Governor Is
said to he endeavoring to obtain all the
information possible in the case,