Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1903-08-06

E. 0. HALL e. son, LTD.


ton. the area Of the land taken over
from the bishop Estate is 500 IL
acres and the total area. taking in the
hundred.foot strip on FOrds Island, is
72G acres. rhe distance from the eX.
IRENE eastern to the extreme western
boundary is something over two miles.
Nothing is yet in contemplation with
reference to the strip on Ford's Isl
and. but by securing this land, the
Navy will have full and absolute con
troll OF the channel.
Captain White had the following to
say about what is likely TO happen:
, he papers which will result in
giving us clear title to the land at
! Pearl Harbor are now in Washington
ard should be here soon. As soon as
the land matter is settled for good, the
Secretary of the Navy will very prob
ably appoint a board to take up the
/ question of the general outline plan for
development This is the regular
course whenever there Is a new station
tn be established. The maps and
plans are all ready for the board and
will be sent ON as soon as they are
roqired. The space for the various dc.
/ lartments will then be allotted and the
work to be done first will be decided
! on.
In my opinion. the first thing to be
started will be the dry docks, and Con
gIess at its next regular session will
Undoubtedly appropriate the necessary
money so that We can begin work here
| 10y July Of next year. | shall urge
that two dry docks be built and IL my
suggestion is followed. there Will be
about three and a quarter millions set
aside for this purpose alone. Officers
quarters will undoubtedly be erected
! simultaneously with the docks. |
think Congress will set aside about
Sl,O00,OOO for the Inauguration OF the
work.
Pearl Harbor Is undoubtedly the
prettiest site owned by the Navy De.
partment of the United States. II is
4 natural navy yard site ana better
place for the purpose could not be i'm.
agined.
with regard to Notifications at
Pearl Harbor, you OF course know that
this work Is under the War Depart
uent and that our Notifications come
directly under the Department OF Cali.
iUrnia.
The Islands constitute the key to
the whole Of the Pacific Coast and
with tho nrnnar Qualifications anI Naat
here. no enemy's fleet would dare go
in and make an attack at any port. In
order TO protect ourselves, we must
have large fleet OF ships here, and
this of course means that we must
keep an enormous amount Of supplies
which in turn must be protected by eX.
tensiye Notifications.
My plan for the Pearl Harbor de.
lenses is as follows; Fortiry both
sides of the mouth of the harbOr with
batteries Of - or l3-inCh and S-nch
guns; iOrtify the south end Of the
Waipio peninsula with lO-inch guns
and Ahua Point (half-way between the
mouth of this harbor and the mouth
Of Pearl Harbor) with l2inch guns.
This battery at Ahua Point would pro.
t"ct both harbors and prevent ships
Of the enemy from getting close
enough in to throw a shell into our
navy yard. 1t would also prevent
landing parties from getting into IA.
ilhi bay"
Returning to the matter Of the i'm.
prOvements at Pearl Harbor, Captain
White stated that the building of the
docks would take about three years
and that when all the improvements
had been completed, the United States
Government would have spent some.
thing like S20,OO0,000.
With reference to the power to be
used in the Navy Yards 1t Is the idea
OF Captain White that all the machin.
cry and everything else requiring pow.
Cr shall be run by electricity supplied
from. one central station. Even pump.
ing out the dry docks will be done by
electricity and large motors will he
necessary. The pumps will have to be
OF sufficient capacity to take out 300.
600 gallons minute, since the capaC.
ity 0t the docks will be lS,OOO.OOO gal.
Ions. The estimate for the ConstruC.
ton Of the electric plant Is Sl5O,00O.