The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1904-01-29

station, San Francisco, cal,
Jan. IA, 1904.
r,di+or Advertiser: / have read with
very great interest your paper for jan
uary l, 1904, a copy of which 1rienu
very kindly sent me, more especially
the section dealing with Pearl Haroor'
and I congratulate you most sincerely
upon its excellence, completeness ana
accuracy.
would beg, however, in this con-
nection, to suggest one thing, ana tha'
&c that plums are not obtained by SIM
ply sitting under the tree and expect
ing the fruit to fall into ones mouth
The tree must be shaken and even then
ora must hustle to gather his share OF
the falling fruit. In other words ac-
tion i, demanded and, first and iore-
nos, would suggest that copy OF
your paper should be sent to each Oh
the following officials: The Secretary Oh
the Navy, the Assistant Secretary each
chief of Bureau in the Navy Depart
won't each member of the General
rood in the Navy Department. the
President of the Senate, the Speaker OF
the House, each member of the se"a'e
Naval committee, each member OIL tiie
House Naval Committee and your Dei-
egate in Congress-indeed 1t woula pe
wise to put copy Of the paper IN the
hands of each Senator and Representa-
tive in Congress.
Won are doubtless aware of the not
unimportant part took in the acquire
ment of the site for the Naval Statioh
at Pearl Harbor and of the deep IN
terest that I have always taken IN tne
subject and, in this connection the
following extracts from commuhica-
lion that I sent to the Navy Depart
ment n few months since may be OF
interest and may also serve as an out
line of the lines along which l peiieVe
efforts should be made, by the repre-
sentative commercial and other pubic
examinations in the Hawaiian Islands,
to secure appropriations for carrying
on the work of development of this I'M
portant Naval Station.
These extracts are as follows:
Having been Entrusted while Com
mandant. Naval Station, Hawaii. with
the duty of negotiating for site Tor
a Naval Station at Pearl Harbor, Ha-
wall, which site, as finally determined
upon was substantially the one recon-
mended by myself in my report upon
said negotiations, and having since
been actively engaged in the litigation
necessary for the condemnation OF the
fee and the leasehold interests in the
lands selected, l naturally feel deep
interest in the development of said Sta
tion, and, therefore, beg to submit, for
the consideration of the Department,
the following notes.
For perfectly safe navigation in all
conditions of sea and weather a chan
mel through the bar forty feet in depth
and five hundred feet in width should
be cut, and the channel inside the bar
Strengthened by the dredging away of
projecting points
The question arises should the de-
velopment of the Naval Station be de-
layed till the completion of the work of
opening up the channel to the deep
harbor inside.
Having in view the great import
ance of a well equipped naval base
in the mid-Pacfc, there should be no
such delay, but the Department should
be prepared, upon the completion OF the
pending litigation, to proceed with the
development and equipment OF the
Station. This work will necessarily
extend over a term of years and long
before it can be completed the chan
mel will have been dredged out by an
hA,. -
through the pressure of commercial in
terests, or, should circumstances war
rant change of governmental policy.
that work could be carried on at the
same time under control of the Navy
Department. In either event there is
no likelihood that the Station will be
ready for occupancy and use before
the approaches to 1t are rendered avail
able.
plans should therefore be immedi-
ately prepared for the Pearl Harbor
Station, as it goes without saying that
those plans should be complete in char
acter and detail and prepared on the
spot by persons familiar with the con-
ditions and acquainted with the De-
partment's desires.
This leads up to the question what
should be the nature of the Station
there to be established. -
There should, however, be at least
one and preferably two dry docks cap
able of taking the largest ships built OF
likely obe built The natural sites in
dicated in my report, previously refer
red TO, will permit of the construction
of dry docks in pairs, and with one
pumping plant between them, the cost
or maintenance for two docks would
be but slightly greater than for one
With these dry docks there should bt
erected shops equipped with all the
necessary tools for ordinary repairs tC
hulls machinery and boilers, ordnanc,
and other equipment
These shops should be fully equip
ped for all classes Of lighter work