The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-03-10
MARU
HERE TO DENY
CAUSE OF FAME
Had No Wireless Apparatus With Which to Listen
to Messages Passing in Admiral Evans
Fleet Nor No One to Use It.

The Kasato Maru, which sprang into
worldwide notoriety the middle of
February by being suspected of being
in the secret service of the japanese
government, stationed on the west coast
of South America to "pipe off" the
wireless messages that might pass be-
tween the vessels of Admiral Evans
feet, arrived in this port yesterday aft
ernoon. The officers of the vessel did
not know of the notoriety which their
vessel had been given until they arriv-
ed here. They were told of it, how
ever, before they got into the harbor,
the news being carried to them by ev-
eryone coming near the vessel, begin
ming with the pilot and the quarantine
service men, the customs officers, and
the immigration service men, the ship IS
agents, the newspaper men and every
one else they talked with.
They were amused that their vessel
should have acquired such worldwide
notoriety. They denied positively the
inference that had given the notoriety.
They denied the possibility of the in
ference having any foundation in fact
They had neither wireless appliances,
nor wireless operators, they said-they
wished they had, they would have
found them useful at times. The TWEEN
ty-four days it had taken them to go
from Iquique to TocopilIa, which was
the basis for the assumption that they
had been engaged in listening by wire
less to the messages passing among
the American fleet, they accounted for
by the primitive methods of loading,
the heavy seas that stopped work at
times, the certainty of two and the
probability of more holidays each week,
and the general prevalence of ''ma-
mana y in South America.
Captain Mort gave his itinerary after
leaving Honolulu last November as
follows: From here the Kasato went
to Salina Cruz. Mexico; thence to Pa
tia in the northern part of Peru; thence
down the coast of Peru, touching at
Eten; Slavery; Callao; Tambo De
Mora; Mollendo; then at africa, Chile,
and then at Iquique where the loading
of nitrates began. The next port south
was Calata Buena, and the next TOGO
pilla. Then the vessel went to Ito in
the southern part of Peru to fumigate,
and then to Cerro Azul, about hun
dred miles south of Callao. This is
the sugar port of Peru and there 600
tons of sugar for Japan was loaded. |
From Cerro Azul the vessel went to
Cauao to clear, and sailed from there |
February 10. From there to this port /
the distance is 5000 miles, which the
Kasato Maru made in little less
than % days, the regular sailing time
of the vessel.
I'VE sailed from Callao for this port
February Is, said Captain Mort. I
The fleet was off Valparaiso Febru-i
arv Is. that was more than fifteen hun
dred miles away. The fleet did not
get into the Pacific until after the !
first of February, SO that part of I
the twenty-four days we were under |
suspicion, the feet was on the opposite /
side of the continent from US. At the |
nitrate ports from Iquique to TOGO
nilla we have to moor out from the
shore. The moorings have to be made |!
carefully, and take time. The nitrates
ire delivered to the vessel on lighters.
The process is very slow. There IS no
activity as there is here. Then there
are DAYS when there is a very heavy
swell and no loading can 60 on. IT
here were severe storms there it would
be impossible to load at all.
s'The most interesting thing IN con-
,eetion with the fleet that came under
mr. observation was at Callao. At the
-ime we we're there no japanese boat
was allowed to go out in the harbor.
There are a large number of japanese
isbing boats there, as there is here.