The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-07-21

Pearl Harbor's Channel
Doesn't Please the
Officers.

When the United States naval tug
Troquois steamed into the lochs of Pearl
Harbor yesterday morning with the two
ieadsmen monotonously calling "sfxty-
three feet, sixtytwo feet, forty-four
feet,' and never less than twenty-nine
feet of beautiful blue water ripping
in a light breeze from the Pail, the
naval officer guests aboard began to
express their admirations for Uncle
Sam s most recent choice for naval
station. And when detail map of the
harbor was displayed showing to scale
how Honolulu harbor could find ROOM,
twelve times in the great lochs their
wonder grew and the concensus of opin,
ion was that Pearl Harbor had the loca-
tion, depth of water, and sea and land
room to make one of the greatest naval
bases in the world.
The excursion to Pearl Harbor was
conducted under the auspices of the
Pearl Harbor committee of the fleet en-
tertainment committee, and was sue
cessful throughout. The naval tug Iro-
quois left Honolulu harbor at 10:45 a.
v m. in charge of Boatswain Kinney.
Aboard the vessel was a distinguished
gathering of naval officers from the
battleship fleet, including Rear Admiral
Capps, Naval Constructor, U. S. n, who,
with two or three captains, stood upon
the bridge and watched the coast and
Pearl Harbor channel line from that
vantage point. The little vessel was
well filled. On the way to the 1ochs,
large detail maps of the harbor, chan
mel and approaches were spread out on
the decks and explained to the visitors
bv II. P. Wood, Captain Otwell, u. S.
A, Major Pratt, f. J. Lowrey and
others
AS the entrance was reached the maps
Were studied closely, particularly with
reference to the tortuous channel al
ready dredged out. The map showed red
lines and blue lines indicating where
Uniting and dangerous points should be
cut off, the red marking Admiral Bar
ker s plans and the blue, Admiral Pills
bury s. Even should the channel be
hewn out according to this double line
of marks, it would still be winding,
and as some expressed it, dangerous. 1t
was explained by an army officer aboard
that plan was being seriously con,
sidered to cut wide channel straight
from the sea to the deep water in
ALOHi O1 Nd4Plo pOIHty buuS uOlnS away
with the curves of the Pillsbury and
Barker courses, and eliminating all eIe-
ments of danger to maneuvering war
ships or other craft
EsIt is thought that the loss, for in
stance, of a battleship in a winding
channel would amount to many times
more than the cost of dredging the
straight course channel, - said the army
officer. And those who heard him ex-
press this opinion agreed with him.
That the naval officers did not quite
approve of the winding channel was
manifested when they asked why this
and that point had not been removed.
They asked about currents and the
rise and fall of the tide. 1t was stated
that two feet represented the tide
movements, and there was also consid-
erable current These features taken
into consideration, at least the current.
gave emphasis to the opinion in favor
of the straightaway channel
The Iroquois moved swiftly up the
channel and into the first loch, passing
the dredger and hulk Melancthon which
lie near the new wharf and pier being
constructed on the Waikiki side of the |
channel All eyes were centered on the
location of the proposed docks
When the Iroquois, passing over
ffty-eight feet of water, finally came
into the wide-open part of the eastern
loeh the officers expressed themselves in !
favor of using all their pull to be as
signed to tour of duty here when |
the station is completed. They thought |
it would be ideal for residence purposes |
Admiral Capps was thoroughly inter. |
ested in every detail of the harbor |
AS the tug started off toward the |
Peninsula, numerous battleship launches |
passed by bearing officers and others /
who had left town in autos and bv |
train.
The Iroquois anchored in twenty-nine |
Continued on Page Two.) /