The Washington herald., 1908-08-16

Honolulu You get tossed about a good
deal by the long swells Of the Pacific in
the eight-uile run and you are glad to
see the TWO bu0ys about two miles out
that mark the entrance to the place. As
you pass between them you see the long
Swells breaking in fOamIug crests almost
within 100 yards Of the buoys- The coral
reef is there and you are glad that your
/ little craft is headed for the opening. You
are surprised 20 see how narrow il is
only 80 feet wide After you have gone
q quarter Of q mile inside your pilot tells
you that you are right over the bar and
that the water is thirty feet deep. The
entrance is as straight as a taut rope
and YOU wonder why the ships are not
already entering The place. lie tells you
the reason quickly
''Toull see why when We come 10 make
the sharp turns shortly
Soon yOu make a gentle curve 20 the
west. You are told that in the narrow
channel there IS a depth Of sixty-eight
feet Of water Then comes a swing to
the east just as you enter the space be
tween the low shores Of the harbor and
/ you are surprised TO know that there is
I l25 feet Of water under you The shores
come together within half a mile and
[ you twist and turn sharply and then YOU
I begin 10 realize how impossible Il is for
| big ships 20 use the entrance as It IS
( to-day.
/ You look up the maps and you are sur
I prised 20 find water as deep as forty feet
( over oue-haif Of these lochs- The pros
/ pect is particularly pleasing. Back are
I the great mountains Of the island and
/ nearer by are the sloping shores under
I sugar cane cultivation A thick growth
I Of shrubbery friuEes the shores, which are
I raised above the water from SIX 20 ten
4 al IL
the thin soil. and below that may be seen
I the sIbsoI. that is Of easy excavation.
I Fish are leapiug from the water and here
and there the saupans Of the japanese
{ tel the story Of imported labor into these
: islands An occasional lodge Of some
man who loves seclCslon and the peace
I fuI surroundings of a beautiful bay peeps
out from the sh-Ubbery. and now and
then you hear the laughter Of children.
{ The echoes resoIcd with all the luteu-
sity Of deep soIiCitude.
/ II Is difficult TO imagine that this place
Z IS soon 10 become a great center Of com
nnerce and military preparation The
great extent OF the place auazes you and
you wonder why u was that Honolulu
was not built here The answer Is forth
/ coming when ir is known that the sand
/ bar % the har5o- was @ few feet nearer
Z the surface than that OF Honolulu Ear-
I hor in the old days. and also that Homo
I lulu. IN the NUaG0 River. had a supply
Of fresh water. which Pearl Earbor had
not. The whaIe-s made Honolulu largely
I They could set fresh water there. hence
[ that became the seaport OF Oahu.
Getting some of Her Money Back.
One comes away from Pearl Harbor
/ wondering why the government could
4 have delayed its development 50 long
4 This IS all the more surprising when one
/ considers what Hawaii has done for the
/ rest o. the United States since arnaxa-
I ton Only last year the customs receipts
I IN Honolulu amounted 20 more thar
f Sl5lo.l0o. Every cent OF that was sent tc
/ the National Treasury in Washington Ir
/ the old days Hawaii would have had that
I money 20 spend FOR herself she has al
! ready given the United States more thar
100000 i- cold cash as the price ot an
/ Cexatt11- she viii continue 10 give Il
Millions more. as the years so by She
/ has Eot almost none Of her money back
/ L would seem 20 be no more than or
I 6irary Justice tha- at least a good share
| Of the money levied by the government il
{ Hawaii should be expended there espe.
{ c.aliy as 81 means national safety for the
I entire mainland A UeaEer million o.
I the enormous sum Hawaii has sent &c
| the government IS now being used fol
the development OF the great uationa
/ harbOC here There are those who SAY
that the least the government should ID
is 20 set aside. say. yvo-tl.-5s OF the rev
/ e-ues OF this territory and spend the sun
here n few years Pearl FTarbo- vii
be 2 splendid naval station. z this plal
should be followed The Territory couIt
use the money from SIS own revenues il
broadening education and advancing n,
betteruen- Of agriculture and good roads
Why shouldn't Hawaii have the right q
I spend good share OF the money shI
raises for the United states OF America
Let the start be made with Pearl Harbor
Means Great Help TO Commerce.
But Pearl Earbo--s Improvement IS ais,
extremely important for commercial rea
sons The opening Of the Panama Cana
has a most important bearing on thi
matter. When the canal is in oQeratio,
a large part of Jhe commerce between
Asia and the Atlantic ports OF Europt
and America viii pass through IT, Ha
vyaH IS almost exactly midway in the pas
\ sage from Asia 10 the canal Il viii b
matter OF about eight OF nine day
steaminc from Asia or the canal for tn
average freighting vessel TO reach Il
Such vessels VIII call for supplies at Hon
4 oiulu. A conservative estimate IS tha
within ten years such ships will numbe
from $50 10 90 q month. They viii wan
coal. they viii want food There is Il
| room for fifteen or more Of such ship
/ in Honolulu Earbor and there wiI b
none. Why. Il is on record that in n
early '5Gs the whalers so crowded Homo
lulu Harbor that one could step fror
deck 10 deck and walk all over the entir
harbOr.
Congress has authorized the expendi
ture Of about 81. 10000 IN improving Homo
lulu Earbor 50 that Il viii have a gen
eraI width Of I.2o0 feet. a length Of 800
feet and a depth OF s. feet. but doc
room IS limited and no one believes tha
i the commerce Of a great internations
freight route between Asia and Europ
and America can be accommodated there
Il viii have TO go 70 Pearl Harbor. Their