The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-09-15
TO MAKE OAHU
SECOND MAN

WASHINGTON, September 2.-R2Il
cry effort is being made by the w N
Department to complete the defcH.:rA
of Pearl Harbor and Honolulu al
make the island of Oahu second Mat
ia, which means that it shall be iR-Dt
pregnable except to the most elaborate.
and persistent plan of attack.
Pearl Harbor has often been termed
the "key of the Pacific" More than
$3,OOO,0O0 will be expended by the gov
ernment just in fortifying the position,
which yields itself readily to defense
much more so, for instance, than San
Francisco-and upward of a million
was appropriated by the last Congress
under the most urgent representations
for military works there, in addition to
100000 to begin the dredging of Pearl
Harbor, preliminary to the creation
there of one of the greatest Naval
depots in the world. The varioas
bureaus Of the War Department are
now hard at work on plans and estS-
mates for the further defense of PeaN
Harbor in order that they may be subj
mitted to Secretary of War Wright bH
the 18th of this month.
VIII Protect Pacific Coast. -,
With the defenses completedesis
War Department believes that t4
tire Pacific Coast will be safe fir
tack by any foreign power, an 3, ), 4
the commerce of this country il
Pacific could pursue its way practil
undisturbed. Part of the schem'
defense is the establishment of anls
fantry and field artillery post on
island, with garrison of $4,000 nasl
which is considered ample to repel las
ing parties at the two or three posi- h
landing places not fortified. Hff
While easy of defense, in case oE %yl
capture, it would be almost impossibk ksl
to retake this base, and an enemy hold2t
ing it could sweep our commerce FROM
the Pacific besides threatening the en4
tire Pacific coast of the United States.
Pearl Harbor lies about ten miles'
from Honolulu, and the scheme of d,H
Tense must include both. They ar%
not without defense against any ordiN
nary attack even now, but eventually
there would be two artillery posts, one
at Queen Emma Point, at the entrance
of Pearl Harbor, and the other at Wal
kiki, near Honolulu, each with sixteen
l2-inch mortars, two 14-inch guns and
four 12-inch guns, besides a number
of 6-inch and 3-inch guns. There are
being installed now eight mortars, two
12.inch and two 14-inch guns For
this work Congress appropriated $780,
900 for placements, $264,0O0 for guns
and carriages, $4S,000 for searchlights,
$132, 900 for mine defenses, $1Sl 900 for
mine planters. Pearl Harbor and Ho-
nolplu are easy to mine and that work
is to be thoroughly done. \
Batteries for Pearl Harbor 4
1t may be noted that were therews ~
improvements at Pearl Harbor, bsS
teries would still be needed there fcSz
the protection of Honolulu, which lie4
open to the sea as much as GalvestduE
does The harbor proper lies fivN,
miles from the sea, and with the for,f
tiications under way it will be thor11
oughly protected, and, moreover, AM.
enemy would be unable to see what
vessels, if any, lay there. 1t is probA
able that no foe would ever undertakS
to attack this stronghold from tn
sea. III
At Waikiki it is proposed to 9YI
tablish fonr-company artillery pd.S
at once, at an estimated cost of abouIAs
$5O0,O00. The Government alreadN
owns eleven acres there, and thirty
acres additional are being negotiated,
for. The other post will be at Queen
Emma Point, and will be of similar
size. In the center of Oahu island the
Government owns $4,000 acres in an
ideal location for a large post, it be-
ing nineteen miles from Honolulu and
nine miles from Pearl Harbor. To al
low for the garrison considered neces-
sary and for other needs, Congress will
be asked to provide for twenty-four
more regiments.
Naval Base ~erfect One.
The naval base will have very ext
tensive repair shops, vast coal stores5
huge drydocks, quarters and all appur4
tenances of naval base. While we
hold it, even European power could
not threaten the Pacific Coast without
sending force so strong as to destroy
the balance in Europe. Military au-
thorities declare that there is no neces-
sity so great as the protection of the
Hawaiian Islands, and Congress is con-
fdently expected to provide the sinews
of war.
THE KEPoIKAI CHARGES.