The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-09-23
MARINE
Macaulay Denies Mishap.

Pilot Maeaulay, who was on the
bridge of the Pacific Mail steamship
Mongolia late Monday afternoon when
the vessel was being taken out of the
barbOr and headed seward en- route
to San Francisco, denies the statement
that the Mongolia backed into the
Marine Railway and caused it to be
damaged. In brief, he states that the
stern of the Mongolia was never closer
than forty feet from the outer end of
the Marine Railway when she began
maneuvering outward toward the chan
mel. He says he was not informed of
the alleged damage to the Marine Rail
way until he read it in an afternoon
paper. What might have stirred up
things, according to Pilot Macaulay,
is the baek-wash from the propellers,
which We're. when forty feet away
from the end of the railway, turned
suddenly for full speed ahead, posi-
bly, loosening rocks in a sunken
lighter which lay across the ends of
the Marine Railway tracks to hold it
down. This action would allow the
railway to rise and the subsequent dis
turbance of the water would throw
great quantities of mud upon it,
Captain Macaulay states that in
leaving the Hackfeld wharf at FIVE
clock, he followed the usual custom
of the Honolulu pilots. The vessel
was run sternwards through the har-
Dor until just opposite the naval docks,
when it was Unanswered and turned
he a1 +Cxr
the channel, when she had free passage
to the open sea. F'We try to maneu-
yer in the broadest part of the har-
bor,' said Captain Macaulay. "That
is what our experience teaches us is
the broadcast part-between the naval
docks and the old lighthouse spit. That,
of course, brings us in close proximity
to the Marine Railway.
"My first consideration when pilot
ing a vessel is to safeguard the ship,
and. second. to cause no damage to
anything else. | Unanswered as l have
always done. ] telephoned from the
bridge to the stern, where the second
officer was stationed, and asked how
far we were from the Marine Railway.
He answered, 'Forty-fve feet By
that time I had telegraphed the en-
gine-room to full speed ahead with
the starboard engine, and repeated it.
/ telephoned again to the stern officer
and received information that we were
forty feet from the Marine Railway.
The leadsman was then casting and we
were perfectly still. We began NOV
ing ahead and outward and | know
we never touched that Marine Rail
way.
isNow I will say something about
the harbor l have been piIot in
Honolulu harbor for sixteen years. In
this little harbor the increased ton
mage of the shipping has been so great
that the people here don't realize 1t.
A menace to navigation in the harbor
is the Marine Railway, particularly no.
tieeable when you have TO maneuver
ships lust about where the railway IS
located. James F. Morgan, president |
of the Chamber of Commerce, came !
down to our office awhile ago and ques- |
toned us with regard to the Marine |
Railway. as to whether we favored its
removal or not. We recognize that 1t |
is a menace, but there are many people /
in town who object to its removal |
for the benefit of shipping, and moth
ing came of it.
ssThe Territorial government grant |
ed renewal of the right to Messrs.
Sorenson & Lyle, but when the track
was laid it was laid over the old |
track. anC that has diminished the |
depth of the harbor few feet, as
the railway extends twenty feet be-
vond the two dolphins. The ends of
the track are weighted down by
LIGHTER filed with stones. People do
not realize the tremendous force OF
big propellers, especially when they
are suddenly turned full speed in the
barbor. with a harbor depth of "a
feet and the vessel drawing, say, %
feet The force was sufficient the
other dav to dislodge the rocks in the
LIGHTER and to cover the end of the