The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-02-08
H|LO RAILROAD
DOING MUCH
Extensions Mean Great Work
and Much New ROLLING
Stock of All Kinds.

Hilo Whoever else NAV
have doubts or misgivings as to the
future of our city, it is evident that
the Hilo Railroad Company is among
the optimists, and the directors of that
concern are showing in practical wav
their faith in the growth and pros
perity of this city and Island. The
survey for the extension of the line
from the present terminus towards the
rich Hamakua district is now in active
progress. The principal engineering
problems in the way of this line are
to be found between Hilo and Wal
naku, distance of about a mile. There
is a large bridge to be thrown over
the Waikiki river. and then a rise of
some seventy feet has to be negotiated
in order to carry the line clear of the
mill buildings and fumes of the Hilo
Sugar Co. at Wainaku. 1t was at first
thought that it would be best to take
the line under the huming; but as this
would have necessitated a lengthy cut
ting of forty or fifty feet deep, it has
been decided to carry the line over the
gulch at high elevation By good
engineering, it is calculated that this
will be accomplished with no more
than three per cent. grade from the
Waikiki bridge. The surveyors are at
work at the gulch, and at the same
time negotiations are in progress with
the Hilo Sugar Co. as to the route to
be taken by the line and the facilities
to be afforded for loading sugar from
the mill direct into railroad cars.
At the Hilo railroad depot, great al.
terations are in contemplation and will
be put in hand at the earliest posi-.
BILE moment. At present the company
is waiting until E. n. Holmes vacates
| the large building mANai Of the depot
when the structure will lie removed to
| make room for large goods yard, sid
ings and sheds. Not only so, but the
railroad company is negotiating will
Uncle Sam to sell the Postotfice site
which the company wishes to acquire
| as site for a capaeious new passen
ger depot. The Federal authoritie
are understood to have demurred t.
the proposed deal, as they have no
| yet decided upon a Federal building
for Hilo, in which the Postoffice SHOULD
be housed; but the railroad compan,
has met this objection by offering t,
give the Postoffice ample accommoda
tions in the building to be put up as
railroad depot, until such time as tn
Federal building is ready. If it i
properly represented to the Federal au
thorities what an eyesore and dlsgrac
the present Postofice building is. an
what vast Improvement will be Ell
fected by the erection of fine rail
way depot, there should be no diff
Guilty about this deal coming off B
the time the Postoffice moves to tn
Federal building of the future, tn
space vacated by it will be wanted fo
!. the extending business of the railroa
company.
In preparation for the work of e1
tending the line to Hakalau, the raj
road company has under constructio
| a large quantity of new rolling soocl
A gasoline autocar is on order, wit
. accommodations or twenty passenger
i 1t is intended to use this for the in
provement of the train service on til
present line to Glenwood. The ide
is to make Mountain View the term
nus for the regular passenger train
from and to Hilo, travellers being {
Mountain View transferred to the a,
tocar This will appreciably shorte
The journey to and from town, whic
will be great convenience to busine:
: men, Should this prove a success, tt
run of the autocar will be extende,
! until ultimately it will run all the wa
!. from Hilo to Glenwood and back.
: The introduction of autocar trav
Will encourage the company to exten
the railroad to the Volcano, for a liz
of light construction would meet all r
quirements, thus effecting a conside
! able saving in construction expense
Then other autocars viii be added, an
y whenever there is guarantee of te
!, passengers for the Volcano speci
!. car will DE put on the run. A tn
o from Hilo to the Volcano Will then
| possible of accomplishment within {
hour and half, without change or d
,. lay. Moreover, when the line is OPP
to Hakalau, it is planned to run trai
right through from Hakalau to the VI
cano, using perhaps an autocar of gre
d power, capable of carrying forty pa
b sengers. All of this is, of course,
|. the nature of looking forward; but
al lis better to look forward than baC
ward; and it ought to inspire the pes
n mists with confidence in the conf
greatness of Hilo to witness the fai
of the Hilo Railroad Company in t
certain development of d great tour
| and freight traffic