The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-07-15
THE MOR7ARs
WERE LET CO
Continued from Page One.)

were being discharged. They attribut-
ed the noise to the usual blasting ano
thought no more of it.
Considerable apprehension had been
felt by residents of Waikiki and Kai-
muki that when the guns were fired,
cut glass and window panes would
suffer. They were agreeably disap-
pointed; nothing out of the way hap
pened.
Down town the shots were heard only
by those who happened to be out-of-
doors or w we're in quiet places. And
even they except those who had been
forewarned, had no idea what was go
ing on. They supposed that more blasts
in the coral were being set of. There
was only a comparatively faint noise
and no shock whatever.
The test of the guns was made under
the direction of Captain w. Z. Plat
of the Ordnance Department of the
Army, who arrived Tuesday afternoon
on the transport Thomas. Each of the
eight guns 6 the mortar battery was
fred. Four Of them were fired singly,
the other four simultaneously. In the
latter case the four shots were seen to
strike the water almost at one time,
about one minute after the discharge,
and at approximately the same distance,
a huge volume of water being thrown
up by the bursting shells.
Governor Frear and Secretary Mott
Smith had been invited to be present
at the test and both were on hand TO
see how Oahu s coast defenders would
act when loaded with powder and shell.
Each was greatly surprised at the small
degree of shock experienced, even Wheh
four of the guns were fired at ono
time. In case of war it might be con-
5sidered advisable to discharge the en-
tire battery of eight guns at one tlme'
but this is hardly probable, and the
officers in charge do not figure on more
than four of their monstrous pets beng
let go simultaneously.
When four of the guns were let go at
one time, big cloud OF dust arose
about the fort.
Governor Frear states that there was
a surprising absence of conclusion Wnen
the mortars were fred. He SAID that
the full service charge was not used,
but that even if it had been there was
small possibility of any of the houses
nearby being affected by the discharge
s'Four of the mortars were d1scharg
ed at one time when we were IN the
coming tour, said the Governor, : ana
the most noticeable effect was the cloud
of dust that followed the discharge OF
the guns. A vacuum was created ana
because of the unfinished CONDITION Oh
the works the dust was drawn up IN
clouds. When the four mortars were
fred together the shots struck the
water at about the same time ana
splash of large dimensions followed.
Governor Frear stated that there
seemed to be little ground for the
fears of some residents in the vlcihlty
that their houses would be seriously
shaken when the big guns were dls-
charged.
Houses situated between the base OF
Diamond Head and the racetrack sur
fered no loss of glass. As a general
thing the fact that the guns were 10
be fred yesterday had leaked out ana
residents had taken the precautlon, SO
frequently advocated in the Advertiser,
of keeping their windows open, ana by
so doing had minimized the danger OF
shock to their glassware.
At the Moana Hotel no untoward re-
suits were experienced. The hotel PEG
pie Stated last night that the shock
of the firing, of the guns appeared to
them to be but little more severe than
the shocks occasioned by the recent
blasting at Kaimuki.
At kaimuki there were no complaints