The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-02-24
IMPLICATIONS
HEREbBOUTS
Extracts From Hearing Had
by Subcommittee of
Appropriations.
Confined from Yesterday

Ill That INT
ColoneI abbot. Along shore the land
is high enough, but farther back it is
a swamp that is flooded at every high
tide.
Mr.. Fitzgerald At the rears
Colonel Abbot. There is rim of
| high land right along the seacoast only.
Mr.. Fitzgerald. Could you not pump
| it In there cheaper than thats
| Colonel Abbot. do not think YOU
| could get dredge where you can pump
Mr.. Fitzgerald. That rim runs mp,
| and my recollection is that the water
shoals very much, because it is covered
| with sand there, and could not that be
| pumped9
| Colonel Abbot. The difficulty is that
| the sand is inside of the line of break
ers, which are far offshore. To get a
| plant out to get at that sand you must
risk losing the plant in case of sud-
| den squall. The shore is very shoal for
a long distance, and all that shoal water
| becomes frothy like soapsuds when the
| wind comes up; anything that is iii
| there is going to get in trouble.
| Mr.. Smith. The only use in making
this appropriation would be to get this
| dirt out at a bargain now?
| Colonel Abbot. | think 16 cents is
a fair bargain, and if the contractor
will not do it for that we had better
wait until some time when we can
probably do it ourselves for Is or 20
| cents.
Mr.. Fitzgerald When they start to
| exeavate the dock, would it not be
| phnanar 10 ko ii
| the ears2
the length of the haul makes a good
deal of difference This is about the
| shortest haul we can get for the mate
| rial, and if they strike the right kind
of material in this years dreging we
can do very well. IF it is in great
Jumps of coral, we do not want it any
| way, but if they can get it in reason
ably sized Jumps we would like to get
it at 16 cents. ! think if this item be
| put in with instruction to do the work,
provided it can be put in at 16 cents in
place, we can probably secure the work
at that price.
/ Mr.. Fitzgerald. The contractor has
| to take it out to sea and dump ita
Colonel Abbot. He can probably put
considerable quantities of it in deep
places in Pearl Channel. 1t makes q
better channel not to have a succession
of deep holes and high places, but to
have uniform depth.
Mr.. Smith. You do not regard 16
cents delivered on cars as cheapa
Cononel Abbot. Not if we have to
haul the ears, dump them, and spread
the material; but if he delivers it in
| place at 16 cents / consider it a rea-
sonable figure, and we had better take
| it.
Mr.. Fitzgerald. That is to haul and
| distributes
| Colonel Abbot. Yes, sir.
Mr.. Gillett. You can exercise your
| option about that if we gave the money
| for it.
Colonel Abbot. It would help us to
exercise our option.
Mr.. Graft What do you mean by
distribute it?'
| Colonel Abbot. To put it on a reason
| able level / do not mean to grade ii
up finally, but to distribute it generally
on level surface. We could afford to
do some little polishing off afterwards.
I Mr.. Smith. You last year got for
Honolulu everything planned by the
Taft Board except some small guns
some rapid-fire gunsa
General Murray. Small guns; yes
| sir.
Mr.. Smith. There were to be some
! rapid-tire guns to protect the mine
feldss
General Murray. Yes; for protection
against torpedo boats; two 6-ineh and
two 3inch guns.
Mr.. Smith. What do you say as to
the most important items now in the
Hawaiian islands,
General Murray As I look at it, to
complete the whole defense there we
require simply four 6-inch guns, four
3's, and eight mortars, and if we are
going to make defense there | think
it all ought to be in.
Mr.. Smith. You are talking about
Honolulu now, and not Pearl Harborl
General Murray Both of them.
Mr.. Smith. Let US separate them for
moment, if you viii. What more is
required to complete the defenses OF
Honolulu except such defense as might
be made from Pearl Channel? Leaving
aside for the present the defense OF
Honolulu by the mortars at the mouth
of Pearl Channel, what remains to be
done at Honolulu that is not appropri
ated for?
| General Murray Two 6-inch and
two 3-inch guns, which are intended tt
cover the mine fields
Mr. Smith. Those are all that is
necessary to complete the defense OF
Honolulu, aside from the mortars al
the entrance of Pearl Channel9
| General Murray Yes, sir.
Mr.. Smith. Has any enlargement OF
the Taft plan been made by the de
partmentf
General Murray Except those foul
6-ineh guns. two for Honolulu and tive
for Pearl Harbor; no. Those were
placed on my recommendation, on tht
ground that we thought the 3-inch guns
were not heavy enough to stand of
what might be brought against our mint
| fields.
Mr.. Smith. l suppose YOU have not
any very detailed knowledge of tbs
| condition of the work upon Pearl Chan
mel proper, and we had better ask SONS
other otrieer about itP | do not NEAR
the Notifications, but the opening o
. the channel.