The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-02-24

Aoihith. II II Is clear that this
contract for opening Pearl Channel
covers about 100000 yards. and at
about 40 cents yard, and that the only
appropriation made thus far for that
work was s2o0,uo0, do you think there
is any great emergency in that this
year2
General Murray. No; I would not
say there is an emergency, but | be-
heve II would be TO the best interests
OF the United States. while the con-
struction is going on there bv the En-
gineer Department and they have their
corps OF people to do the work, to COM
piete what ! call the little we have to
do out there at one and the same time.
Mr.. Smith. You have a good deal to
do there, have you not9
General Murray. No. won have al
most completed the defense of Hawaii.
MI. Smith. The plans call for a
number of heavy mortars there, do
they nota
General Murray. Eight mortars, at
a cost of 1925, 900.
Mr.. Smith. Does that include the EN-
placements and all or the mortars-
everything of that sort2
General Murray Mo- that is the
emplaeements. The eight mortars are
on hand; the estimate for the carriages
is $l61, 800, making a total cost of
1892 500.
Mr.. Smith. We gave you sufficient
appropriations to complete the mine de-
Tense last year, did we not, for the
Hawaiian Islands, practicallys
General Murray. You did not give
me the mine mineral for Pearl Harbor.
Mr.. Smith. Do you think it is good
policy, if it is going to take ten years
to get this channel, to put in more
there than what is already authorized?
General Murray. T can hardly con-
ceive of the Navy taking ten years to
open up that channel to get into Pearl
Harbor. l hope they will have more
influence with you than that.
Mr.. Smith. How long would it take
from the time the money is authorized
to complete the Notifications at Pearl
Channels How long from the time the
money was appropriated would it take
to complete the Notifications at Pearl
ChanneIR
General Murray. I should say about
two years.
Mr.. Smith. OF course, mortars are
much more rapidly constructed than a
14-inch gun.
General Murray. The emplacements
are more rapidly constructed than the
mortars themselves. Still, it takes time
/ doubt if we could begin anew with
the mortar battery and get the mortars
from the Ordnance Department and the
emplacements from the engineers in less
than two years.
Mr.. Smith 1t will be useless to APP
propriate money for that purpose with
in the next two years.
General Murray. | believe that bat
terry ought to go in there as a part of
the defense of Honolulu proper. If we
did not have Pearl Harbor and were
going to defend Honolulu alone, we
would want these mortars and these
other guns to cover that side of the
channel As matter of fact, if we
cover one side with guns we are that
much in, but the ordinary plan is to
fortifv both sides of channel so as
to make the enemy run in between the
guns. If we fortify only one side of
Honolulu, here indieatingl, then any
thing coming up this coast comes in
simply head-on fire on the one side
only. If we go over here Indicating
both sides of that channel viii be forti::
fed.
Mr.. Gillett. How far away is that
I have forgotten.
Captain Embiek About FIVE miles
across there
Mr. Smith. You have already large
amount of Notifications provided for
at the entrance of Pearl Channela
General Murray. We have two II
inch guns
Mr.. Smith. They are installed there,
are they9
General Murray. No. They are in
process of installation
Mr.. Fitzgerald. Where are theys Al
Waikiki
General Murray. No; at Queen EN-
mas Point. There was proposition
to keep some guns on Quarantine Island
but on my recommendation they went
here lndicatingl. Right at this place
at the entrance of Honolulu Channel
there would be some small guns for the
defense of the mine fields.
Mr.. Gillett. These two 12-ineh guns
would be sufficient to prevent a ship
running along that channela
General Murray. It is question, Mr.
Gillett, as to how many ships would be
brought up against two 12-ineh guns
The fire of two 12-inch guns could be
kept down by comparatively few bat
tleships going up there, whereas the
fire of eight mortars can not be kept
down by any number of ships, for g
mortar battery is invulnerabie to any
fire that a ship can bring against it.
Mr.. Gillett. The mortars are not
nearly SO accurate, are they?
General Murray. We are getting q
degree of accuracy in mortar fire thai
we never even thought of when We
first started They have about so Of
60 per cent. of the accuracy of. the Iii
rect-fire guns; possibly more than that
Mr.. Fitzgerald If those guns were
intended only for the defense of Homo
lulu, You would have put them on the
end of that points
General Murray. Yes
Mr.. Fitzgerald. As matter of fact
| they are not of much account SO far a:
Honolulu is concerned2
General Murray. If you viii notice
+ha airelac hara IindioatipU1 xa,r xi +