The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-03-09
Fine Work Done With
the ShearIess on the
First Attempt.
(From Sundays Advertiser.1

(frOm sunday AdVertlser.J
When the first of Uncle Sans big
57-ton, 12-inch coast defense guns fog
Pearl Harbor channel fortifications was
lifted out of the barge Mohican yes
terday afternoon and deposited upon
checks on two fiat cars, and the strain
was relaxed upon the groups of steel
wires, Captain Bedford, the chief rig
ger who handled the job all the way
through, bit off the end of a plug of
tobacco and smiled his satisfaction.
But when the gang of men who had
worked for hours under a nervous
strain, thought also to relax they were
greeted by stentorian order:
'Come on, boys; now get busy!"
No Romance There.
There is no romance in hosting a
great huge gun out of ships hold
and putting 1t on a couple of fiat cars.
There is no romance in rigging up great
timber shear-legs, hundreds of fathoms
of steel cable, and huge unwieldy
blocks. There is no romance in get
ting covered with grease and CRIME
while working around putting, smoky,
greasy, donkey-engines. There is- no
romance in wrapping the end of steel
hawser around a block and having a
smoking locomotive tug away at it..
There is no romance where the air IS
filed with sulphuric and picturesque
blasts of language that would make
Satan quail.
The romance will come when the
slopes half concealing the gun and sta
ton are covered with grass, when
dapper brassbuttoned army officer and
dainty bit of femininity with be.
witching eyes and captivating smile,
lean against the great muzzle of the
gun and say sweet nothings to each
other.
Strain Is Distributed.
| But down on the railroad dock yes
| terday there was not the slightest
romance. 1t was grimy business, hard
work, the pitting of mighty mechanical
| forces distributed in such a way that
the huge gun of fifty-seven tons could
be lifted out of the hold of the barge
hoisted over the rail and then lowered
gently upon cars waiting to receive it.
| No wonder there was deep silence
while the gun came slowly over the
side. but when it rested in the chocks
everybody broke into applause, fol
when the gun rested upon the cars II
represented triumph for the rigger Is
methods. And Honolulans knew that
at last one of the greatest defensive
engines of war was upon Hawaiian SOIL
Iand that within few months it would
be ready to protect the Stars and
| Stripes should such an occasion arise
1t was thought that the first gun
would be hoisted out early yesterday
morning. At s clock locomotive NO
81 of the Oahu railway company wal
on the wharf track with Andy Holmes
at the throttle. But there was much
rigging to be attended to. Guys reeved
through enormous blocks had to be
| carried across the slip and be secured
on the opposite wharf. The lines IRON
this station were carried up to the
iuncture of the two big shear-legs al
their summit, 10 feet above the wharf
Then there was much testing of lines
| Three sets of guys and stays ran from
the top of the shear,legs several hun
dred feet inland. The ground blocks
were hooked to anchor chains which
were buried deep in the ground.
These three sets of guys were i'm
portant, for when the gun was lifted
| up from the hold by the steel wire
running to Engine No. 81, each set OF
guys had to be gradually tautened un
til the shear-legs which at first leaned
over the barge and gun, were drawn
back until the gun was suspended d.
reetly over the fiat cars. Then the
wire attached to Engine 81 was slack
ened bit and the gun dropped into
place on the cars.
Not a creak Heard.
It was not until 2 p. m. that Captain
Bedford was ready to commence opera
lions. Yardmaster Petrie Of the rail
road company took a station ON thu
bow rail of the Mohican, and wher
Captain Bedford gave the signal t
commence pulling, Petrie wiggled hi