The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1911-06-16
MOUNT HEAVY
GUNS IN SPRING
FOURTEENTH INCH SHELLS ARRIVE
ON BUFoRD FOR
STORAGE.
tFrom Wednesday Advertlser.)

(trom WEDNESDAY 3 AdNeruber.)
Although one hundred and sixty
seven proiectiles for fourteen.inch
straight-Rre guns arrived on the trans
port Buford yesterday no guns Of that
caliber will be mounted in the Oahu
batteries to make use of them until
next spring. The great carriages will
not arrive from the arsenal until octo-
Der OF November Of this year and the
guns will not follow for several months.
Emplaeements for fourteen-inch guns
are being constructed at Fort De Russy.
Work has been under way at De Russy
for the past four years and the works
are far from being completed. As orig
inally designed each of the emplace-
ments was to weigh about forty thou
sand tons, the reinforced concrete and
steel rails resting on wooden and
cement piles driven far down into the
coral substrata. The cement alone
used in the construction of these two
emplaeements is worth a fortune and
weighs tons and tons.
The work of De Russy has taken
more time than any other of the engi-
neer developments. The Notifications
at Fort Ruger have long been complet-
ed, the mortars mounted and tested and
are already for any work required of
them. Just now the emplacements at
De Russy are being banked up on the
sea toward the shore with sand brought
from the reservation of Fort Arm
strong, near the mouth of the harbor.
The shells received yesterday arrived
in boxes about five feet ten inches long
and about two feet square. The projec-
tiles are designated, according to the
marks on the boxes. as 14-inch rife
armor piercing shells; weight empty
1871 pounds" The weights vary, how
ever, some being 1884 and some 1860
pounds, while few are shorter. They
are ponderous things and are designed
to pierce the steels sides of n warship
at from four to seven miles range.
They are manufactured for the largest
sized guns being turned out by the
United States government. 1t is said
that the l4-inch guns originally design
ed for shipment to Corregidor Island,
at the entrance to Manila Bay, will be
diverted to Honolulu and mounted at
De Russy.
When the first boxed-shen was being
lifted out of the hold the native steve
dores looked it over carefully and some
shook their heads and declined to
handle it. 1t took some time to per-
suade them that this and all the other
shells were empty and not provided
with their war noses.
The Buford arrived early in the day
and locked at the Oceanic wharf,
where large amount of stores and
supplies for the various army posts was
discharged yesterday. The vessel is
taking on about 500 tons of coal, and
will leave at 10 o clock noon today for
Guam and Manila.
The trip of the Buford was pleasant
all the way across. The vessel is COM
manded this trip by Captain Williams,
formerly of the Crook. The quarter
masters Office force comprises nearly
all the old staff of the Logan, who are
glad to have the change. For Honolulu
there were few cabin passengers and
about ninety casuals for the different
service organizations here.
-o-A.s-
The Atlantic cable companies have
agreed to a reduction of fifty per cent
in their rates on messages.