The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-12-29
FLOATING DOCK
At PEARL HARB0R
The karbor Commissioners Hear
That Honolulu May Lose
BIG Machine.
[Ffom Thuraday' Q AdvsttIserl

The hnating dock proposed for Ho'
noluln by the 1nter.laland steamship
company, may be located at Pearl 1iar.
Dor and mot in Honolulu after all.
IL was stated at the board Of harbof
commissioners meeting yesterday after.
noon that President Kennedy OF the
Inter Island company, had suggested
that the dredging necessary TO be done
to sink q floating dock would almost
prohibit the installation of such ma.
chine, and as an alternative the dock
might have to be installed somewhere.
In Pearl Hhybor, vi, IN
The wreclSing of the marine railway
by the cruiser West Virginia brought
the question up before the board
query being made by COMMISSIONER. Nc
StoekeE as to- where the. Territory
comes in on the proposition.
Chairman Campbell stated that the
harbor commission had no jurisdiction
over the marine railway The Inter
Island company controlled it just now.
Originally the Island government had
given r grant Of the land TO aTilier,
who had assigned it to Sorenson g. Lyle,
who, in turn, assigned it to the Inter,
Island company. The lease expires next
year.
In the discussion which followed it
was thought that the Inter Island com.
pany might not feel Obliged to put the.
railway in repair at their own expense,
although when the lease expires the
plant is to be gurned over. TO the gov.'
eminent in good working order.
A board Of investigation appointed
by Admiral Thomas iH TO investigate
the iwrecking of the railway by the
West Virginia. While. the board ex-
pressed no opinion as to whose fault it
was that the railway has been put out
Of commission, the federal government
will be looked to to repair the damage.
The 1nter-Island cannot use it. At
present the company has the Claudine
in the cradle undergoing repairs, and
she cannot be taken of at: present.
Chairman Campbell stated that the
two dplphins bore legible signs stating
the depth of water at that point, while
the charts show the end Of the. railroad
projecting several feet beyond the dol
phins but resting on the bottom. Mr..
Campbell stated, however, that, in order
to get to the naval berth steamer had
to make AN awkward turn. The rail-
way had been damaged once before by
a Pacific Mail steamer, while making a
turn in the harbor preparatory to going
to sea.
The Inter-Island company several
weeks ago sent Captain Lyle to the
mainland to make an inspection of float
ing docks. The company, in all prob
ability, will establish floating dock
here, as the marine railway is not of
sufficient size or; strength TO take care
of such vessels as the Mauna Kea and
Kilauea, and it is absolutely necessary
that provision be sRiade to. take care of
vessels not only of that size, but of
vessels twice the size.
The harbor depth is supposed to be
thirty-fve feet A floating dock strue-
ture would be so constructed that the
bottom resting on the floor of the har-
Dor, would take up several feet depth,
reducing the depth from surface to the
floor of the machine eight to ten feet,
giving only from twenty to twenty-five
feet of water in the dock. This would
be insufficient to take care of vessels of
heavy tonnage, unless the dredging was
carried down to forty feet.
1t is this phase of the situation which
has caused President Kennedy to sug-
gest that Pearl Harbur might be better
adapted. 1t has also been suggested
that portion of the EVA end of the,
harbor might be used for such dock,
portion close to the Dowsett holdings.
Half q million dollars is a conserva-
tive estimate for such dock, but the
Inter-1sland company has decided that
NO matter what the cost, the dock is
necessary to take care of the present
shipping in Hawaiian waters, and to
take care of the increased tonnage
which is expected when the Panama
Canal is opened to traffic.
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