The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1912-04-30
War Department Plans to
Start Work Upon
It Soon
WAIANAE FORT ALSO
Yesterdays Unoffi CT a
Mail Brings Some
Good News
tFrom Saturdays Advertiser.)

An early start on the construction OF
fortifcations on the Waialua side OF
Pearl Harbors channel entrance, as well
as on those for Waianae Bay, is to be
made by the war department, according
to private advices received from Wash
ington yesterday by the Sierra. Just
what congress has decided upon in the
way of appropriations necessary for
the work was not stated, but the war
department is busily planning to COM
mence construction at these two i'm
portant points as the next big work
in Hawaii.
The works at Fort Ruger have been
completed, and the emplacements at
Fort De Russy for the two fourteen
inch guns have been ready for some
time, awaiting only the guns them
selves. 1t is reported in the same ad'
vices yesterday that the guns will be
shipped to Honolulu this fall to be
mounted before the end of the year.
When this is done the Fort Ruger guns
will be the largest ready for service
between the Pacific Coast and the Asian
coast line.
At Fort Kamehameha the mortar
works are well under construction,
while the works for two twelve-inch
guns were ready nearly two years ago,
with the guns mounted and proved up.
BY September or October coast artil-
lery company is to be detached from the
Pacific Coast command and sent to
Fort Kamehameha to take charge of
the works.
With these out of the way, the en-
gineers will be at liberty to commence
on the equally important works on the
Waialua side of the channel and al
Waianae. Opposite Waianae Bay some
of the army maneuvers to be held this
fall will take place, and a problem will
be worked out to determine whether
an attacking party could land there
from hostile vessels at the present time
1t is believed that Waianae Bay offers
the one easily vulnerable place along
the leeward Oahuan shore, and while
field artillery could play an important
part in defending the shore from O
landing party, yet the necessity fol
heavy fortiications remains.
Wire Station Ready.
The army has taken step ahead il
wireless development by the erection
of the masts and station at Fort d.
Russy, just completed. This wireless
will be used with that at SchofelC
during the fall maneuvers, in connec
tion with heliograph and night hasf
instruments, while the fire control, cen
tered in Diamond Head, will also bt
ready for service possibly as far al
Pearl Harbor, thereby making thu
army somewhat Independent of tn,
commercial telephone lines.
The war department is also goinl
ahead with the plan to establish
$250,000 general hospital at Fort Shat
ter, that post having been selected b,
Colonel Ebert, medical corps, as th
most desirable for the soldier invalids
Paving Bids Rejected.
Admiral Cowles yesterday receives
information that the bids for pavin
the streets and roadways in Pear
Harbor naval reservation have all bee
rejected as too far above the navs
engineers estimates. This was som,
what of shock to the local contra,
tors. The bids were opened here o
April as follows; Bitulithic PAWN
& Concrete Co., $34,696, the loves
bid; LordYoung Engineering CO
S39,S35; Honolulu Construction
Draying Co., $4,000 The navy d
partment allowed only 100000 for tn
work, but the local bidders thougl
that with only difference of abo
$4,000 the department would confr
the bid and award a contract.