Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-11-12
ADVANCE STEP IS MARKEDIN THE
HARBOR ACTIVITY OF HONOLULU
Christening of New Inter Island Drydock the Mooana Is
Notable Event - Hospitality Displayed Is Most Lavish
and Distinguished List of Invited Guests IS Present

An event that marked q new and
progressive era In shipping at the
port OF Honolulu was celebrated yes
terday under the most suspicious cir
cumstances In the christening cere-
monies attendant upon placing In
commission the big new $500 ton pom
toon floating drydock constructed by
the InterIsiand Steam Navigation
Company.
More than q thousand people were
g. and 4 O'Clock yesterday afternoon
as the huge structure. bearing the
flagship Mauna Kea, representing a
dead weight of 1900 tons, majestical-
" rose out Of the water of the har-
Dor, to an inspiring program of melo-
dies from the Royal Hawaiian band:
Society was literally represented
In the great gathering assembled on
an improvised grandstand and upon
large barge moored within q
few feet of the drydock.
The crash of a bottle of champagne
against the wall Of steel at the left
wing Of the dock was the signal for
the starting Of is large force pumps
that began to send 1O-ineh streams
of water from out the wings at the
rate Of about 2,0OV.000 gallons in 40
minutes:
When Miss Alice Aileen Dowsett,
daughter of Sen. and Mrs. ]. w. Dow
sett, proclaimed tie name 'Hoclana'
before the assembled multitude, the
drydock, which for the past nine
months has served to give employ
ment to more tam one hundred men,
can be said to have begun its great
work as q factor In Hawaiian mari
time industries.
j. Al. Doyle, who superintended
the work Of building the wooden pom
'toons, gave the signal for starting the
machinery. ]. A. Lewis, the man be-
hind the large force Of employees
who had to do with the entire con-
struction Of steel and iron work In
.corpCrated In the structure, watched
the operation of the result of his la
bors with keen interest. As general
superintendent Of construction, Lewis
is given credit for having been instru-
mental in the prompt completion Of
the dock as we'll as its satisfactory
initial performance.
Nayirators Are Spectators.
The Hoolana pumps were operated
under reduced speed yesterday,
which In q measure accounted for the
dock requiring about 40 minutes to,
rise from the bed of the harbor.l
When all the machinery has been
turned up to q working basis, 1t Is
stated that the pontoons can be freed
Of their volume of water in thirty to-
thiFty-fiye minutes. The dock is
equipped with pumps that are ca
pable of raising the structure at the
rate of q foot each minute.
Captains Freeman, Clarke, Sinner.
son, Berg and others, nayigators for
years identified with the Inter-Island
coasting fleet, were interested spec
tators of the christening and initial
reioating of the dock from the bridge
OF the Mamma Kea. When the water
had cleared the floor of the dock,
Dad" Freeman was ohe of the first
to step on the structure. The
Mauna Kea will remain in dock for
about seven days, pending q cleaning
and OVERLAPPING. The size OF the
new dock was brought wildly to the |
attention Of the spectators when it i
was noted that the Mauna Kea, with
a total length of $40 feet, left ample
room on the floor Of the drydock to
a vessel of the size OF
the steamer Noeau.
The steamers Claudine and KinauI
could be accommodated on the dock
at the same time The structure is /
built with capacity sufficient for a
vessel of the tonnage of the Matson
steamer Wilhelmina.
While to all intents and purposes
the drydock is ready for business,
there remains much to be done.
2. M. Howe, representing one
Of the largest construction pre-