Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-09-17
GUNS IN A CRATER
Diamond Head, Uncle Sans Lava
Fortress In Hawaii.

Diamond Head. that monumental ele-
walton Of lava which stands out so
prominently on the Honolulu side of |
the lovely island of Oahu, Hawaii is !
the one and only original crater in the |
world which is being devoted to the |
use Of the army of a great power
The island Of Oahu is the key to the /
Pacific, and Uncle Sam carries that |
key on chain in his capacious pocket. |
At any time war breaks out Uncle |
Sans hand. which has not lost its |
cunning. will go to that pocket with |
the swiftness of a western sheriff, and
the result will be a roar of guns which
will be hea'A around the world. The
roar will be contributed to by the guns
of Fort Ruger, which are at the base
Of Diamond Head on the landward
side.
From Diamond Head, called by poets
'the Lion of Hawaii" to Pearl Harbor,
named by newspaper writes the Glib
raltar of the Pacific" there Is a chain
of forts which makes Oahu one of the
greatest fortresses in the world. When
in Honolulu the writer had the pleas
ure of working with Albert Pierce
Taylor, who has been spoken Of as
the recognized literary authority on
| things pertaining to Pearl Harbor and
| the defenses of Hawaii" He said on
one occasion:
Uncle Sam has declared Ito the
world that he is on guard in the Pa
I a;G T.
hameha. with its battery Of twelve
inch guns: at the mouth of Honolulu
harbor will be battery of small guns:
at Fort De Russy, Waikiki. a battery
Of fourteen inch guns. while at Dia-
mond Head battery of eight mortars
has been manned for some few years.
Within the extinct crater of Diamond
Head Gibraitar-like galleries have
been constructed. and in one of them
an observatory has been established.
The fire control for all the Oahu coast
batteries has been located in this gal
lery. From this station the fire of the
guns of all the forts can be directed by
the electric telegraph. The guns of
Pearl Harbor cross those of Diamond
Head and with the batteries between
make a veritable wall of STEEL"
After inspecting the guns at Fort
Ruger two of US. with a soldier guide.
walked to the entrance of the gallery
which has been bored through the lava
and sandstone which compose the
steep sides Of the crater of Diamond
Head. sentry barred the way. The
permit was produced and proved the
open sesame.
The heavy iron door at the entrance
to the volcanic passage was swung
back. and. with a soldier in front and
another in the rear. the visitors started
down the gallery. A single narrow
gauge track ran the entire length Of
the passage. On this steel small trucks
had been pushed by the soldiers, who
loaded and unloaded the debris which
army comrades had dug from the walls
: of the crater. The ties were broken in
t places. and the guide issued a warning
: to step carefully.
On first stepping into the gallery the
/ darkness. after the tropical sunlight,
was of the kind that Milton described
! as visible. Only few steps had been
: taken before the light at the far end
Of the gallery was easily seen.
Instead of the barren lava bowl,
hard as flint and as smooth as glass,
as the picture man so picturesquely
, puts it, the inside of the crater was
found to be grass covered. with trees
and bushes standing here and there
which drew their moisture from the
liquid sunshine" as the Honolulu peo
. pie charmingly describe the rain.
The guide pointed out the observa
= tory high up on the Eva side Of the
: crater from which officers direct the
. shooting by the men who man the big
guns at the fort outside the crater
Those men never see the target a
: which they aim far out at sea. The
projectiles from the high powered gum
- pass over the crater, and by telephone
from the observatory the men learI
= whether they have made hit or miss
They generally score hit.
ID In the event of a war involving tn,
Z. United States on the Pacific the crate
D of Diamond Head may indeed prov,
lie 1.-The Lion of Hawaii" as France:
At Bent Dillingham;. Honolulu poet. ha
IF described it. and 'ff once stirred hi
At paw could sweep navy to its death
IS II once aroused his roar would 500
Of be heard across the sea and echoe
as from the sky."-Harold Sands in Lo
r. Angeles Times.