Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-02-03
DEFENSE Line
TO HOLD OAHU
MORE COMP ACT
Continued from page onel

Continued from page Onel
defenSes. c.Ar.0yinG therein a number
Of seacoas; guns OF the smaller cali
hers.
Under the original plans for the
defense OF the islands It was thought
We could hold the entire central plain,
in fact the entire island. but very
much more careful study Of the sit
uatiOn has convinced cur officers, both
engineers and line, that We can not,
with the garrison which you will prob
ably be willing to give US of $4,000
or $1,000 men. hold the entire Island
or even all of the central plain, and
that we shall be forced back to the
immediate vicinity Of our seacoast de-
lenses. and in constructing this line OF
land works it is proposed to use the
various craters as part of the de-
lenses, and part of the armament we
have taken from the defenses of the
United States.
Mr.. Sherley. Let me see whether
/ can identify this. Is this the con-
crete proposal that, in general way,
was stated by Secretary Stimson last
year in connection with report that
had been made to him by certain Off
GERS, who visited the Hawaiian islands,
looking to the narrowing of the circle
Of your land defenses by the use OF
the hills Immediately surrounding HO-
nolulu?
General Wood Yes; exactly that.
General Weaver. The only eXcep-
ton is that it does not include the
mortar battery that was involved in
that report.
Mr.. Sherley. Does this represent
all that you are going to ask in re-
gard to the Hawaiian islands in carry
ing out your program heretofore an
nounced and your program as modi-
fed by the statement made by Sec
rotary Stimson last year?
F General Wood. Let me answer that,
and will answer it as fully as it is
POSSIBLE to be answered. With the
knowledge we have now, so far as we
can see, it does We are taking prac
tically all Of these guns from the de-
lenses Of the United States, guns
taken from places where we think
they can be spared We can not giE .
you a definite promise th~ II vii
be the last thing eIrr~. done there
but it shouls practically the finish
ing up ipSt that work. AS far as W
cap.'~' y it finishes it.
4 Ehe general character of the lam
tdefenses is a line of strong works
! taking advantage to as great exten
4 as possible of the actual lay of TIL
land. 1t is designed from ,militar,
1 Standpoint, to protect the great na
y val station at Pearl Harbor, which
Fl is, in a naval sense, the key of tn
Il Pacific and one of the main defense
of the Pacific coast, and, indirectly, o
i the Panama Canal. The line also in
leloses the city of Honolulu, and |
begins on the east at the old eXtinc
crater known as Diamond Head; /
follows the ridges up the mountain t.
a point above which it is considered
/ impracticable for troops to pass; i
commands the pass through the noun
tains, and then drops down into thu
VALLEY, utilizing various craters, ra
vines, bodies of water, and terminates
on the west side of Pearl Harbor.
1t is very strong line, but like al
natural lines it requires a considerable
amount of work to give the proper Pc
sition for guns and to supplement thu
breaks in the natural barriers b!
earthworks, and along the harbor
front, in one or two places, by canals
dug to separate our batteries from
the mainland. l can give the commit
tee the general line of the works OF
a map so that l think you will under
stand perfectly the scheme of defense
1t is rather difficult to give you {
word picture of the country. because
it is very broken and irregular, bu
the main features are the Centra
plain, between two rugged mountain
ranges; the southern end Of the plair
is indented by the bay of Honolulu
and by Pearl Harbor The line o
works runs from this old crater which
is, as it were, spur Of the mountains
incloses the town and harbOr, anC
comes down to the sea on volcanic
plain at the foot of the more easterl!
mountain range. 1t is a good line. ;
line that | think We can hold for any
reasonable length of time, but it is 1
line that we must fOrtify pretty
strongly IN order to give us any Sc
curity so far as holding the naval bast
goes. The original thought was tina
there were few places for landing OF
the islands, but a careful survey ha!
shown large number Of landins
places. probably Is or 20 places Wher'
men can be landed in boats The sen
eral lay Of the land is such that thi,
central plain is not accessible from
either side; that is, on the west side
you come down along this westerly
range of mountains until near Pear
HarbOr before you can reach the cen
trail plain, and on the east SIDE they
can only get into Honolulu through {
very narrow stretch Of seaCoast cOun
try which we hold pretty strongly. Tc
get in any other way from the cas-
! side they would have to 30 about u
miles around the SeaCOast and come
down, so that We are trying to hole
the line between the two mountain
ranges inclosing the city and nava
| base.