The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-01-11
LILO BREAKWATER
II MAKES GOOD AT LAST

HlbO Sunday, January 9-KuhiC
wharf and the Hilo breakwater at last
have come into their owhl
The federal government has spent 9
million, and the Territory more than
$300,000 in making a protected harboI
and a wharf inferior to none in the
world.
The federal light house board has
bouyed the harbor and has certified to
the world the Kuhio bay division OF
Hilo Harbor is a safe and secure port
The territorial harbor commission
has issued a similar proclamation. The
veteran harbor master and pilot, Cap,
tain Mosher, has, for the past year and
more, reiterated to all corners that he
would take the biggest ship afoat into
Kuhio bay in any and all weathers-
night as well as day-as soon as range
lights were established.
In spite of all this, there has been
n continuous detraction of the harbor
and the wharf. There were "cur-
rents, - tide.rips," and "undertows
all kinds of dangers and fearsome
things, seen and unseen, marine, and
sub marine, aqueous and aerial, sub and
super eyerything-lurking in the wa,
tiers under, the air over and the land
adjacent to Kuhio wharf, waiting to
leap upon and annihilate any craft 30
fOOl-hardy as to venture within gunshot
OF its placid but eacherous waters.
Storm Shames Knockers
Even on the brightest and sunniest
days, when the dainty wavelets rip
pied at the base of the massive break
water and around the solid rock and
coral pier, a miasma of. suspicion and
inuendO hung over the "wretched apol-
Ogy for wharf" which "pointed in
the wrong direction was "rottenly
built would be washed out and de-
molished' by the first big .storm-and
more of the same kind, ad hbitum.
Under pressure, from heavy freight
shippers, the "scrub steamers of the
Matson line, the Enterprise and such,
have been coming to the wharf in n
fhrtive way, for year past, leaving
az soon as possible "Eetause Kuhio bay
isn't safe, you know!" 49, 3
And now the great storm has comet
Such storm as the local historian,
Rev. Stephen Desha, says has not visit
ed Hilo since the death If Kauikeaouli
KamehamchaIII, fn~the/ifties. 1t has
hNpl up IPT IHItt udyh, anu IL hCdNltI
right now than at any time since it
began.
Mooheau park is a lake Of salt water
nearly up to Front street.
The HilO railroad track along the
waterfront is absolutely gone road
led and all-for a quarter of a mile. =
The lumber schooner Maweema, at an
chOr OF the Railroad wharf, is flying
the American flag upside down. Her
lines all have been carried away. Both
anchors are dragging and chains hope
lessly twisted around each other, while
SHE points first her bow and then her
stern to the giant combers which are
rolling in clear across the harbOr. The
lnterIslahd steamer Niihau has been
trying for hours to get lines to her
The waves are breaking over the end
of the Railroad wharf
Breakwater Protects
The steamer Maunakea, in this morn
ing from Honolulu, anchored in the
Otter bay and tried unsuccessfuIly to
hand her passengers by small boats.
She has finally run over to Kuhio bay,
where, with the surf breaking in
laundering masses over the entire
length of the brcakwater, she is lying
as steadily as though she were
painted ship upon painted ocean. "