The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-10-19
HARBOR REGULATION
MUST BE Observed
At Request Of Army Authorities
Board Decides To Take Legal
Action Against Violators

American soldiers who are guarding
fthe entrance. tolHonolulu sHarbor edo
not desire to fire upon American Yes
sells, in the language of Col Joseph
wheeler, Jr., G. A. c., and for that
reason yesterday the Hawaiian Depart.
ment requested the board Of hnrbor
commissioners to take legal action
against the owners of all vessels which
have violated the rules and regulations
IN entering and leaving the port be-
tween the hours Of sunset and sunrise.
The harbor commissioners immedi.
ntely authorized the chairman Of the
board to confer with Attorney General
.Stainbaek and ask him to commences
proceedings to bring the violntors into
court General Wiser, in bringing tile
matter to the attention of the board,
attached copies of correspondence from
the commanding officer of Fort Arm
strong, whose gunners on more than
one occasion have found Il necessary
TO fire shots across the bows OF steam.
ers of the local fleets, to convince them
that war orders are absolute and not
to be tempered with. ."..:.... s@
National safety" is the phrase
used by the army officers in referring
10 the situation and which they require
shall be observed here as strictly as
at other ports. .." =. 80
Repeated Violations -
A number of memos addressed by
Captain l.. B. Magruder of Fort Arm.
strong TO Colonel Wheeler Of the Coast
Artillery Corps showed that there are
not only frequent, but repeated viola
lions of the regulation, including Jap
anese fishing sampans, power launches,
small steamers and schOOners. =. -
The first memo dealt with three
sampans attempting to enter the har.
Dor before sunrise. Then the Inter.Is,
land steamship Kilauea passed No. FIVE
buoy twenty minutes before sunrise on
one occasion and the Mnuna Kea Of the
same fleet was another violator not
long afterward, and shots were fired
across the bows Of the Claudine, com
pelling the vessel to turn back and
wait outside. Then another. vessel went
out at night and its identity could not
be established until afterwards, this
being the j. A. Cummins.
1t was suggested that repeated at
tempts of some vessels to enter the
harbor were due TO Ignorance of the
regulation and the Importance thereof,
and the army department suggested
that the board of harbor commissioners
make the widest possible effort to give
publicity to the requirements as a war
measure. The Army department also
suggested that at night three red
lights be placed in such positions that
they cdn be seen and that these be con
sidered as warning signals. $500"
Identification Signals
The army also suggested that on yes
sells which do not show names or num-
bers, these should be Immediately
placed upon the vessels, large and
small, Of such size that they can be
readily seen and recorded by the fort
sentries. Requests have been made for
special privileges for vessels to enter
or leave, but without proper visible
numbers or names cannot be identified.
SO far there have been about twenty
violations and it is in these instances
that General Wiser asked to have the
Territory enter legal proceedings.
Mr.. Wakefield suggested that it
might be well for the board to obtain
information as to when cit is officially
sunset and officially sunrise. d"