Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-03-19
GERMAN VESSELS
Still IN PORT;
BOARD WAITING
Shipping Firm consuIts Attor-
neys and May Let Commits
sioners Use Its Tugboat

SlOtICl - O0C ITO dAgOAb
The Star-BuIletin learned on good
authority late this afternoon that
further correspondence on the Ger
man refugee ship question between the
agents and the narbor commission
would probably Issue late today or to
morrow morning.
No meeting OF the board OF harbor
commissioners was held today, the
FIRST day Without 2 meeting in more
than a week.
AT noon new angles on the German
refugee merchant steamer situation
we're these:
The harbor board received com
munication from Lieut.. Col. r.. r. Ray.
mond, United States army engineer OF
ficer for the Hawaiian district, In re-
ply TO its letter requesting permission
to drive dolphins (moorfng piles) IN
Rotten Row TO moor the P0mmeYn and
Setos. The letter is said 20 state that
the district engineer, while not having
authority to grant the request, will not
oppose the boards contemplated &C
ton.
Castle & Cooke, the local Matson
Navigation Company agency, expects
to receive an opinion late this after
j noon from its attorneys, Smith, War
rem & whitney, stating whether the
agency can allow the harbormaster to
use the Matson tug Intrepid TO tow the
Pommern TO sea without rendering It.
self liable for damages despite the
warning letter sent out Friday after
noon by Hackfeld & Company to Mat
son agency and all other shipping
firms in the city, causing the latter
Saturday morning to refuse the harbOr
board the use Of tugs or other vessels
10 tow the Pomniern outside.
The Kona gale blowing last night
and today has dashed the sea to fury
and at noon local waterfront men were
OF the opinion that had the Pommern
been anchored outside Saturday as the
harbOr board had ordered, but found
Impossible, the giant freighter would
surely have been driven on the reef
and wrecked.
Collector OF the Port Malcolm A.
Franklin said shortly before noon that
mons from Washington about the Ger.
man steamers here.
Next Meeting 10 Uncertain
Chairman Charles r. Forbes of the
harbor board said shortly before noon
that he did not know when he would
call another meeting. Il Is thought
one may be held late today or tomor-
row to act on the letter from the dis
triet engineer.
At the meeting last week when the
question OF mooring the Pommern and
eet0s IN Rotten Row WIS considered
the harbof commissioners made II
clear that ne two freiehters win be
moored parallel with the channel and
not at right angles to It as are the
Kilauea and other vessels Of the Inter.
Island reserve fleet This plan will
leave plenty Of room for all steamers
to pass mp and down the channel to
and from piers in the Eva basin.
Governor Hss No Reply
Down to O'Clock this afternoon no
reply had been received by Gov. Lucius
Z. Pinkham from Secretary Of State
Robert Lansing. to the lengthy cable
gram sent 70 tie secretary at Wash.
ington Friday night BY the territory's
chief executive in reply to an earlier
cable from the secretary OF state.
Developments in the efforts Of the
barbor board 20 move or have moved
the steamers Pommern and Setos from
Saturday afternoon to this morning
consisted IN the sending Of two iden-
tical letters dated Saturday by the
board to the two houses OF the legts-
lature These letters said:
II
fully submit q copy Of action made.
seconded and readily carried at q spe-
cial meeting Of the board Of harboi
commissioners held this morning.
wherein the governor is requested To
forward despatch to Secretary Of the
Interior Lane at Washington. solicit
ing necessary assistance whereby we
may obtain the removal Of the German
refugee vessels now lying at the terri
torial wharves. We would most earn
estly and respectfully request that you
use your influence to obtain the de-
sired result Awaiting your kindly Co
operation in this matter"
House Receives Letter
The communication from the harb0r
board asking assistance in its efforts
" ocCut - tic ICtAOt0A VI tic 0rlAuo4
refugee steamers from Honolulu har-
Dor. which was received by the house
OF representatives shortly before 10l
o'clock this morning. has been referred
by Speaker II. l.. Holstein to the com
mittee on health. military and police. /
OF which Representative Evan da Silva
is chairman.
II move that this communication be
referred to the military committee"
said Representative Kelekolio, whose
resolutions were responsible for the
entire German ship investigation.
Il don't see anything that the mill
tsry committee can do asserted Rep
Miles. This communica-
tion only reports the action of the
harbor board"
Reference Causes Disputes
But Speaker Holstein had different
views.
The military committee might be |
able to get tug for the board to tow |
out these ships he ventured.
Kelekolio took the floor again.
According to this letter" he said |
the harbor b0ard Is halnloea Ar fha