The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-03-16
Skipper Of Great Northern Tells
SoIons Why He Won't
Use Structure
DECLARES CURRENTS MENACE
his STEAMER IN HlLo BAY
Other Witnesses Appear Before
Committee and Speak In
Favor Of theWharf

l.fss| . ID
The "blaek eyep Of Kuhio wharf
Hilo, was given new coating Of shiny
purple yesterday by Captain Altman
master of the liner Great Northern
who appeared before the public lands
and internal improvements committee
OF the house Of representatives to tell
them why he doesn't use the wharf
: when he goes TO Hilo.
Captain Altman admitted that he
didn't use Kuhio wharf, and he alleged
all sorts Of things as the matter with
the wharf.
In the face Of apparently unimpeach.
able testimony, given at a previous SEES.
sion Of the committee, to the effect that
there are no currents in Kuhio Bay Ia
interfere with the handling Of vessels
at the wharf, Captain Amman told a
peculiar tale Of currents, flowing, he
said, from some underground passage
which interfered with his vessel when
he tfied TO dock her at the wharf.
The captain had n further complaint
Other vessels were lying at the wharf
at Just exactly the times when he was
most anxious to berth the Great North,
ern there. lls
Gould Dock Easily
The master of the Great Northern
told the committee that out of the five
times the vessel has visited -Hilo thi,
winter she could easily have doeked al
Kuhio wharf at least three, and perhaps
four times, but It Just happened that
other vessels were there then, and he
was reluctantly obliged TO lie out in the
eAraonn and aanI he naaaau uaro aabnrf
in boats. rah. ...
;. 1t is an easy matter TO take a big yes
sci like the Great Northern alongside
the wharf in good weather, said the
captain, but how could he tell, wher
three hundred miles out at sea, that tn,
weather would be good when he got
therei mE $500 IN III
Another objection Captain AhmaI
had was that the Great Northern is I
triple screw turbiner, and the propeller
project five feet. out beyond the sides Of
the vessel, and might get tangled nj
with the piles of the wharf. f-gttN
' Captain Amman thought. of still an
other objection to using the wharf. The
Waiakea River, especially when tn,
weather is rainy and the streams high
sends n current across the harbor tina
grabs hold of the stern of his yesse
and makes IL do all sorts of things |
shouldn't do. Now, if the government
would only build another breakwate
there 10 divert that stream
Advocates Breakwater ",....
The captain thought such break
water ought to be built at about Co
coanut Island Charles r. Forbes
chairman of the harbor, board, who wa
present, said that such a breakwate
could not be built without permission
from the federal government, whic
controls the waters at that point
Forbes added that l0,0Q0-ton steamer
had lain at KuhiO whaff for ten day
without danger or damage. +"
Amman thought conditions would b
greatly improved il the Territor,
would build some new wharves, so tina
the other vessels could use them am
let him have kuhio wharf. In the fac
Of all his objections previously, he sal,
le would rather so to KuhiO whar
than to one of the new ones that ar
contemplated. 49,. r.
The Great Northern skipper in tn
end made the vague promise that h
would, in the future, use Kuhio whar
whenever there should be ,availabl
space at it--and the weather was good
Norman X. Lyman, chairman of tn
committee, said what the committe
really wanted to get at was iwhethe
or not the legislature would, in vie,
of all conditions, be justified in spend
ing a lot of money on the cOnstructio
of new wharves at Hilo. And he mad
no bones of the fact that he, as res
dent of Hilo, wanted that done. 'e
Want New Wharves :
Practically all the members of tn
committee, except Jarrett, seemed I
favor a recommendation that $4,000
he appropriated out of q loan fund
build new wharves. Jarrett, howeve
, indicated that he disapproved of an
such expenditure, Kuhio wharf, i
thought, was perfect specimen {
3 what a wharf should be, and if tn
steamship companies wouldn't use
what was the good of spending none
building more wharves which the
wouldn' 7 use. So.
Forbes made a speech in which \
strongly urged the necessity of MOI
wharf room at Hilo. The commerce
the port, he said, has been CROWN
rapidly and indications are that it wi
continue TO increase. Even at preseI
the wharf shed is thirty.three p,
cent too small 70 accommodate II
business that comes TO II. In additio
the oil companies plan to extend the
business to Hilo and want to put I
storage tanks, and if they do this, thu
will be bringing more tank steame
into the port. 1t is absolutely esse
tial, Forbes said, that the Terrific
build an adequate system of wharves
Besides, urged Forbes, the FEEDER
government win appreciate Hilo in Q
cordanee with the confidence shown
il by the local legislative body. "
the legislature showed confidence
the mort by making adequate app
priations for wharyes to handle /
business, the federal government mig
5" cync",ed 70 do its part in extendi
the breakwater and making such 9th
y. IA -.