The Hawaiian gazette. [volume], March 03, 1908, Page 2, Image 2

About The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918

Image provided by: University of Hawaii at Manoa; Honolulu, HI

                
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Submarines and
to Guard Us Pend
ing the Mounting of
Land Batteries.
(Mail Special to the Advertiser.)
WASHINGTON, D. C, February 18. General J. Franklin
Bell, the ranking head of the army in Washington and chief of the
General Staff of that branch of the military service, appeared before
the House Committee on Naval Affairs before the Navy bill was
Teported on a special confidential mission in explanation of the
strategy of the Pacific ocean to which the Atlantic battleship fleet
is going.
General Bell had with him a series of confidential charts showing
the defenses existing and planned by the War Department for
the proper protection of American interests and explained these
fortifications in detail. Particular attention was devoted to the
fortification of Pearl Harbor, as a naval base. The conference was
3. rather significant one and was not discussed in detail by members
of the Naval committee after its conclusion.
Following a conference at the White House during which President
Roosevelt conferred with the Democratic members of the
House Committee on Naval Affairs and urged them to vote "as
patriots for a large increase of the navy at this time, the conference
at the Capitol was looked upon as being all the more significant.
The House Naval Committee" does not deal with military affairs of
the army and General Bell would not ordinarily appear before thai
committee. He has nothing to do with the naval estimates, but the
committee wanted to hear from him as he is the chief authority in
the country on the fortifications of the Pacific Coast, the" Philippines
and Hawaii and as chief of the General Staff is thoroughly familiar
with the plans being worked out both for the development of the
defenses of the Pacific as well as the confidential plans that are constantly
being worked out in anticipation of future warlike contingencies.
General Bell was induced to appear before the committee" only
after he was assured that his visit would be treated as absolutely
confidential. The request that he so appear was made by Representative
Richmond Pearson Hobson, a member of the naval committee,
who is in favor of a very large navy because he believes
that war with Japan is inevitable. General Bell told Representative
Hobson that he would appear before the committee and talk fully
if guaranteed that his visit would be treated as confidential even to
the extent of omitting the usual stenographic record of his remarks.
This promise jvas made and the usual stenographer was absent when
General Bell entered the conference with his great charts of the, Pacific
and its defenses.
"When Delegate Kalanianaole was re- f If offensive operations were
cently before the Naval committee he
urged its members to invite Admiral
Dewey or some member of the Xaval
Board to appear before the committee
and state personally in an executive
session some of their reasons for the
.nigency of the work at Pearl Harbor
which they might not care to transmit
to Congress in writing. In connection
with this suggestion it developed that
Congressman Hobson had ventured in
advance to see Admiral Dewey and others
who have studied the question, including
General Bell. Admiral Dewey
recommended Captain John E. Pills-bury,
of the General Board, as the man
to represent it, and General Bell said
he would hold himself in readiness to
appear if desired provided his statement
would be treated confidentially.
General Bell used a Mercator map of
the Pacific showing the distances from
the Hawaiian Islands to surrounding
points and explained that Hawaii was
in the center of a circumference which
Is approximately from 2100 to 2100 miles
that touches Alaska on north, Caroline
Islands on southwest, Samoan Islands
at the other southwest angle, Tahiti on
southeast, San Francisco, Victoria and
Seattle on noreheast and Unalaska on.
north, therefore dominating the Pacific.
If there were no Hawaiian Islands
the United States and Japan would be
on the same basis in military operations.
It would simply be a question
of a five or six trip
across and operating at that distance.
If there were many such island groups
in the Pacific the possession of any
one would be relatively unimportant,
but as there is practically the one
single group In mid-Pacific commanding
the situation the "effective possession"
of Hawaii the Xaval commits
tee was told means that no hostile
fleet from the Orient would dare' pass
that strong base to attack the California
coast. If Hawaii is "con-trolled"
that is, effectually occupied
by the American navy as an operating
base it can defensively set out
the line of attack 2000 miles from the
coast. The naval committee was told
that scouting cruisers operating from
such an outpost which is connected
by cable with the United States could
be in constant communication, even
en by the United States Pearl Harbor
could become the coaling base for the
entire fleet. The naval committee has
been informed that. unless the United
States makes Pearl Harbor impregna
ble this outpost would be captured by
'Japan in the event of war and the
advantage lost by the United States
would go to Japan, which would then
have the mid-Pacific outpost.
General Bell explained to the committee
that the army is this year preparing
to mount guns at the mouth of
Pearl Harbor. The fortifications include
a mortar station on the hill over-looking
the harbor, a heavy rifle station
at the mouth of the Honolulu
channel, another one at "Waikiki, and
another one back of Diamond Head.
It will take several years to develop
a drydock at Hawaii, Meanwhile the
plan is. for the Xavy Department to
furnish submarines and torpedo boats
for the coast defense of Hawaii.
The Xaval committee has been frankly
told that not one gun is mounted
in the Hawaiian Islands, that an Oriental
enemy can with one battleship
take possession of Hawaii in half a
day by landing troops and arms. The
army is in advance of the navy in
the little that has been done to protect
Hawaii. Some emplacements are
finished but no guns have yet been
mounted. Some appropriations for guns
have been made. Secretary Taft is
urging very strongly this year that
Congress provide for the entire plan
of defense outlined by the Taft Boar'd
report. The estimate submitted for
the emplacements which command the
approach to Pearl Harbor is $1,100,000.
The total estimates for the army fortifications
is about.?2,500,000. The House
appropriations committee Is bejng
strongly urged to make these appropriations
but the Naval committee is
told that these fortifications will have
their value greatly diminished unless
something is done for a naval base.
ERNEST G. WALKEB.
L--
HOW DIPHTHERIA IS CONTRACTED.
One often hears the expression, "My
child caught a severe cold which developed
into diphtheria," when the
truth "was that the cold had simply
left the little one particularly susceptible
to the wandering diphtheria
with the present efficiency of wireless """ , T "-""""""
r J I Remedy is given it not only cures the
telegraphy, with Honolulu and through
that with the mainland for the direction
of . operations for many hundred
miles. Army, -transports today, operating
beyond Honolulu to the Philippines
have communicated for S00 miles.
cold, but greatly lessens the danger of
diphtheria or any other germ disease
being contracted. There Is no danger,
in giving this remedy, as it contains
no opium or other harmful drug. For
sale by Benson, Smith & Co., Ltd.,
agents for Hawaiian Islands.
IT
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HAWAIIAlf GAZETTE, TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 1908.
GENERAL BELL INSISTS ON
DEFENSE OF PEARL HARBOR
W
Oil THE LANDS
Arthur C. Alexander, commissioner
In the. partition suit of May K. Brown
v. H. Holmes and others, relating to
the land of Makaha, "Waianae, Oahu,
has rendered a detailed report. After
discussing the land, the fishery, the
water and the appurtenances, Mr. Alexander
says:
"So far I have avoided the latent
resources of the land. One riding over
It is struck by its undeveloped possibilities,
such as the increase and the
greatest development of these latent
resources, and by no scheme of partition
would it be possible to make an
equitable distribution of them."
This summary and conclusion are as
follows:
"Physical features alone considered,
I believe, that an equitable partition
of the property included In the leasehold
could be made on the basis of its
present condition without prejudice to
the parties at Interest; provided that
the improvements on the land were
excepted from such partition by mutual
agreement and some central authority
were constituted for the control
and distribution of the water supply.
Unless the improvements on the
land are excepted and some satisfactory
arrangement is made for the mutual
control of the water supply, an
equitable partition of the property Is
not feasible.
"The question as to whether any
subdivision requiring considerable expenditure
for surveying and fencing is
sential part of the proceedings to establish
the Mahuka site for the proposed
Federal building.
PLEADS WRITTEN CONTRACT.
Julia H. Afong, by her attorneys,
Holmes & Stanley and C. H. Olson, de-
HONOLULU
The -work of enlarging Honolulu
Harbor, upon which the "War Department
has entered In pursuance of the
$400,000 contract authorized by Congress,
Is now In full swing. Two
dredgers are at work. A floating drill,
by means of whlcn the heavy coral of
the bottom of the harbor Is blasted
and 'broken up'. Is In active operation,
and an Island to be known as Sand
Island and which will occupy an area
conservation of the water supply, the of something like two hundred acres
raising of dry land crops like sisal and Is being built up.
cocoanuts on the lower flats, the The general plan of the harbor
of the elevation of the stream ( provement is to cut off the old point
for the development of power, and the where the lighthouse stood for so many
possible quarrying of sandstone and years, and to greatly widen the harbor
other stone for building purposes. A from the channel entrance, Ewa. The
partition of the land would harbor has always been narrow at the
edly be prejudicial to the best and point where the channel enters It, so
that large steamers lying at wharves
In the part of the harbor "Walkiki of
the foot of 'Fort street,, always had
difficulty In turning around to go out.
This narrowness also affected vessel
berthing at the other end of the har
bor, but not so much, and for two vessels
to attempt to pass in this part of
the harbor was dangerous.
The work now In progress Is at the
old lighthouse point and the portion
of the harbor in that vicinity. The
suction dredger Reclamation is at
work between where the old lighthouse
stood and where the foundations have
been built for the new lighthouse, or
as It Is officially designated, the front
range light of Honolulu harbor. From
this dredge the material brought up
from the bottom Is forced through a
long line of pipe about a foot in diameter,
which passes across the island
which is In process of formation, or
rather of enlargement, and empties on
the seaward side of the island, the
solid material dropping to add to the
justifiable under the nrprt.iin tprmr accretions to the Island, while the to
of the parties at interest, I leave for teF ln which u ls carried runs off to
your Honor to decide."
FEDERAL. BUILDING SITE,
mingle again with the water of the
v
ocean.
The deep dredcintr and the dredirinir
In the Territory's condemnation suit, of the hard material is being done by
Superintendent Campbell v. Mahuka the dredger Governor. For this work
and others, for land needed in the ex- both the "arm" and the "legs" of the
tension of Bishop street, H. E. Cooper, Governor had to be lengthened, the
attorney for J. F. Hackfeld, trustee, arm so that the dipper part 'of the
Heinrich "Wilhelm Ehlers and Paul J. dredge could reach down to the re-F.
Ehlers, has filed a motion that the quired depth, and the "legs" so that
trial of the cause, so far as these de- the dredger could stand in the
are concerned, may be set for ed depth while It did its work,
a day certain. This action ls an The material brought up by the
dredger Governor is emptied into cars
on a scow or lighter brought alongside
the dredger. When these cars are
loaded the scow Is towed to a landing
on the island which has been fitted for
this purpose. There the cars are landed
and hauled by a locomotive over
f'VLiT'z ,arz,?z w " " " , '
-" . " car are dumped always on the
o m. She, saYs tne, nly leSal ward side of the track. As the Island
contract shown in the
petition is the
is buUt
out seaward in this way the
agreement of compromise in the track !s m0Ved constantly in the same
inal Afong suit, which does not appear direction
netuJonaln Prra'Se a"eSed ln tlW The arrangements 'or the landing of
p
the cars from the scows or lighters to
I , the island is rmltp an Inpsnlmis and
GOOD PRICES FOR
C
SOME CHINESE LOOT
effective arrangement. The track
comes to the water's edge. There an
"apron" is built, one end of it resting
on the island, and the other supported
by counterweight and so adjusted that
it can be raised or lowered to adjust
the height to the stage of the tide or
NET5V YORK, February 19. The first tne varying draught of the scows.
day's sale of .Mrs. E. H. Conger's 'f1 scw w"h "s ,te" ,oa;d
, ., . ,, , cars is brought up to this landing the
lection of art objects at the
American apron Is let down until its surface is
Art Galleries realized JS057. The sale even with the surface of the scow,
continues during the week. Mrs. Con- Tne track on the scow thus meets the
trac on tne and the locomotive
ger is the widow of E. H. Conger, late ap,rn'
,. . , ,.. . ' couples on and draws the cars right
Minister to China, and now resides In SCOwHxnd
off the out to where their
California. Her collection represents contents are to be dumped,
part of the if.ot of the Peking palaces, The dr'll which is used, in the work
taken at theUime of the Boxer of blastlnS consists essentially of a
The curio he largest price closed. Along one of the longer sides
was a Chinese, imperial bell, taken of the scow there Is a row of drills.
from the TempRi of Agriculture, which
went for $560.
The Metropolitan Museum was prom-
SQUADRON
JL:
These are operated by stationary engines
on the scow. The scow is moored
by ropes from both sides, which
operate over winches, and thus the
Inent among the purchasers, buying, whole affair can be "brought to any
among other objects, elephant trap- retluIred Position and held there while
the drilling goes on. "When all the
, from t. , , , . ,
Pings the
imperial elephant drHIs have been driven t0 the requlred
stables of Emperor Chien Lung, for depth, blasts of dynamite or giant
$150; boxers red silk cavalry flag, de- powder are placed in each hole drilled,
Wires connected wlth them. Then
are
scribed
as "Captured on the City "Wall
the drill scow is moved riff to a safe
by United States Troops, August 14,
service, sold for ?505 each.
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1
TTHEY
distance bv means of Its wlrmhps nnrl
1900, when they entered the bes'eged mooring ropes, and the row of blasts
city of Peking," went fcr $22.50. Is set off simultaneously by electricity.
Two very old and rare temple gong's A vlew of one of these blasts at close
.. , , . . -, .... tI range is Interesting. Very little rock Is
" " " "U""B -""""" thrown up to the surface of the water
;or above It, the water acting as a
cushion to prevent this. But the water
! itself is thrown up in miniature geysers,
and for several seconds after the
' blast is exploded the water directly
above it is a boiling mass with a level
fully a foot above the general level
of the water in the harbor..
After this subsides, the drill scow Is
moved back Into position, and 9. new
A party composed of Bookkeeper row of holes is drilled a regular
Campbell of Kahuku plantation, Mr. tance back from the last row. Thus
Scott of the Honolulu Iron "Works, Hen- the ho"011 is blasted loose in regular
ons ready for the big dipper
ry Davis. of Honolulu, Ed. Hoare and
,r . ..,,,. dredger Governor to bring the broken
Mr. Ginaca were at ilakua last even- fragments to the surface,
ing about sunrise and thought they saw In the illustrations herewith, which
a squadron of six ships directlv off are from Photographs taken by the
that place, on the far horizon. Mr. Adrtis f"81 few f,ays e
suction dredger Reclamation
is shown
, ., ,. ,.
Davis 11. .x.
telephoned the fact to his son, at work ln the foreground, and beyond
saying there was uncertainty as to it the new temporary lighthouse, part-cloudy
'effects but that all the party U" hidden In the picture by a part of
what e frame work of the dredger, and the
saw seemed to be ships. "When
, ., .. lighthouse-keeper's house which has
t
1
the Advertiser
learned of
this it call-
been moved from the p0SltJtm ,t had
ed up Captain Carter of the navy, who occupied since 1S91, to the new Island
got in touch -with the Makua party In course ofreation. The photograph
and questioned it closely, reaching the was actually) "taken from the point
where the old lighthouse stood, looking
ni.: ii A v,
conclusion that
clouds to blame.
were g,'ve
seaward. This of UseIf wU, ,0
Captain Carter says that sundown idea of the enlargement of the harbor
clouds are often mistaken for ships. lat this point.
LETTERS COME
FOB LOST SAILORS
Two letters were received by "United
States Shipping Commissioner Almy
yesterday, which recall In mournful
and pathetic way the tragedy of the
American ship Eclipse and the terrible
sixteen days at sea In an open
boat experienced by her crew. These
letters were addressed to Stanley
Ennts and Isidore Madec, two of the
three who died from their sufferings
from hunger, thirst and disappointment
In the leaky boat that had been
their home for thirteen awful days.
The letter to Ennls was postmarked
at New Bedford, Mass., and was ad
dressed to him at San Francisco, care
of the ship Eclipse. Itjwas postmark
ed November 23, 190 1, which was
about a month, after the Eclipse sailed
from Newcastle, New South "Wales.
The letter to Madec was postmarked
France, in December,
and it likewise was addressed
to Madec at San Francisco, care of
the ship Eclipse. Evidently the writer
of each letter had received word from
them that they had shipped on the
Eclipse for San Francisco and these
letters were written to meet them at
San Francisco on their arrival there.
Of course, there is nothing on the
outside of the envelopes to show from
whom the letters are. But It is clear
from the fact of the letters Itself that
each had friends or relatives who were
Interested in him.
The letters will be returned to the
dead letter office, and from there to
the writers, if there is anything In
them to indicate who the writers
were. These letters, however, make
more certain than it was before the
homes of these two men, and their
effects and the wages due them will
be sent by the Shipping Commissioner
to the friends or relatives whom they
have left behind them.
THE CHINESE CONSUL
US EXPERT WITNESS
Chang Tso Fan, the Chinese -consul,
was called in the trial of Lee Sa Kee,
as an expert witness on behalf of the
United States. He gave evidence similar
to that Which he gave in the Dai
Fook case some time ago, relative to
the marriage and family custom" of
his nation. Judge Dole, in the case
just mentioned, ruled that a marriage
in the Chinese manner was valid
whether a license had been issued for
it or not. Lee Sa Kee's case turns on
the same point.
The prosecution is still on, the court
standing adjourned until 9:30 Monday
morning. Thus far the trial has occupied
four days.
The basketball championship of the
American Amateur League will be
played for in San Francisco today.
The endorsement asked by Treasurer
A. J. Campbell for C. T. "Wilder, nominee
for the post. of Assessor to succeed
Jas. Holt, over which the members of
the executive committee of the Central
Republican Committee has been quarreling
for the past week, was voted by
that body yesterday afternoon on the
they liked it. G. "W. EsKing, holding
the proxy of Arthur Rice, was also in
favor of sustaining the Governor and
PUHPE BEIT
NCE
GAHNIVAL
"I have seen fetes and floral festivals
all over the world, in Nice on the
Riviera, in the South and on the Coast,
but nowhere did I ever see such a display
including so many original features
and so much dissimilarity of beauty as
that of your Floral parade here."
R. K. Bonine, the moving picture
man, who came here for tho purpose of
enlarging his collection of Hawaiian
scenes and particularly to obtain views
of the "Washington's Birthday floral
celebration, was the speaker. He is
enthusiastic over the parade and over
the splendid pictures he was able to
get, the day having been an ideal one
from the photographer's standpoint.
These pictures he has already developed
and will print positives off the rolls of
films in order to include some of them
in the next moving picture entertainment
he will give here very shortly.
In all, of the parade, he has obtained
over eight hundred feet of film and
in addition has scores of stereoptic
views of the best floats. Of these he
expects to sell a very largo number of
copies, especially for the use of lecturers.
A large number will also bo
sent to Europe for distribution.
"What struck me as particularly
good about the whole parade," he said,
"wa3 the fact that it was not stereotyped,
one car so much like every other
in line, as is the case so often with
such affairs. In fact there were no two
cars nor floats in the parade on Saturday
that were deeorated on tho same
idea. Flowers you can see anywhere
but such original floats as that of
the native canoe, the Chinese
dragon boat, the Japanese cars
and a large number of others were away
out of the common and all splendid.
The horseback features, too, were fine.
That pageant irom Punahou, for instance,
was as pretty and as elaborate
as some of the historic pageants being
jjjven in the old English cities, about
which the illustrated papers are making-so
much. The riders also gave the
parade a distinctive touch. Altogether
it; was splendid, much bettor than I
had expected to see.
"I expect to place a good many of
my pictures with men who will exhibit
them to that part of the public, that
has money to travel. I have received
word from E. Burton Holmes, the celebrated
lecturer, for instance, that ho-will
be here on the Korea on Monday
and wants to have copies of all my
Hawaiian stuff. He lectures to the best
people of America and in his handsi
these views will have a big promotion
value."
REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE
ENDORSES CHAS. T. WILDER
noi.ncement of "Wilder 's appointment.
Before the votiDg there was muah
talk and Governor Frear and Treasurer
Campbell had doubtless tingling ears
for the half hour that the wrangling:
continued. There was warning that the
course of the Executive was forcing tho
Hawaiians to take up the fight oa a
color line basis and answering warnings
casting vote of A. G. M. Robertson, th J that they would be foolish to attempt
chairman. The vote stood four to four,
Lane, Eanuha, Crawford and Ahia re
fusing to change their position and accept
the explanations that "Wilder was
really' md at heart a good Republican,
while opposed to them were Farrington,
Krueger and Savldge, who realized that
to save their faces the committee had
any such a thing. Finally the matter
was smoothed over and some of the
bitterness of defeat modified by the
suggestion that the appointment of
"Wilder would leave a vacancy which,
could be filled by Tim Lyons.
The practical dischargo of Lyons
from the Land Commissioner's office re-
better swallow their medicine and say I cently has been rankling in the minds
voted his proxy accordingly. This left"pin "Wilder 's old job,-which carries near
the casting vote to the chair, with the
result that the way is paved for the an-
of some of the committee members,
particularly those who opposed "Wilder
so strenuously. But if he can be landeil
ly as big a salary as the assossorship,
things will not be so bad.
CAPTAIN CORWIN P. REES (
TO SUCCEED ADMIRAL VERY
Portsmouth, X. H., Times. The regret
is general that Captain Corwin P.
Rees, U. S. 2f., who has been the popular,
courteous and efficient executive
officer at this station since February
16th, 1906, is about to conclude his tour
of duty here having received preparatory
orders to sail from San Francisco
on April 14th for Honolulu, to relieve
Rear Admiral S. "W. Very, U. S. 3f., commandant
of the naval station in the
Hawaiian Islands. Captain Rees, as
executive officer at this station, has
done more to ornament and make clean
and tidy this yard than all the officers
occupying the same position that have
preceded him. The esplanade in front
of the administration building, which
when he came here was little else than
a dusty, wind-swept desert, with jagged
ledges protruding through the thin crust
of earth, is now covered with handsome
well kept lawns, traversed with walks
and edged with cobble stones. All the
thoroughfares and walks about the reservation
have been regraded and made
smooth, trees have been set out, waste
places made clean, sloughs filled up and
the entire reservation made attractive
to the visitor and comfortable and
pleasing to those having to do with
this station. All this has bcenN accomplished
quietly and without ostentation
and with no expense to the government.
The prisoners from the Southery have
furnished willing labor, material gathered
from the dump and refuse piles,
and the seed for sowing of the lawns
purchased by a fund raised among the
officers through the enthusiasm of Captain
Rees in his work.. Dignified and
of commanding presence, courteous in
his dealings with all he has the respect
and confidence of the working and official
force of the yard who will sincerely
regret his departure. JThe1 duty to
which he has been assigned takes hiia
to one of the most desirable naval stations
of the country, in the most delightful
climate of the globe with tropical
verdure and invigorating sea air,
yet withal one of the most important
stations of the government. Captain
Rees will be the right man at Honolulu
in any important event which may occur
in the Pacific ocean.
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