necessary right-of-way and agree to maintain depths in the basin, and to construct, operate, and maintain necessary mooring facilities and a public wharf available to all on equal terms; (d) For a barge channel to the water front at Bingen, Wash., 10 feet deep at normal Bonneville pool level, 200 feet wide and approximately 1 mile long; and for an access channel 7 feet deep at normal Bonneville pool level, 100 feet wide and approximatey 1,000 feet long, to a natural mooring basin for small boats near the east end of the channel, at an estimated cost to the United States of $101,500 and annual maintenance of $5,000 in addition to that now required, provided local interests furnish free of cost to the United States all rights-of-way, agree to maintain depths in the mooring basin, and to construct, operate and maintain necessary mooring facilities in the basin and a public wharf adjacent to the barge channel available to all on equal terms. I believe that such channel improvement would remove hazards to navigation and thereby provide for deep-draft vessels between Vancouver, Wash., and The Dalles, Oreg., a safe channel which is justified in the interest of safety and convenience of established navigation, and that it would be of benefit to commercial fishing, log towing, and pleasure boating by giving free access to the main Columbia River at all times of year. I further believe that because of navigation improvements which have already been furnished on the waterway, the Federal Government has an obligation to provide the improved channel. I urge that such improvements be approved by the Committee on River and Harbors. Mr. PETERSON of Georgia. The committee will stand adjourned until 1:30 this afternoon. (Thereupon, at 12: 15 p. m., the committee recessed, to reconvene at 1:30 p.m.) (Afternoon session was taken up with concluding hearing on the Cumberland River, Ky. and Tenn., which is printed separately.) RIVERS AND HARBORS BILL MONDAY, MAY 6, 1946 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D. C. (The committee reconvened at 1:30 p. m., Hon. John E. Rankin presiding.) Mr. RANKIN. The committee will be in order. HILO HARBOR, T. H. (SURVEY ITEM) Mr. ANGELL. Before we proceed with the hearings on the Big Sandy River (W. Va. and Ky.) project, Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask permission of the committee to present some witnesses who are here from the Hawaiian Islands, who can remain only a short time. Later, in our proceedings, we will have certain matters before us with reference to some developments in Hilo, particularly. I assure you, Mr. Chairman, these statements will take only a few minutes and I assume these witnesses may extend their remarks later. Delegate Farrington, from the Hawaiian Islands, will present these gentlemen to the committee. STATEMENT OF HON. J. R. FARRINGTON, DELEGATE FROM THE TERRITORY OF HAWAII Mr. RANKIN. We shall be glad to hear Delegate Farrington. Mr. FARRINGTON. Mr. Chairman, I wish to assure you that these statements will be extremely brief. The gentlemen who are appearing before this committee are Mr. Clement Akina, the chief executive officer of the Hawaiian Islands, and Mr. A. H. Green, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Hilo; and Mr. A. T. Spalding, president of the Hawaiian Islands Sugar Planters Association. They come here to ask relief from damages resulting from the tidal wave that struck the city of Hilo on April 1, causing the loss of some 200 lives and damage running close to $25,000,000. The wave did serious damage to the breakwater in which the Federal Government has invested many millions of dollars. This raises the question as to the necessity for the construction of a sea wall to protect this community from a recurrence of such seismic disturbances. This is not the first tidal wave that has occurred there. A tidal wave occurred about 20 years ago, but none has reached the proportions of this last one. There is every likelihood that there will be future tidal waves inasmuch as seismic disturbances are not uncommon on that island, as you know. The request that this delegation would like to make is that there be incorporated in this bill now pending before the committee authorization for an investigation of the construction of a sea wall and the creation of a safety zone on the water front of the city of Hilo, within the breakwater. With that preliminary statement I would like to present Mr. Akina, for a brief statement. STATEMENT OF CLEMENT AKINA, CHAIRMAN AND EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII Mr. RANKIN. Do you live at Hilo? Mr. AKINA. Yes, sir. I am chairman and executive officer of the county of Hawaii. I shall not try to dwell any further on the details of that tidal wave, but I do want unqualifiedly to support Delegate Farrington's remarks insofar as the sea wall is concerned. It is essential to our county and the county unqualifiedly supports the project and tells me that it is very, very essential that we procure help in that matter. Mr. DONDERO. How large is the city of Hilo, Hawaii? Mr. AKINA. The population there is between 25,000 and 30,000. Mr. ANGELL. Mr. Chairman, I may say that when our subcommittee from the Committee on Territories was recently in the islands, we were very nicely treated by these gentlemen and we are much conversant with their problem. I want to ask permission of the committee that they may extend their remarks in the record, if they see fit to do so, some time later. Mr. RANKIN. I always thought that if the city of Hilo was destroyed, it would be destroyed because of a volcanic disaster. Delegate FARRINGTON. I would like to present Mr. Green at this time. STATEMENT OF A. H. GREEN, PRESIDENT OF THE HILO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Mr. GREEN. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen; I know that time is a factor. I do not want to extend my remarks, but I do want to back up the statement made by Mr. Farrington and Mr. Akina and say that the community is unanimously of the opinion that we should have a sea wall. We have a breakwater that protects the harbor of Hilo. The tidal wave did considerable damage to that breakwater. The breakwater was not adequate protection for our city and business district. Mr. RANKIN. How high was that tidal wave? Mr. GREEN. We estimate that the height of the highest wave was approximately 45 feet. It carried away the greater portion of our business district. The city of Hilo is situated on a crescent-shaped bay. That is the reason we are making this request, to see if we cannot have a sea wall to protect us against not only tidal waves, but excessively high tides that we have there. Mr. RANKIN. Thank you very much. Mr. FARRINGTON. The next witness is Mr. Spalding. STATEMENT OF A. T. SPALDING, MANAGER OF THE HILO SUGAR CO., HILO, T. H. Mr. SPALDING. With regard to the remarks made by the other gentlemen, I have nothing further to add except that there should be a road tied into the sea wall so that our sugar could be transported over this road. We lost the railroad through the tidal wave and we need a road along this sea wall to take the traffic off the main Hilo street. I think that should be incorporated in this survey. Mr. ANGELL. My understanding is that the railroad is to be abandoned. Mr. SPALDING. The railroad is to be abandoned definitely. Mr. RANKIN. I think I can almost assure you that we will pass a resolution asking the Army engineers to make the survey. That is all you are asking for? Mr. SPALDING. That is all we want; yes, sir. Mr. DONDERO. Mr. Farrington hardly ever comes to this committee that he does not get what he wants. Mr. FARRINGTON. I shall leave some pictures here to show you the damage done by the tidal wave, Mr. Chairman. We thank you very much. Colonel FERINGA. May I interject that this should be a survey item in the bill, because there is no report to us extant that could be reviewed. Mr. ANGELL. I will ask that these proceedings be incorporated in the final record at the appropriate place when the proper resolution is introduced. Mr. RANKIN. It is all right to put it in the bill when we get ready to adopt all these amendments? Colonel FERINGA. Yes, sir. Mr. RANKIN. I suggest you do not let us forget it. Mr. DONDERO. You gentlemen see how it pays to have a representative from your country on this committee. Mr. AKINA. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and gentlemen. (Hearings on the Big Sandy River, W. Va. and Ky., and the Arkansas River projects held on May 6 to 9, inclusive, are printed separately.) |