The New International Encyclopædia/Pearl Harbor

PEARL HARBOR. An inlet on the south coast of Oahu, Hawaii, six miles west of Honolulu (Map: Hawaii, C 2). It consists of several land-locked basins with a narrow entrance inside of which there is a depth of 60 feet. Outside, however, a coral reef prevents the entrance of large vessels. In 1884 the United States obtained the right from the Hawaiian Government to establish here a coaling and repair station, and several surveys were made by the United States Government. The harbor, however, was not utilized, and the acquisition of the harbor of Honolulu in 1898 rendered its improvement unnecessary.