Newswatch

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Tuesday, August 3, 1999

Falls of Clyde IT is a native of Scotland, more than 200 years old, and today floats peacefully in our midst. It is the Falls of Clyde, billed as the world's only surviving full-rigged, four-masted sailing ship. Now docked in Honolulu Harbor's Pier 7 as part of the Hawaii Maritime Center, the vessel was built in 1778 and has journeyed on more than 320 voyages to every continent of the world. The Falls of Clyde first came into Honolulu Harbor a century ago as part of Capt. William Matson's fleet. Matson, who had bought the ship for $25,000, pressed it into service between San Francisco and the Big Island. Among the vessel's colorful cargo, according to "Insight Guides: Hawaii": a locomotive for Hilo Railway in 1902. In 1906, Associated Oil Co. bought the ship from Matson Navigation, launching the vessel into an era of ferrying cargo such as oil from California and molasses from Hawaii. By 1963, the ship had become a casualty in a Seattle bankruptcy case. It came dangerously close to being sunk as a man-made breakwater, before being saved by a Hawaii fund drive which raised enough money to bring the vessel back here as a hands-on museum artifact.

New waste-zapper bound for Oahu job

A machine that zaps solid waste with 15,000 degree bolts of electricity is being shipped to Hawaii to dispose of growing piles of medical waste.

The Plasma-Enhanced Melter transforms waste into recyclable glass, metal slag and clean-burning hydrogen gas that is used to run the system.

A system that can handle a ton of waste each day is scheduled to arrive at Campbell Industrial Park next month as a demonstration project for state and county governments and local businesses having problems disposing of their waste, said Michael Lilly, senior vice president of Asian Pacific Environmental Technology Inc.

A 4-ton-a-day, $3 million system is scheduled to arrive at Campbell later this year and begin disposing of medical waste in January, he said.

The stainless steel machine, built by Integrated Environmental Technologies Inc. of Richland, Wash., can handle everything from used tires, old batteries and hazardous chemicals to household garbage, he added.

The waste is melted in an oxygen-free chamber so there is no incineration and, therefore, no carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide or other troublesome emissions.

Steven Chang, chief of the state Department of Health's Solid and Hazardous Waste Branch, said health officials were anxious to see the system in operation.

"It looks promising," he said. "It will be nice to see a demonstration of the process."

Lilly said the company that makes the machine selected Hawaii as as the place to show off the technology to attract officials from Pacific and Asian nations which have their own problems with waste disposal.

Water service restored at Wailua Homesteads

WAILUA HOMESTEADS -- Water service was back to normal for 1,700 homes yesterday following replacement of a pump that was leaking mercury into a well. Residents had been asked to cut water use by 35 percent last week while the well was out of service.

Water Department Manager Ernie Lau said water from the well tested free of mercury after the installation. The new pump does not have any components containing mercury.

A second well in Wailua Homesteads remains closed due to an identical problem. The pump has been replaced but traces of mercury remain in the water.

Cayetano may press for higher wage floor

Gov. Ben Cayetano may push for an increase in the state's minimum wage of $5.25 an hour, his press secretary, Kathleen Racuya-Markrich, said.

The reason: to help the thousands who will be forced off welfare rolls beginning Dec. 1, 2001, because of tougher federal rules.

"It's out of concern for the 3,000 families that are expected off welfare in December 2001," Racuya-Markrich said.

In subsequent months, more families will be cut from welfare.

If Cayetano does push for a minimum-wage increase, it could come as early as next year's legislative session, Racuya-Markrich said.

At this stage, the governor has not indicated how much higher the minimum wage should be raised, she said.

Corrections Washington Middle School registrar William Sealy Jr. will be the first person in the state to be tried under a new federal law that makes it illegal to produce child pornography using materials that have crossed state lines. An article Saturday said incorrectly that he would be the first in the country. The last sentence of the story on technology graduates that ran in yesterday's Today section should have read: "Most of them are going to the mainland, to look for jobs there." The end of the sentence was inadvertently cut off. We regret the error.

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Police, Fire, Courts



By Star-Bulletin staff

Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers

Alden Pauline Jr.

SOUGHT BY POLICE

Pauline is wanted for questioning
and for parole violations.

Dad faces murder charge in death of his daughter

A 43-year-old Waipahu man was arrested yesterday in connection with the murder of his 3-month old daughter, police said.

The baby was pronounced dead at Kapiolani Hospital yesterday at 6:55 p.m.

The case was first reported to police at 2:55 a.m. Saturday after Child Protective Services was notified by hospital personnel.

Detectives believe the injuries occurred Friday night at about 10 p.m and may be consistent with shaken baby syndrome..

The medical examiner's office conducted an autopsy on the baby today.

The infant's name was not released.

Cops hunting for driver in fatal Maui accident

WAILUKU -- Maui police are looking for the driver that caused a motor vehicle accident that killed a 15-year-old boy.

Joshua Kaaa of Wailuku died Saturday at Maui Memorial Medical Center from injuries sustained as a passenger in a car involved in the accident in central Maui at about noon on July 24.

Police Sgt. Jayson Kozaki said the car was traveling toward Kihei on Mokulele Highway near the Maui Humane Society's animal shelter, when it was struck in the rear by a white vehicle, possibly a truck, and hit an oncoming car.

Kaaa was Maui's ninth traffic fatality this year, compared with nine for the same period last year.

Convicted burglar sought for parole violation

CrimeStoppers is asking for help in finding Alden Pauline Jr., wanted for parole violations.

Police also want to question Pauline about "pending matters.'

Pauline is a cousin of Dana Ireland murder suspect Frank Pauline Jr.

But police said they can't comment on why they want to question Alden Pauline Jr. because of the gag order on the Dana Ireland case.

The Department of Public Safety says Pauline, 24, is a career criminal who was out on parole for a burglary and other felony convictions. Pauline is known to frequent Leeward and Windward Oahu. He may also be in Puna on the Big Island.

Pauline is 5 feet 9 inches tall, 180 pounds with a medium build. He has brown hair, brown eyes and a tan complexion.

He has a mustache, and a tattoo on the right hand that reads, "hate," and a tattoo on the right hand, "I love you Jesus."

If you have information on Pauline, you can call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.