The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1870-06-11
THE RA6IFIo
GomBpaf1al Abbertiser.
JUNE IL.
A Short Account
Of the Trials md SuderiDgs Of n Man and
his Wife and Six Children, named Per.
kins, n Native Of Euginud, on Ihe
IsInnd of Launi. Sandwich Islands,
ON the La nds of Capt. Gibson.
Honolulu, June 6. 1870.

To give the reader q clear knowledge of the whole
affair, I must give him an account of our first ac-
quaintance with Capt. Gibson. 1t happened thus
I was in the Labor Exchange, San Francisco, seek
ing employment in the beginning of February last,
when 1 saw an advertisement posted up requiring
twenty men to join in the cultivation of sugar. Par
ticulars given on application at the Office of Fl.
Hughes, 800 California street. I spoke to the clerk of
the Labor Exchange, who asked me about my expe-
rience as q farmer. Having satisfied him as to my
ability, he gave me q letter to Capt. Gibson, at the
Office of H. Hughes. 1 went there and presented the
letter to Capt. Gibson in person, who said his object
was to form a sugar plantation on the Island of La
mai, a sort of cooperative society, telling US, for
there were several more applicants in the office at the
time, that he (Mr. g. had &c, 1000 acres of freehold
land on the Island of Lanai, admirably adapted to
the growth of sugar cane, and that when he left
Lanai he had over 25 acres of cane, very rich in
saccharine juice, growing on his land. When ques-
toned by US as to the density of the juice, he told US
it would 90 as high as Is to IA by Baum's saccha7
rometer, which l told him L thought was a fabulous
standard, but he assured us that he was speaking
nothing but the truth, and that if we would go down
with him we could all make money, SO, 900, after
paying all expenses. He said he would have an
agreement printed for US to examine, and if we
AAhNA w
but he stipulated that We should all pay our passage
to the islands, depositing $50 apiece in his hnRas as
a surety that we would go with him and he would
act as our agent in securing our passage as cheap as
he could get it. According to his own statement he
contracted with the firm of Merrill s. Co., to take us
in the bark Comet for $50 a head, which contract
was carried out by said firm to the entire satisfaction
of all concerned. Captain Fuller of the bark Comet
and his officers did all in their power to make the
passengers comfortable, and the voyage agreeable,
which lasted twenty-one days. But we little dreamed
when we left the Comet and bid farewell to the kind
hearted Captain Euller and his obliging officers and
crew, what trouble was before US.
But 1 am depressing from my story. Mr.. Gibson
asked me about my family, and 1 gave him a truth
full account of them, and be visited me at my lodg-
ings to see, as he stated, if they were a healthy
family and suitable TO ~emigrate. When he saw them
he found them as 1 had stated. He questioned my
wife as to her own personal abilities, and finding she
was a woman from the North of Ireland and used to
milking and making butter, he promised to give her
ten quiet mich COWS, to milk and make butter from,
on halves. Also as much poultry as she could rear.
Mr.. Gibson providing her a stock to commence with,
both chickens and turkeys, telling her she could
make q fine thing of it as his daughter made as
much as 5000 a year by turkeys alone. When
SthO ~ VIZ RAONoNNS Va NHS A0ANANc liz eahSO
there was no lack of Vegetables and fruit and plenty
of cocoanuts and rice and plenty of running water
for all purposes, and with a very little
trouble it could be brought right down in o ditch to
our very doors. All these things we were to have
of charge, including mutton, sometimes beef. In
he stated we should have everything free, with
the exception of flour, tea and sugar, hops. Sc,
articles he would supply to US at wholesale
prices on credit.
He borrowed money from some of our company to
him to do so but when he got OH Lanai his
time was too much occupied with trading soap, bis
cults, -four, &C., for goat skins, and the almighty
dollar, for time to pay much attention to US. 1 sup
he thought it all right, as he had got our money.
deposited with him 500, and he accounted for 1t
thus Passage to Honolulu $50 board during our
So, but told me that in all it cam to $111. At
he same time l could never see clear how my ex-
penses footed up to $3l in three days after landing
n Honolulu.
Kinau, and set sail for Lanai. We received very
bad treatment on board. Mr.. Gibson gave US very
title to eat, and only twice a day. On one occasion
We had one Irish potato each for our dinner, and on
mother one small biscuit and half an apple for sup
Der. We had a dead calm after sighting the Island
# Lanai, and all hands were compelled to work ut
he sweeps or long oars to endeavor to gain the
larbor before our water should be exhausted. After
icing four days and nights ON the passage we reached
he harbor half starved and exhausted, being exposed
the burning sun all day on deck, and TO the rain
nd cold all night. But there was no help for us
,oor emigrants. 1t was pitiful to hear the children
skiing for a biscuit or something to eat, and l not
BILE to give it them. We discharged the cargo of
he sloop, and myself and wife carrying the baby,)
nd the rest of the children started to walk up from
he beach, a very rough and rocky road, up the side
f a mountain, to go to MIR. Gibson's station, three
r four miles, q place called PalaWai. We arrived
very much d~ispirited and disappointed with
be appearance of everything. 1t looked scorched to
cinder, and nothing green, and no sign of any
tream or water, as we had been led to suppose.
,ut instead of this, we found that Mr.. GibSon's
Tater supply consisted of two or three muddy water
oles, up in the mountains. and some two or three
off, only approachable by donkeys and mules
18th two small kegs on their backs, which took the
me of one Chinese coOlie to pack down to the kitchen
1r cooking purposes. Washing clothes was out of
he question. The Chinese packman scarcely being
BILE to keep the kitchen going, sometime having to
amp alongside the muddy water holes all night and
coop up the water as it dripped into the mud hole
trough the mud and drift. I
Our company saw plainly that something must be
one ; so we set to work and dug holes in the ravines,
ut could find no water that would last more than a
ay or two. The water obtained was too muddy for I
rinking purposes, and in too small q quantity TO be
{ any service. l continued working for MIR. Gibson {
ON the 10th till the 22d of March, when MIR. Gibson I
sked me to take sheep on halves. He saw knew I
ne sugar plantation was a hoax and swindle He !
new also 1 must do something to support my family.
e promised to give me and my partner 1000 eve |
leep each (for, as 1 shall show directly, 1t was nee !
'sary that two men should be t~ogether,) on the
alves, with half the wool and half the increase for I
term of five years, and also all the goats on his b
alton on the same terms. He was to find US in
orses TO shepherd with and to pack water, which he +
Id us was plentiful and close to the Station. 1 v
greed to take the sheep on the terms proposed, and a
1uld have made a living, if he had acted honestly
wards me, but it was not in the man, as L after t
ards found out. In everything he deceived US.
hich statement I Can easily prove. Mr.. Gibson a
Id me to go to his out-station, called Kaa, and take
mporary charge of about 1000 sheep, mostly f
ethers and wenal lambs, the rest ewes and he u
ould give me half the lambs that dropped from the a
of my taking charge of them until l got 1000 il
-. II a11 o--~1I
give me what rice I, my partner, wife and children
ould need, on my agreeing to pay. for half of it. s.
e commenced by giving us twenty pounds OF rice P
ing no vegetables, 1 expOstulated with him but a
told me he would not give me any more, and he
on reduced the allowance to six pounds, and b
arged US for three of it. In fact we could seldom "
t more than enough to last from two to three days ia
the outside. L had to buy flour to make up the G
fciency, and things were going on very unsatis- 1
and we could not get a horse to herd the
eep with or pack water, and were often reduced to cs
state of famine for want of water. When Mr.: il
BISON was applied to for assistance, he took no heed as
US. The little water We got on first going to Kaa 81
IS nearly two miles from our house up in the