The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1876-09-16
Honolulu Az II II ~

elgn lands in letters 10 friends and by cofrespon.
dents In newspapers OF other countries. bat siiii
we venture 20 auseFt hat more than six-cighths 81
The respectable class ~ Honoiuin residents eonis
not give q true account of Honoluln. because
they have sccn In heir dairy walks and drives only
that part 81 the city which may be Seen from the
streets. and then tbey hsve not ~ocp mnch mcrr
u,an onel.aif o. The building, contained IN Ne
limits q the city. and TINS far hey may. in all
truth. describe Honolnln a. one 81 The rrrtuesi
CITIES that can be found In the tropics.
London has its Scvea Dials. Ncu York he Five
Points. New Orleans is Swampa. hut Honolulu.
smallest 50 port town Of all, has la Sims, that
may well compete In extent with cliies of one
quarter, one-half or ono million ~ inhabitants.
Honolulu has It's Cape Horn. its Japan Sea. Black
| Sea. aud Oshcf scas of like appropriate names
! seas ~ lniquity. yllenca and shame. In which
many a cram just launched from q quirt and virin.
ons home has been wrecked. There arr, We pre-
sumo. lhOnsands living this day In Honolrin and
ita envircns, thousands that have lived hcro for
nearly n lifetime md do not know what Il hidden
between the streets through which their daily
avocaiions Induce shcm 10 pass. The clean and
we'll swept streets are the outward crusis ~ The
pie. ana between u he nIing N Of alih and
denomination.
We hare secn those ~lnms. We have. dnring
two evenings, travelled through this terra ~inoognlia
under The protection and guidAncc ~ the Deputy
Marshal. u. Dayton, Esq. for Tho purpose cf sec'
ing Honolulu AZ il Is, and We have seen enough 10
convince ms in The hrsi instance thAtl u lmponsi
BILE that thu existence and extent Of thrsc Alnms
can be known 10 the respectable cltiScns 81 Homo
iulu. and must he unknown 20 merchants and men
OF property and we would advise. ior their own
good aud benefit, any merchant or man Of prop
..,n A.. n % 49, 49, 49,. .... ~ h.
lnln, bu, not alone. as that might Do not only mn.
safe. hut besides have the caeci 10 leave the visitor
at the morcy OF the peculiar class that lnla#ft
these parts Of he city. by becoming lost and
unable 10 nnd HE way again Into tho broad street
When we made onr visit under The guidance or
Mr.. Dayton, Il was one OF those splendid moon.
light nights. when lhe moon i In her fall and sends
her light over the sea and paints ovcry ripple Into
silver brightness and jewelod robes. but shows the
interior Of the slums in the peculiar dRFk shadows
of vice aud vilencss.
We are certain that when you return again into
the street frem your tramp ihrough these fifteen or
twenty acres Of unknown seas. yon will lock your
store-house, yonr warehouse. and leave Tho ciiy
for your residence In the suburbs. not with the
same feeling Of ease and security az you nscd 20
do during 80 many years.
You have been on top OF a volcano that al any
moment, day or night, may belch forth Hames that
toi1o,d hindrance may lay the town and all Il con.
tains in ashes, from one end 10 The other. as nom
one sea TO the other, cnvIronIng the city west.
north and east.
There are from 10 to 20 acres Of land covered with
dwellings. good. bad and indifferent. with not a lane
through which q wheelbarrow could pass. bot with
innumerable passages running In every direction.
Found aud back and forward and back. q perfect
labyrinth 10 the uninItiated. through broken psilnes
and through versndahs on an average only Two feet
wide and often less. No hre-engine could enter any
Of the Seas in case a negligent Chinese or native
opium smoker, or . child's playing with matches. or
a drunken sailor or BLACKBOARD should start q con-
H~sgration.
Or THE IxHAniTAKfs
Of this quarter Of Honolulu we can say bat little. ~
the hour. . o'clock p. m, was yet zoo soon TO de-
velop the full life Of the slums. a. Mr.. Dayton In
formed us, and 90 those that came In view, siunk
hurriediy Into the shadow and round CORNERS 90 soon
as the bright moonlight revealed the grey coat OF the
deputy marshal; but ~ On example Of the different
ideas and feelings In this community from those Of
the sunlit city we may mention an instance Of mis-
placed coincidence. In one place we found several Of
the genus woman seated under q verandah. and Mr..
Dayton, WHO appeared to know every one Of the In
habitants we met a. well ne every turn and crock 81 .
the sheepwalks. asked one Mary. "Mshea Ike ksae
oef" Make no. was the reply. "Pilikis Oct"
said Mr.. d.. in compassion Chighly improper as IL sp-
pears). as Mary replied "Aols pllkia; mamua
akahi kane vale no. ano ekolu kane msiama is'u.'
But enough Of the slnms. We introduced the subJsct
to give an earnest and well meant warning. well
worth notice. not 20 much In reference TO the dis.
grace Of Honolulu 10 inclose such slums, but espe-
cially TO point ont a volcano more dangerous 10 Ho.
nolulu and the whole kingdom than Kilauea TO o
house built on the hardened crust o. the south or
north lake. May our warning be needed and some
steps be taken by the Legislature now 10 session BIZ
appointing q committed Of men Of property cut OF the
present Assembly, such ss Messrs. Cleghorn. Water
house, Wilder or Green, 10 pay q visit 10 these eIums
under the Guidance Of Dir. Dayton, and then is, them
judge for themselves and their fellow citizens.
THE QUEsTioS
Now comes foremost. " What arc the causes that
have created this home Of the ~hre-nend. this powder
magazine within a case Of matches. this sword Of
Damocles hanging on . tiny hntr above the property.
the all of Honolulu" And the answer must be,
the negligence Of the government 10 offer and The
negligence Of the citizens Of Honolulu 10 demand a
municipal government, and the Insufficient and Grip
pied state Of the police force Of Honolulu, by an M.
preparation that 10 insufficient 10 enlist a number Of
police to guard such dangerous places. Had Homo.
lulu been governed by a municipal government such
slums would have long ago disappeared from the In
terror Of the city.
Let The reader just wonder that one OF these
places joining Maunakea street IL ESQ yards long
by 1870 yards wide, without any entrance by which
a ~nre-egine could reach any one q the hundreds of
houses. Any city government would long ago
have continued Hotel street towards the river and
opened another street from the middle Of NuHanu
through the Smith Jane slpms to tho river. and
another street dividing the sions 10 their whole