Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1885-07-25

Put on those canvass overalls and those
iungare, shirts and then climb onto the deck
Of them thar mules
The "mules' were a bay mare, roam colt
and a white horse OF which | mounted the
latter. Ten seconds later we were gallopins
along muddy cane road, up an incline that
made our horses pant Back Of Us the stceply
broken hillside rose from the cliffs above the
sea To the LOCO or more feet of elevation
where we drew rein, carelessly creased and
folded and disordered mantle Of Lincoln green.
dotted with brown house roofs, striped with
silyery ilumc lines, figured with reddish black
falow land. Away to tie south east the long
timbered point beyond lliIo, ran forward until it
pierced the beryl sea, and backward until
It's ridge form was lost in the mountain mass Of
Kilauea Above us was fringe Of woodland
that seemed the outward wall Of a mighty
forest. Above it all, Maunl Kea, snow.
capped, solitary, awcsome
We gave our sweating horses to a native boy
who was awaiting us and took each one Of the big
boat-shaped bundles Of ferns he had gathered
for US and placed it in the iumc. The adroit
and practiccd Rexford was upon his and away
in half the time 1t takes to write this sentence.
Less adroitly but safely withal my comrade
and | followed suit, he last After you also
have llume.rddcn, you will realize as no words
may make you realize what a glorious ride it
was. Imagine the roller coaster, its down
grade no whit less rapid, its level passed at a
decorous snails pace, its jumping off places
doubled in hight and prolonged to the verge
Of dizziness, It's duration twice as many
minutes as the coaster trip takes seconds.
Forward and down, under the bending plant
cane, past the up-stariing rattoon fields, past
iailow land, past brushing bushes and tickling
weeds, over trestlcs, down cataract inclincs till
the long level near the Papaikou office is
reached and ride that is unlike all other
rides is at an end and already only memory.
One has only TO sit carefully on his fern boat,
keep cool headed (thc water will keep the rest
of one sol and refrain from the constant
temptation 10 grasp the sides Of the hume with
ones hands. So doing there is in fume riding
minimum Of danger and maximum Of de.
| light.
| Papaikou, now worked by an incorporated
company, is managed and largely owned by
Mr.. Z. G. Hitchcock. Mr. Julius Reinhardt,
| Jr. was its sugar boiler when was there. Its
present crop was being taken from $50 acres
OF plant cane, and 79 acres Of past ratoons.
1t was estimated that the crop would be Soc
tons. Next seasons crop will be taken from
900 acres of plant cane and I7s acres Of rat.
toons, and is expected to yield from I,4oo to
LOCO tons. Pdpaikou has at present I,o5c
acres Of cleared cane land, 500 acres Of un.
cleared land that when cleared will grow cane
and IL, COO acres Of forest and pasture land
The highest altitude of the estate is 6,Soo feet
at a distance Of II miles from the sea ; but
very little cane is grown above 600 feet from
the sea.
Papaikou was employing $50 laborers wher
| was there SO Portuguese, 30 Iawaiians
IS Japanese and IS Chinese All its cane wa,
Humed TO mills, and the general cultivation
and hauling Of the plantation was done by Ic
teams Of 5 mules each.
Onomea, Pepeekeo, Honomu, Hakaau
Honohino, Kaiwilahahi, Laupahoehoe anc
Ookala are the other Hilo plantations.
must keep what have to say OF them for my
next letter. r. S. 5.
Honolulu July 20, 1855