The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-08-05

Deluge! How can they do other
wise than feel that their stock of
daily hope and sunshine is abun-
dainty watered, to say the leasty
Contractors, for instance, who have
large Numbers of men nj work, must |
wish that kind Providence had so
arranged the celestial wcier-works
that large share of that precious
fluid which now falls here, say nine
teuths. had been bestowed upon less
favored places. II is pe,Gcct en-
barrassment of riches.
There is one of the great enter
prises connected with the canal,
however, that heeds not sun nor
rain. 1t is beyond and above such
accidents and approaches in its
operations the Independent action of
natural agency. 1t is the admira-
ton and the wonder of all intelli-
gent beholders. A mighty auto
maton, lacking only the breath and
blood of life to rank with tabled
monsters of Plutonian or Megathe-
rian origin
Would YOU know what this wonder
full object is This cunning combina-
ton of mechanism, upon SO huge
scale and so perfectly adjusted that
it seems a living thing?
l will tell you.
1t is the monster Slaven Drcdge
of the American Contracting and
Dredging Company. Or, rather it
is seven of them! A small fleet! !
do not think it would be possible for
any writer to describe in words the
working of these great machines
and the strange impressions made
upon the mind while watching them
literally seat up' and devour the
space of earth they are set to attack.
l have tried once or twice and have
given it up. 1 could stand for hours
spell-bound, watching the great
steel buckets, each of which holds u
cubic meter, revolve upon the end
less chain from the depths below to
the seventy feet high tower, where
they empty themselves into an i'm
mense receiver, from which the soft
ened and astonished material, so
lately dreaming the dream of crea-
ton in undisturbed repose, is shot
away through great pipes, hundreds
Of feet, too, from the future canal.
Slowly and surely, like fate, or like
the "mills of the gods" in the
poem, the great wheels turning
over, driven by powerful central
engine deep down below, while a
shalf dozen lesser engines, like arms
and legs and hands and feet, guide
all the operations of the ponderous
and wonderful invention. Day oil
night, in sunshine or in rain, there
need be no rest. Change the watch,
as on ship at sea, and all through
the twenty-four hours the tireless
monster labors for M. de Lesseps
and civilization.
] am sure that ordinary readers
care little or nothing for figures,
therefore why should l trouble you
and them (begging yourand the;rpar-
don) by stating The details OF work
performed by this company? Suffice
it to say that they will put out l,000,-
900 cubic metias month, until
their contract OF 30.00G,000 is finish,
ed. What proportion is already
done | cannot say; but l am assured
by the very able and enterpri:ine
young gentleman who is at the heaI
of their affairs, viz: Commodore
III. B. Slaven, that they will be W
to time. The work will be complet
ed as agreed.
And since ] have inadvertentl,
mentioned the name of my friend
the Commodore, l will venture t.
tell you something about him, evel
at the risk of his displeasure; for h
is an instance of what young maj
of energy and intelligence ma,
accomplish in few brief years.
Henry Bartholomew Slaven wa
born in Canada West, now Ontario
little over thirty years ago. Hi
l parents were farmers in moderat
: circumstances Inc youngest G
several brothers, all of whom ha
attained prominence, he RENAME
at home on the farm, ga barefoote
boy" working hard, as all farmer.
: boys are used, until he approache
V maturity. Then came the irresist
y, BILE impulse of adventure that boz
him away from the parental roof an
the home acres to begin his strugg
l. with fortune. His first skirmish
IS the great battle of life was in IL
d city of Philadelphia, where he SOC
graduated as skilled pharmacis
at very early age. From there
went to San Francisco, where, wit
out friends or money, he opene
under the celebrated Baldwin Hott