Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-05-07
THE PACIFIC PEARL
Attractions of the Beautiful Isle of
Oahu. 1.-The Home Of the
Sugar Cane
The Wealth of Her Fertile Soil
Promises to give this REGION
Great Prominence.
Pearl City, on Pearl River, has Many
Business Advantages Peculiar
To Itself.
BY LIONEL STAGGE.

J
The Island of Oahu. of which Honolulu
is the capital. was first discovered in 1894.
and was then called Fairhaven. The ma
tives at the time of the discovery were
subject to the most savage superstition.
and it was not until Kamehameha the
Great, VINO was then chief of the Island of
Hawaii, met In combat Kahekili, the
chief Of Oahu, and totally destroyed the
fleet of the latter, that Honolulu S era of
peace and prosperity set In. kahekill. in
a message TO his triumphant foe. pleaded
for truce. wait till the black tape Gov
ers me, said he, and my kingdom shall
be yours" His death shortly followed
On this island, then, for the pleasure
seeker rs we'll as for the invalid in search
of coveted good health, Honolulu presents
the most diversified attractions. Situated
IL the center of Hawaii's matchless
group, ''the Isle Of Oahu, with its mag
nifcent shipping facilities at Pearl Har-
Dor, In matChless climate 2nd surround
ed by every natural advantage, (auch as
nature has bestowed upon no other region),
Is indeed most desirable and popular re-
sort. Here is the natural home of the
sugar cane, which the venerable
1heophrastus, who lived about 800
years before the christian era, the first
writer whose works have come down to
US by whom sugar is mentioned, and is
called a sort of honey extraction from
cane or reeds" and tells US Of the reeds
in India that yield honey without bees.
The original habit of the sugar cane is not
known, but it seems to have been first
cultivated In the country extending from
Cochin China to Bengal. Sugar reached
! T. 4
late date. Strabo has an inaccurated
notice from Near hus of the India honey
bearing reed, and various classical writers
sweet sap of the Indian reed or the granu.
from. India or from Arabia and Opone
(these being entrepots of the Indian trade)
and the name of saccharum and used In
medicine. Under the Arabs the growth
and manufacture of the can spread far and
WIDE from India to Suez Morocco and
was also introduced into Smelly and
Andrlusia 1t was thought his source of
revenue that Charles ". obtained funds
for his palace building at Madrid and To-
edo. At the invention of Mr.. B. T. Dill
bingham. a wealthy gentleman Of Homo
lulu, and to whom the country owed ruch
for the enterprising spirit displayed in
building up the country at large, the
writer visited the plantation of the Oahu
railway and land company and to this
gentleman, as well as the efficient superin-
tendents of the cand rice plantations, he is
under obligations to their hospitality and
courtesy, enabling him to see the beauties
of this Eden spot in our Hawaiian Italy.
Winding through a region Of rich lands,
dotted here and there with lofty cocoanut
trees waving their plumes gently IN the
breeze, magnificent royal palms, the bread
fruit and A lgeroba trees, which furnish in
yiting shade to tired travellers of weli-fed
kline, the Pearl river presents view truly
plcturesoe as it Wanders III and out among
the trees and grassy banks, now tumbling
over its rocky bed of rapids and again NOV
ing lazily along through the deep, dark
shaded pools where sport the tinted null
let Away in the distance, beyond the
tCot hills, are seen the purple mountains
with their crested peaks which seem to
pierce the azure dome, and the deep shad-
ows OF the dark canyons, which appear
like black monsters standing near their
base, the brilliant sunshine, the clear blue
of the sky, the view of the sunlit slopes
and dancing, glittering sea- while all
through the valley vines, Towering shrubs,
ripping streams, mystic retreats and
charms beyond description.
Pearl City is so situated as to be provid-
ed with the most ready means of transpor-
tation for passengers and freight, while
rail and water will be used in direct com
petition, thus insuring for all times the
most moderate rates. The coast division
Of the Oahu railroad, leaving at Honolulu,
traverses the foot of many a valley, pass
ing directly through the heart of the most
productive portion Of the country and tap
ping nearly every place of Importance. On
the line OF the railroad are various towns,
all laid out upon the building of the rail
road and all with great expectations based
upon the development of the surrounding
region. Up to the time OF the completion
of the railroad, this locality was devoted
almost entirely to stock. But under the
management and by the enterprise of one
man, there have been planted thousands
Of acres Of sugar, rice, bananas, etc, all
of which promise an early and profitable
maturity. This region has sources of
wealth in her fertile soil which promise to
give that section prominence second to
no other portion Of the islands.
The Improvement of mos interest to the
country is the construction Of a coaling
and repair station at Pearl River harbor
For this congress has been asked to ap-
propriate 500, 900. Ignorant writer's
have said that it was next to an impossi-
bility to remove portion of coral reef
extending across the entrance to the
harbor and prevent its use by deep
draught war vessels. But such is not the
fact. Recent investigations have shown
that what was supposed to be an impene-
trable coral reef is nothing but a cal
careoys deposit of coral and mud and sand
which caa be easily removed and at very
little expense.
1t VS. very great satisfaction to the
writer 81 visiting this magnificent pros
pect for a naval and coaling station to
Contemplate the immense advantage such |
d Dor, ion Of the Pacific, and at this par
ticuiar place, would give to the United /
States. If those who think adversely of
the proposition could but visit this !
harbor and see it as the writer did. each |
new vista more beautiful than the one
before; tie air baIny. perfumed with |
odors boz Il On the gentle breeze from trees |
and wild flowers of the forest; the sun
shone out from sky as blue as that of /
Italy, and occasionally white cloud float
ed away from the mountain, and as 1T |
sailed across the mountain air reflected
its slow or rapid movements in the CLASSY
tide below; sea and shore, island, woods
and mountains, with vclumueous sky
and fervid sun, formed a picture of
natural beauty and enchanting scenery
that filed me with inexpressable delight,
all objection would be Immediately dis
PEELED ard an amlcable settlement arrived.
Pearl River is as completely land-locked as
is possible for such body OF water. The
nE tho arcLnraCra around is