The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-08-06
SIGHTS ON HAWAII
From HilO to the Volcano, Over
the New Road.
Points on the New Roufe-EDf-
sOdes of TraVeI-The Home
steads of OIaa-Spen-
GERS Folly.

The traveller to the Volcano from
Hllo should get an early start, in or
der to reach the higher levels before
the rays of the sun wax hot. There
was hardly light enough to see when
we climbed into a comfortable dou.
BILE carriage, and the horses started
into smart trot, off for their eigh
teen. mile jaunt The morning red
glowed behind the fringe of palms
on Cocoanut Island, while Mauna
Kea was already flushed with the
first light of dawn. The hour was a
perfect one, and we went off in high
good humor.
For the first six miles the way
leads mainly through the land of
Waiakea, a magnificent estate Of
$4,000 acres belonging to the Crown,
and leased to the Waiakea Sugar
Company for thirty years, almost all
of which period has still to run. We
drove through a field of old aa,
which was just being planted for the
first time As the age of this lava Is
imagined to be about 600 years, one
is enabled to estimate just how long
the Waiakea dividends would have
been postponed if the flow of 80 had
not stopped before entering their
cane fields. A fresh, warm lava
stream, paradoxical as it may seem,
has more chilling effect on profits
than a thousand Mckinley bills.
The two however are the Scylla and
Charybdis of Hawaiian industry, and
the fate is ironical which let Waiakea
escape from Madame Pele only to
deliver her over to the tender mer-
cies of Madame's ally, Bill Mckinley.
Shortly after passing the fourth
mile post, the road enters the edge
of the forest, emerging again for
short breath before it takes its final
plunge. It was here that Sheriff E.
g. Hitchcock was nearly drowned a
couple of years ago, the road being
completely under water. The Sheriff
is as hale and hearty as ever, and the
road certainly gives no sign, its
stout lava Macadam having emerged
without damage. Here also is point
ed out the spot where the flood over
took young bridal couple, compel
ling them incontinently to abandon
the beaten way and pass the first
night of their honeymoon in a tree.
The cause of these disasters must be
sought in a bad grade which might
have been avoided by running lit
tie higher up.
About six miles from Hilo the
limit Of Waiakea is reached, ma
wac. or volcanic crack, separating it
from the land of Keau, the princely
domain of w. II. Shipman. The
ahupuaa of Keau was originally part
of the Lunalilo estate, and was
bought at auction by the Hon. S. M.
Damon, Capt. Eldarts and W. Ell.
Shipman. Afterwards the latter
bought out his two partners, becom-
ing thereby the sole owner of about
a hundred square miles of Hawaiian
soil. Much of it of course is not
arabic, but it contains, inter ALA,
5000 acres of the finest cane land
besides thousands OF acres more
which will grow almost anything,
though they have never been
scratched by the pillow. The road
continues on Keau for about five
miles, when it enters Olaa and stays
on it until, just short of the cattle
pen, it energies on Keau again. A long
strip of the latter tract runs to with
in mile and half of the volcano.
1t thus appears that almost the en-
tire journey of thirtytwo miles from
Hilo to the Volcano is made on lands
controlled by three owners only, the
Waiakea plantation, W. III. Shipman
and the Crown. Yet this is not
consideration to the Kahuku Ranch
in Kau, the property of Colonel
Norris, which is said to contain 16O,-
900 acres, or over $50 square miles
enough for little German State.
When one catches ones breath at the
very mention of these gigantic mon
opolies, it is a relief to remember
that the Crown lands at any rate are
a part of the public domain, and that
the day must soon come when they
will be administered by the people
and for the people.
The sun was hardly risen when we
entered upon the boundary of Olaa
and found once more the cheerful
traces of human habitation. A large
number of homesteaders, chiefly Ha-
waiians, have taken advantage OF the
more liberal policy pursued by the
Grown Commissioners in regard to
these lands, and are awaiting them
selves of the opportunity to acquire
homesteads. There were settlers