The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-06-10
AN HISTORICAL CORNER,
SOLD TO-DAY TO FoRECLoSE
A MORTGAGE.
Many Bidders in Attendance, but not
Much Bidding.


and Bethel streets was sold to-day at
James +. Morgan's auction rooms to
satisfy a mortgage. 1t consists of
frontage of 90 feet on Hotel street and
I25 feet on Bethel street. Although
there were large number of bidders
in attendance but one bid was made,
which was by S. M. Damon, in behalf
of Bishop q Co. The bid was for
$4,000, at which price the property
was sold. 1t was stated that some four
years ago this property was valued at
$4,000.
The property on the corner of Hotel
and Bethel streets is the site formerly
occupied by the old International hotel
a.d restaurant. Fifteen or twenty years
ago it was the best, and, in fact, almost
the only hosiery in town. 1t was the
headquarters of Government officials,
naval officers, whaling captains and
tourists generally The hotel proper
stood in the center of the lot and was
reached by tifty-fuot stone sidewalk
from Hotel street, the frontage on the
street proper being occupied by row
of small wooden stores, destroyed in the
great fire of 1886 This sidewalk from
the street to the hotel was composed of
square slabs of stone, and is said to BE-
the first masonry work of the kind
done in the city. E. B. Thomas, who
did the work in December, 1877, says
that it was the talk of the town, and
that crowds of natives viewed the pro-
ceeding from beginning to end, wonder
ing for what purpose the stones were
being laid.
In those days the hotel was run by
a Chinaman named All Kona, said to
be in habits, disposition and otherwise
more like white man than any other
Chinaman who has ever struck these
islands At any rate his name is held
in respect by many old patrons of the
hotel as being the only white China.
man they ever knew. Under his
management the hotel was run in
splendid style, the table was supplied
with every delicacy that could be OBJ
tanned, he gave unlimited credit, even
having been known to have kept as
many as thirty boarders at a time from
whom he never expected to get cent.
Times were good in those days and All
Kona made much money, which he
did not keep. Old boarders at his
hotel say that from his propensties he
ought to have been born in Kentucky,
for he was never known to go TO bed
sober, or if he could help it to let any
of his guests do SO. He would take
hand at whist, cribbage, or any other
game; and there are many poker
players in Honolulu who have painful
recollection of his skill at that inter.
esting but sometimes expensive pastme.
In those days what is now Bethel
street was known as Rose lane, there
being also side entrance to the hotel
from 1t. The lane at that time was in
the shape of the letter S, but under
the Gibson administration this was
changed and Bethel street is the result
After All Kona's time the old hotel was
run very much en- the same plan by
three or four Chinese until its destruc-
ton, which took place in the big fire of
1886. 1t was then under the manage
ment of All Chez. AT this fire all of
the combustlble portion Of the structure
went up in smoke, the walls alone re-
naming. These were of coral and
were afterwards pulled down and sold
piecemeal and considerable sum was
raised therefrom.
At this fire the other residents on
this old corner lost everything-Rose's
blacksmith shop, i'm Murphy's barber
shop, Hoftaling's old Bay Horse saloon,
Fyfe's butcher shop, the livery stable
run by Chinaman and other buildings
being swept away.
On the Nuuanu street end of the
property there was, in early days, what
was called "the fish pond" While there
were not many fish in it, there was plenty
of water, and it served as useful reser-
voir from which the old fire companies
used to draw the water supply in case
of fire in that vicinity THIS, of course,
has long since been filled up, and with
other historic landmarks of what was
once the prominent business rner of
Honolulu, nothing remains.
Much interest is manifested by the
old residents as to the future disposition
of this property, and the fact of its sale
10 day has awakened among them many
pleasing recollections of good old times
mad at the old hotel, in which most Of
them have participated to greater or
less extent.