Hawaii holomua = Progress., 1894-05-04

A LANDMARK.
HALE-MAHOE.
A Historical Building
Disappears
A LANDMARK.
HALE-MAHOE.

in and admires the progress of
Hawaii. ought to fee! proud
wherever one of the signs OF
Infancy of this rising country is
removed, the feeling is mingled,
AS far as the kImdainas are con-
cerned with regret, and with a
sympathetic thought towards the
DAYS Of old" "the men Of old,
and the memories dear" The
removal Of the old wooden build
ing on Queen street at the foot OF
KaaL umanu street, and lately
occupied by the well-known firm
OF Allen and Robinson, is a good
instance of the ever restless hanl
of progress. Few of onr present
citizens remember the history OF
that building. A few lines from
our feeble pen may awake mem
cries in the hearts of some of the
old ones" that may induce them
to give-if not tear-at least
regretful thought to the clrum-
stances and people connected
with the now destroyed old bull
ding. 1t was in the early fifties
when the material ali fixed and
all fitted for the Queen street
house was brought here from
Boston. Honolulu then did not
resemble Honolulu of to-day and
the building now sold and torn
down as "out of season" at that
time was a palace or at least
most magnificent structure.
The building was put up and
Honolulu felt proud. The firm
of Swan and Clifford took posses
sion of the new house and ran
successfully ship-chandlery
business. This was in the early
fities-long before brother Smith
and brother Castle (fIom Leipzig
had any idea of cutting faces"
Mr.. Clifford, who, praise to the
gods is dead. went to China at
one time and left the building,
land the business) in the hands
of Mr.. Swan. The last-named
gentleman "saw" Clifford and
raised him-that is, he raised
h. He disappeared and Cliff
ford was looking for him
until a few years ago when
he died an aged, broken up
man, existing on the charity and
friendship of the never-failing
helper J. /. Dowsett. The last
this community heard of Mr..
Swan was that he was running r.
bakery somewhere in California.
but things in that State are
evidently run in peculiar man
ner. If W. G. Smith could be
the Savior" why couldn't Mr..
Swan be baker.
The next party who occupied
the historical building was Mr..
Luddington. He kept liquor
store and was for a while success
ful. He was too successful for
his own good. His business was
too near the waterfront and he
actually went into the smuggling
business. If ne had been alive
now and doing the business be
would have known enough to
divide or at least pay snorting
j i'm dividend. He didn't. and
consequently Billy Smiths rre-
decessor in office, refused him a
license and poor Lnddington had
to be glade enough to go home
to "Yarmany" and die. He was
one of the wittiest and best
known characters around town
and in those days there was some
humor, wit. and ridicule knock
| iEg around. even if they didn't
have an Advisory Council and
W. o. S. was only infi,turo or
in uiibibas. Well. after they got
rid of Luddingion, the building
was occupied by a number of
different people. A. j. Cart
wright had his office there for
more than twenty years. The
United States Consulate had an
office upstairs for many years.
Fl. ". Severance ex-Hawaiian-
Consul General, aud ex-Ameri-
can-Consul- General welded at