The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-04-23
John N. Hering's Poverty Made
Endurabls by Odd Possessions.
rLANrEs FIRST RICE IN HAwAII.
Whils Residing ia HOnOI1Iu Herring
Invented Haohins WAIsh He
Claims VIII RSVelatiSnizs the
Present System of Land Cultivation.

Any one entering the basement of
what is known as 1914 Jessie street,
near Third, San Francisco, would find
it difficult to determine whether he
was in an odd corner of a museum,
the forcastle of an Old-time whaler or
the hut of q South Sea Islander.
Amid surroundings as curious and
heterogeneous as these there dWells
alone John NJ. Herring, aged 73 years,
an individual as remarkable for the
perseverance he has displayed as for
his Ingenuity. And though Mr.. Her
ing has passed the Biblical limit Of
three score and ten, and maintains an
existence under conditions of extreme
poverty, he is still most sanguine of
achieving fame and fortune by his
own efforts before bis span Of life is
broken.
His life history is varied and has
been interspersed with many peculiar
and interesting incidents. He is a
native of SAKE Coburg. At the age of
26 he was soldier in the German
army and took an active part in the
war waged by that country against
Denmark in 184S. He was thrice
wounded. One bullet imbedded itself
in his left leg, another blaZed q path
across his left cheek, near the jaw, and
a saber nearly severed his left thumb
from his hand. After leaving the
military service in 1850 he located at
CuXhaven, Hamburg, where for six
years he followed the peaceful and un-
romantic pursuit of a tailor.
At this time the spirit of adventure
that had been imbibed while under
ant, and he shipped on whater at
Bremen for two years cruise, taking
berth as cook. Before the voyage was
over he had become so expert with
the harpoon that during active opera
tiOns he filed the responsible position
Of harpooner in the captains boat.
During the stay of the vessel at Kam-
chatka, in 1856, it became known to
the Governor of the place that Herring
was considerable of musician, and
he frequently invited him to his resi-
dence to play for his family and
guests.
Extensive excavations were in pro-
gress in the neighborhood at the time,
and a mammoth, measuring between
sixteen and eighteen feet, had been
uneartheG. The skeleton was COM
plete, and as a reward for his Obliging
services Herring was permitted to
carry off one of the huge tusks of the
beast. Part OF this has been worked
up into cane. handles and other Orna-
ments by the ingenious owner, and a
stump of it about a foot long and elk
inches in diameter, now adorns one of
the walls of Hering's uncOuth-lOOk-
ing den.
The winters of the two years cruise
were spent in trading among the
South Sea islands and in trips to
China, Japan and Australia, sojourns
being also made at Honolulu for the
purpose of refitting each season. Dur
ing these jOurneyings Herring landed
on fourteen different cannibal Islands
and secured supply of aboriginal
war and hunting implements and
other curios sufficient to stock re-
spectacle sized museum. 1t includes
bows, arrows, spears, lances, clubs,
boOmerangs, idols and household
utensils, all of which now make part
of the unique decoration of his home.
In 1858 he met with an accident
which disabled one of his arms, and
he forsook whaling and took up his
residence at Honolulu. Here, in 1859
he met Captain COursen, whaler,
who brought to Honolulu what he
claimed to be relics of the i'll fated ex-
pedition of Sir John Franklin. Cap
tain Coursen said that he had bartered
clothing for them with some Esqu1-
maux, and that from the story they
told of the finding of them he had no
doubt that the articles had belonged
to members of that disastrous enter
prise OF these Herring succeeded In
securing a compass and a pair of spec
tacles from Captain COursen, and
though they have little or no intrinsic
|. value, he treasures them as almost
priceless possessions.
In 1868 he got notion THAI the
island had all the requirements to
make rice growing a profitable ven
| ture. He wrote to friend IN South
| Carolina and imported fifty pounds OF
| seed rice, which came by mail and
| cost him 81 75 for postage This he
| planted on little less than an acre OF
| land, and was rewarded with crop OF
! 34OO pounds, great portion of which
| he readily sold for cents a pound
| He was thus the first, he claims, tC
| introduce this industry into the Ha-
! waiian Islands. A portion Of his crop
| was sold as seed to others who were
! desirOus of emulating his enterprise
and most of the remainder was eX-
ported to this city, where it sold for {
! good price. Meanwhile the Chinese
bod ~, CoIifOrpio ap6 will