Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-03

grossly lewd, and a source of idleness and
disorder. Petitions were made to the gov
e1nor to permit IT. He looked a. some
dancing. saw little harm in it. and ordered
that the PEOPLE might be allowed to dance
on Queen Victoria's birthday. which was at
hand. He went away, and the people set
to, and have been dancing almost all right
ever since! This entirely broke up the
schools. stopped work. and with dry
weather. helped on time of famine
Apparently, the Gilbert Islands can never
possess commercial value. They are far
south of any possible line of trans-Pacifc
trade. The harbors are insignificant. The
land area is diminutive, and incapable CT
producing any salable product except a
Few coconuts. 1t is hard to imagine W hat
benefit England can ever derive from their
possession. Probably the British govern
| ment thought it best, in lack of securing
Hawaii. to get the nearest group to the
westward, as they hold the Fannings
group, one thousand miles south of us-a
quite similar. but smaller chain of atolis,
or coral lagoon islets. with rather more
rain, and no aboriginal inhabitants. 1t is
not till ten or fifteen degrees farther
south that one comes to the famed south
Sea Isles of tropic luxuriauce and Poly
nesian nymphs, the theme of Herman Mel
vile. and later of Robert Louis Stevenson
all as unlike the sterile Gilbert atolls as
the green Alleghanies to Nevada sage
brush. Nothing can be lovelier to the sight
than Samoa. Tonga Tahiti, Aitutaki, or the
great Viii (Feejee) islands. But the tenn
perature is too warm, and the climate
steams with moisture. all in strong contrast
with the dry and mild atmosphere of Ha-
wall which lies in the southernmost sweep
of. the vast cold current from Alaska and
Oregon.
Cooled by The Alaska Current.
This cooling influence which the Hawa-
:ian Islands enjoy is something not found
anywhere else within the tropics. Exactly
corresponding to the gulf stream of the At
lantic, is the great Kuro-siwo current of
the Pacific, which sweeps majestically
northeast, past the coasts of Japan But
the gulf stream, originally smaller than the
Kuro-siwo, divides off the coast OF Europe,
and the larger half moves past Iceland
and Norway into the Arctic ocean, while
a smaller portion bends southwark to the
Azores and Canaries.
Unlike this the entire vast Pacific stream
turns southwark. The Pacific is closed to
the Arctic, save the narrow Boring strait.
The Kuro-siwo stream turns bodily east
from the Kurite Is, along the arctic circle,
where it parts with most of its heat. and,
at temperature of about 40 degrees, moves
majestically down the coast Of southern
Alaska. Its copious vapors condense along
those Shores and feed the enormous gla-
ciers enmptyirg there. Moving southwark,
this great current supplies the copious
moisture of Sitka, Vancouver, Seattle and
Portland. and creates their cool but equ-
able climate. Still farther south, it gener
a.es the cold fogs of San Francisco sum-
mers, and fills the California coast hills
with GOODNESS ard moisture Along its en-
tire route this Alaska current produces
climate on land like that of the British
Isles-moist, equable. knowing little of
either summer heats or sharp frosts.
This influence tempers the otherwise
heated coast of southern California, even
as far as San Diego But the greater body
of this ocean current from the arctic circle
has already widened out, and turned west
ward. Although fast gathering heat from
the sun. 1t maintains cool ocean for
thousands of miles southwest, where ii
ultimately merges into the great slow
equatorial current which belts the globe,
driven by the trade winds from the east
ward. The Hawaiian Islands possess the
inestmable advantage of lying well within
the terminal bounds of this cold Alaskan
current. 1t sweeps from the northeast past
our shores at a speed of some ten fifteen
miles a day. Our eastern coasts are lined
with sawlogs and giant trees, which fresh
cts in Puget sound and the Columbia have
discharged into the ocean.
The result of all this is that Hawaii is
surrounded by a cool ocean, and that our
daily temperature is steadily from five to
ten degrees cooler than any other land on
the globe in the same latitude The Ha-
waiian climate Is subtropical, not tropical.
This quality of climate is especially en-
HANGED by the dryness of the wind from
copious evaporation. There is little surplus
moisture in the air, and very little rain
upon the shore, except on extreme wind
ward points in front Of high mountains,
sensible and our bodies keep cool. We
have little Of the "muggy" heat of Tahiti
and Samoa, where one lives in vapor
bath.
Like California.
Hawaii thus really belongs to the same eli
matte division as California, and not al all
to the South seas" We enjoy a natural an
neXation to your Pacific coast, by reason of
this practical connection in the same ocean
current. A Thousand miles farther west
and Hawaii could have claimed no partfci-
patton in the climate of your Pacific coast
AS it is, our climatic utilization is with Cal
norma, whose ocean GOODNESS We partake
of. One most important effect of this eli
mate is that it makes Hawaii a good
white mans country" The white farmer
as he can in the United States. OF course,
We must admit our lack of the bracing
effect of the winter months.
A new health resort is just being opened
to ready access from Honolulu. 1t is the
very dry. but cool district of Waianae
(wire-nyeD The Oahu railway is being ex-
tended to the Waianae sugar mill, fifteen
miles beyond the Eva mill. or thirty-four
miles from this city. The track will be all
laid in week or two. A number of agree
able excursions have already been taken
past the end of the bold ridge which cuts
off the view of that west section of the
island. AS we pass the turn, a grand piano.
rama opens of a great circuit Of extremely
bold and rugged ridges inclosing broad,
dry valleys. 1t is a style of scenery totally
diverse from any thing in sight on this side
good plantation Is there making an an
Eual crop of $500 tons of sugar The cane
is fed partly by a stream from a high
mountain, and partly by artesian wells.
The climate Of Waianae is exceptionally
dry, because the prevailing trade wind is
deprived of its moisture by two mountain
ranges in succession. After crossing the
long vertebral eastern ridge of the island.
which strips the wind of most of its HUI
nudity. it strikes the sharp western ridge
twenty miles beyond, and drops all the rest
of its suspended water. There is, however,
one broad mountain top, named Ka-a-la
(kah-lah-lah) which is over 500 feet higher
than anything east of it. and so is able to
squeeze good bit of rain out of the dry
wind, and send nice stream of water
west to the plantation. The air. which
blows fresh and cool to the shore from the
mountain. is extremely dry. The shore has
many coves with pretty beaches and the
surf breaks freely and noisily on the coral
rocks. 1t is good resort for pulmonary
invalids, and totally free from malaria.
About November and December, Waianae
is apt to be subjected to fierce gales from
the westward. loaded with rain, and for a
few weeks the wild ridges in its rear are
furiously smitten by tempests which have
sculptured them into grotesque and her
IL. NJ