Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-31
Serious Fall Off in Sugar Cane
Profits.
ANNEXATION AGAIN UNDER DISCUSSION
Race Jealousies and Domination
by the Whites.
MON IMPOSSIBLE
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

SpeC lll Correspondence OF he Evening Star.
HONOLULU. August Is. 1896.
have a near relative, who, like many
other small investors here. has half a doz-
en- hundred-dollar shares in large PLAN
tation on the Island of Hawaii, which has
been yielding fair dividends, but none for
two years back. This year We were told
there would be 6.eOO-ton crop at high
prices. and that after a 10000 debt was
Cancelled there would probably be dividends
amounting during the year to 20 per cent.
In May there came per cent dividend,
and in june one of 2 per cent None since.
A drought set in, and there was no water
to f1ume the cane to the mill. So the works
had to shut down, and cane which should
yield $500 tons of sugar is drying up in
the fields. At the same time the drought
is shrinking Up the crop for next year, and
prevents planting for the year following.
The soil is magnificent-the estate splendid
ly equipped-but the heavens are brass.
The plantation in question is on Il high
upland where the cane fields range in altt-
tude from $50 to 1000 feet above the Sea.
The land is too uneven for advantageous
laying of railway tracks, which are in
very common use for transportation of
cane to the mill. Where water can be OBJ
tanned in the uplands, a common and
much cheaper method of transportation Is
by fiuming. V fumes are laid. many
ii,
fields. Two twelve-inch boards form "
shaped trough, which is supported by such
trestlework as IS necessary to give uni
form grade of descent to the mill. In this
trough a small stream of water, five or
Six inches deep. will rapidly float onward
enormous quantities of cane for many
miles. diSchar ging them near the mill roll
ers in immense heaps. 1t IS interesting TO
See a long trestle with its interminable
procession of crooked stalks projecting
above the trough. all gliding swiftly and
noiselessly forward 10 their speedy fate
between the hungry and mighty mill roll
ers. After passing the mill the water goes
on to irrigate some of the lower and dryer
cane fields.
Effect of the Drought.
At the aforesaid plantation great labor
and enterprise have been expended in col
Letting water by many small conduits from
numbers of scattered springs far up in the
mountain forest, all Of the water from
which had speedily disappeared in the
lava rocks, until it was secured by arti-
fcial conductors. 1t was common to run
small tunnels in under the springs, to In
crease the flow This is the first drought
In which the springs have suspended Their
flow since the fumes were built. Formerly
1t had not been believed that any stream OF
water could he gathered in that mountain
side, notwi landing the usually abundant
rainfall in that forest, which lies between
$500 and I,HU feet above the sea- There
no streams whatever to be found around
the southeastern, southern and western
coasts of Hawaii circuit OF nearly 300
milss from the Hilo Bay to kohala, al
though along the eastern fifty miles of
shore there is copious rainfall, well
in most of the uplanls. The very recent
lava fields, covering the entire reg with
porous rock, absorb all the rainfall like
spouses. and no water runs upon the sir
face, except occasionally for few hours
during heavy transforms. i have bean
stopped in such place by an impossible
RI but
able to ride across il safely, quickly on
a slight cessation OF rain was the lessene1
stream above absorbed by the cavities of
the re cks-
eighteen miles ny rail from EodoiuIu. and
in sight Of the city. II had this year $3.50
ceres under cultivation. and produced
1l,VD tons of sugar. the mill turning out
5'E tons a week or the average. The lands
are very nearly level, Of unusually rich
sell, being a decomposed volcanic ash. 1t
has about fifteen miles of permanent rail
tracks through Its fields. From these
main lines are everywhere switched off
movable tracks, running upon which, to
every quarter acre. the cane cars are load
ed up BY the labor gangs. without having
TO lug the stalks for any distance. One or
two pairs of mules are kept busy in making
up trains OF dozen or twenty cars as ia st
as they are filled, each car holding couple
OF tons of stalks A small engine then
snakes the train Off 10 the mill from one
to three mics. As each loaded ear is run
u, IN turn TO he dumped upon the cane
carrier. the weight of it's load is accurately
rtccrded Toward night it is an interesting
spectacle to see collected near the mil the
cane which has been accumulated for the
nights grinding. perhaps 30 cars full
which stand in long lines upon several diff
ltrent tracks, each piled with the yellow
stalks. BY sunrise the huge rollers, ten in
number. will have chewed I'D the entire
bulk into fine dry chips, ready for imme-
diate combustion in the fierce furnaces I'M
mn etc
INTO sugar crystals all the rich juices press
ed out of thea.
One OF the many great economies in the
manufacture of sugar which have been
erected in recent years has been the per-
1ecting OF furnaces which readily con-
sumo the damp trash or cane chips direct
from the mill without previous drying in
the sun. At the Eva mill this green
trash makes the whole of the steam for
evaporatns the Juice and driving the pow
er1uI engines, while much of the trash
jority of the island sugar mills This
good result is partly due to the COMPLETE
extraction of the juice, and CONSEQUENT
dr!ness Of the trash To the. touch it
seems almost entirely dry. 1t is fed into
the furnaces automatically Less than
ten years ago most of our sugar mills wer,
consuming large quantities of coal Few
now use any other fuel than trash for
making sugar. Eva plantation burns sew
eral thousand tons Of coal annually in
pumping from artesian wells for irriga-
tcn This costs about SD an acre per
crop and would pay at double that expense
Question of Annexation.
Attention has lately been drawn to GER
tain utterances of James 3. Castle in an in
terview with reporter and to the COM
ments thereon of the San Francisco Chron-
icle MIR. Castle is collector general here
and a younger brother of Our late enyoy
at Washington. W.R Castle. He Is reported
to have said that a majority of our plant-
ers are opposed to annexation because
or Its expected cutting off of the supply Of
Asfdtic laborers. This statement Of Mr.
Castle Is considered here to be not unite
accurate 1t is doubtless true that a large
number OF planters. but not a majority.
take that view. This is mostly true III
piarfers of British origin. and of many
Germans Most American planters are
undoubtedly anxious for annexation
There can be no doubt that the prosperous
ocrdition of this republic has of late much
weakened in the minds of MANY people
the urgent sense of need for annexation
which was previously felt as being indis-
pei sable to stability of government Many
Zee! that We are doing exceedingly well
without annexation, and may as well con-
tiLue independent Thinking men are
hardly deceived in this way.
conclusion drawn by the Chronicle
from Mr. Castles alleged admission Is GER
tain!y unsound, namely, that any view of