The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-04-16


TX
Of course, no visitor to the
Hawaiian Islands fails to see
the great volcano Kilauea. The
journey to this volcano can now
be made very comfortably.
The Wilder Steamship Com
pany runs line of steamers
from Honolulu to Hilo which
there connect with stage.
This stage takes one to the Vol
cano House, about three miles
from the crater.
On Dec. 10, 1 boarded the XII
nau, a steamer of the Welder
line, for Hilo. The next morn
ing we were at one of the ports
on the northern part of the is
land called Wahumacoua,
where there was large sugar
plantation for which our ship
was bringing some heavy ma
chinery. AS the vessel was
anchored half mile from shore,
the transportation of that pom
derous machinery to land was
an interesting sight. Two OF
the boats were lowered and
dashed together with ropes
and heavy beams of timber.
Then the great iron rollers and
cylinders were let down by
means of steam derrick and
placed on the two boats, which
were then rowed ashore by the
native sailors.
The water in this bay is so
clear that we could see the peb-
bles on the bottom at the depth
of forty or fifty feet. Schools
of fish, some weighing twenty
to thirty pounds, could be seen
swimming about the ship. The
natives on boardcast over hooks
and caught one fine large
fellow.
When the cargo for this port
had all been taken ashore, we
continued our voyage down the
coast of the great island which,
with it's miles of stone fences
and brown earth, seemed a bar
renwaste. But as we proceeded
the scene changed. Huts and
mills in abundance, with green
pastures, canefields, and forests
succeeded barren wastes Then
soor, as we steamed along the
shore, the snow-capped peak of
Mauna Kea arose before our
vision, in strong contrast with
the tropical sun and summer
breeze that famed our cheeks.
During the afternoon we
passed the landing called Pa
milo, where Minister Stevens
daughter, an estimabie young
lady, was drswned. Miss Ste
vens had been visiting sorne
friends at this place, and was
taking the vessel for Honolulu
when the boat which was con-
veyfng her ito the ship was
overt urned by the surf and sine
was drowned in fifty feet OF
water. A native SAILOR after
ward dived to the bottom and
recovered her body.
We arrived at Hilo AT abomt
eight in the evening, and goin g
ashore l was taken i'm a hack
to the Hilo Hotel, kept by a
Portuguese named Joseph
Vierra. From here to the Voa-
cano House one goes over "a
fairly sgood road through the
Puna;district ;nl a stage, which,
makes the trip'every other day.
On the morning of Decembea
a4th we boarded the stage. and
left Hilo. In thesuburbsN ave halt
ed to pick up a Japanese woman
who was goingmp the road, and
at the bridge beyond Hilo we
LOOK d 1fSs 1--WE Ill ta1 d11u du'C1IlpI
goods box on board. Then the
four horses with the stageswept
down the road, through a lane
with rich cane fields on either
side.
After a few miles the cane
fields disappeared, and we
plunged into vast forests Of
AHA wood with which wild
coffee was growing. Occasion
ally we passed a narrow path
leading into the dense jungle,
and whenever one glanced
down it, the shanty of a Japan
csc might have been seen
snugly hidden away like a
ground-bird's nest.
The stage carried the mail,
and l was surprised at the man
ner in which this was distrib-
uted by the driver. At every
nath a1OnO the wav he gave a