The record-union., 1896-03-14
HAWAII, THE PEARL OF THE
PACIFIC"
The Ninth Of a Series Of Letters by
John R. MuSiGk.
A Journey to the Great Volcano
A Mysterious Plantation

Owner.
Copyright, 1896, by Funk & wagnalls
Company, New York;
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 Company runs
line Of steamers from Honolulu to Hlio,
which there connect with a stage. This
stage takes one to the Volcano House,
about three miles from the crater.
On December 10th 1 boarded the XII
nau, steamer of the Wilder line, for
Hilo. The next morning we were at
one of the ports on the northern part
of the island called Wahumacoua, where
there was a large sugar plantation for
which our ship was bringing some
heavy machinery. AS the vessel was
anchored half a mile from the shore,
the transportation of that ponderous
machinery to land was an interesting
sight. Two Of the boats were lowered
and lashed 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 two boats, which were then rowed
ashore by the native sailors.
The water in this bay is so clear that
we could see pebbles on the bottom at
the depth of thirty or fifty feet Schools
of fish, some weighing twenty to thirty
pounds, could be seen swimming about
the ship. The natives on board cast
over hooks and caught one fine large
fellow
When the cargo for this port had been
nrI14
voyage down the coast of the great
island which, with its miles of stone
fences and brown earth, seemed a bar
rem waste. But as we proceeded the
scene changed. Huts and mills in
abundance, with green pastures, cane
fields and forests succeeded barren
wastes Then soon, 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 that afternoon we passed the
landing called Panilo, where Minister
Stevens daughter, an estimable young
lady. was drowned. Miss Stevens had
been visiting some friends at this place,
and was taking the vessel for Honolulu
when the boat which was conveying her
to the ship was overturned by the surf
and she was drowned in fifty feet of
water. A native sailor afterward dived
to the bottom and recovered her body.
We arrived at Hilo at about s in the
evening and going ashore was taken
in a hack to the Hilo Hotel, kept by
Portuguese named Joseph Vierra. From
here to the Volcano House one goes
over a fairly good road through the
Puma district in a stage, which makes
the trip every other day.
On The morning of December 14th we
boarded the stage and left Hilo. In the
suburbs we halted to pick up Japan
ese woman who was going up the road,
and at the bridge beyond Hilo we took
native man and an empty goods box
ON board. Then the four horses with
the stage swept down the road, through
lane rich with cane fields on either
side.
After a few miles the cane fields dis
appeared. and we plunged into vast
forests Of AHA wood mingled with
which wild coffee was growing. Occa-
sionally we passed a narrow path lead-
ing into the dense jungle, and whenever
one glanced down it, the shanty of
japanese might have been seen snugly
hidden away like a ground birds nest.
The stage carried the mail, and was
surprised at the manner in which this
was distributed by the driver. At every
path along the way he gave blast on
his stage horn. and threw off q letter or
paper Sometimes there was a post-box
al the roadside, and as he whirled by
the stage driver deftly dropped into it
the mail for the owner of the plantation.
one practice in Hawaii might teach
q valuable lesson to the United States,
and that is the employment of convict
labor on public roads, Hawaii has some
of the best and some of the worst roads
in the world Some of her broad turn
uikes over the mountains are due to
convicts working out their fines or
wears Of penal seryitude, which IS GER
tainly more profitable than hiring them
our TO a corporation. If man violates
the laws, it makes no difference whether
he commits a misdemeanor or fell
ony.. he must serve the spunky little re-
public by digging on the road.
At o'clock the Volcano House, Mr..
Peter Lee, proprietor, was reached. One
has all the evidences of the near prox-
unity of a volcano on approaching the
house Steam was issuing from the
seams in the lava-crusted earth along
the roadside. and when we gained the
higher ground we could see for miles
about us. There. We're thousand fis-
sures in the earth from which hot steam
and smoke were issuing, while far Of
to the west the smoke from the eternal
fires of Kilauea gave it the appearance
of Dore's paintings of Dante's Inferno.
Below the Volcano House, not three
hundred PAGES away, are vast sulphur
banks from which issues vapor in a
continuous stream. Mr.. Lee, the pro-
prietor, has built bath house, and con-
veys the sulphur vapor to it, the heal
ing properties of which he declares are
unequaled.
The Volcano House is large, commo-
dious country inn, with accommoda-
tions equal to such places in the United
States 1t is a great pleasure resort
and patronized extensively by inyalids.
Although it would seem that enc could
almost stand on it's porch and throw