St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-03-13
HAWAII, THE "PEARL OF THE
PACIFIC"
The Ninth of a Series of Letters by
John X. Musick.

John X. MusiCk'
Downright, 1896, by Funk & Wagnalls
Company, New YORK
OF course, no visitor to the Ha'
waiian Islands fails to see the great
volcano Kilauea. The journey TO
this volcano can now be made very
comfortably. The Wilder Steamship
Company runs a line of steamers
from Honolulu to Hilo which there
connect with a stage. This stage
takes one to the Volcano House,
about three miles from the crater.
On Dec. 10, boarded the Kinau, a
steamer Of the Wilder line, for Hllo.
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 YES
sci was anchored half mile from
shore, the transportation OF that
ponderous machinery to land was
an interesting sight, Two OF the
boats were lowered and dashed to-
gether with ropes and heavy beams
OF timber. Then the great iron rollers
and cylinders were let down by means
of a 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 pebbles on the bot
tom 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 board cast over hooks
and caught one fine large fellow,
When the cargo for this port had
been all taken ashore, we continued
our voyage down the coast of the
great island which, with its miles OF
stone fences and brown earth,
seemed barren waste. But as we
proceeded the scene changed. Huts
and mills in abundance with green
pastures, cane fields, and forests sue
ceeded 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 the afternoon we passed
the landing called Panic, where Min
lister Stevens's daughter, an estima'
BILE 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 aiterward
Owed to the bottom and recovered
her body.
We arrived at Hilo at about eight
in the evening, and going ashore
was taken in a hack to the Hilo
Hotel kept by Portuguese named
Joseph Vlerra. 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 14tt
we boarded the stage and left Hllo
In the suburbs we halted to pick u[
Japanese woman who was going
up the road, and at the bridge be
yond Hilo we took a native man anC
an empty goods box on board
Then the four horses with the stage
swept down the road. through a lant
with rich 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
Occasionally we passed a narrow
pam lSduluS ihlO lliS uCuSC JuuSlC
and whenever one glanced down it
the shanty of Japanese might hav,
been seen snugly hidden away like (
ground birds nest.
At four o'clock the Volcano House
Mr.. Peter Lee, proprietor wa
reached. One has all the evidence
of the near proximity of volcan
on approaching the house. Stear
was issuing from the seams in tn
lava.crusted earth along the roaC
side, and when we gained the highe
ground we could see for miles abou
us. There were thousand assure
in the earth from which hot stear
and smoke were issuing, while far O
to the west the smoke from the etc
nal fires of Kiauea gave it II
appearance OF Dore'S paintings