The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-06-03
GILBERT ISLANDS
Voyage Of the Missionary
Packet.
HARRY SWINTON TELLS STORY
School Children and Tea
cheers Returning Home.
Changes in MiniSters-DifficuI in
Supplies-Some of the
Steamers Cargo.

Harry Swinton has finished his story
! of the cruise of the missionary packet
Morning Star among the Islands of
the Marshall group, and in this morn
ing's Advertiser begins the cruise
among the Gilbert Islands, which will,
no doubt, prove of even greater inter
est than the former. The story is to be
wholly relied upon as correct, for Mr..
Swinton did not trust to his memory in
relating the events which transpired,
and the things he saw, but jotted them
down on the spot. Here is the begin
ming OF what Mr.. Swinton has to say
about the Gilbert Islands:
After lying in KUsaie 10 days from
our Marshall Island trip, in order to
get the ship ready for the Gilbert
Group, we weighed anchor the Sd of
December for BUtaritari-our first
port-with so natives and II foreigners
as passengers.
Most of the native passengers were
school girls and boys who went to
visit their relations. The balance were
lay teachers, some to be landed where
teachers were required. Two couples
were bound for Barnum Island, to be
left there as teacher or pastor-in fact,
both.
The foreigners composed the prin-
cipals of the Gilbert Kusaie Mission
Station and assistants; Mr.. ChannOn,
wife and family. eight all told; Miss
Wilson. who is head of the Girls
School: Miss Foss. who helps Mr.
visit and pay his Gilbert Island pas
tors and teachers. Counting the ships
company Cd. we had on board 50
souls. all told. One can we'll imagine
that there was not much room to spare
when it is considered that the natives
haG a lot of trash which they took
along to give away to their friends.
In the first place, they had the quar-
ter deck almost completely covered
with bamboos and canoes, while both
sides of the alley-ways in the tween
decks were covered with bananas hung
up along the rails. The tween decks
aft were reserved on one side for
sleeping quarters for those who could
not find a sleeping place anywhere
else. On the starboard side, the captain
had built a room for the steward. as
there was no space for him in the
cabin.
Forward of that one would see boxes
Of plants and other trash. too nUmer-
Gus to mention. lying around. There
was forward in the tween decks two
steerage compartments. one for mar
ried couples, the other for school boys.
The space for the latter was made
uuate. hence the reserved place in the
tween decks. aft. was calculated for
those who could not find accOmmOda-
ton there.
In these Storage compartments were
piled trunks and baggage; that is TO
say. all that could be put there. The
rest was put in the main hatch. In
that place was bundled all the freight
each one brought with him. There
were quite a number of boxes of stone
from Kusaie. which were taken to be
given friends to make linus as there
is no hard stone in the Gilberts for
that purpose.
On the hatch. forward, were piled
more boxes of plants. There was just
p little space forward of the stewards
room to take in and put out freight.
Forward Of the cabin was the girls
room. with the door leading into the
cabin.
This. then. was our condition when
we set sail for the Gilbert Islands. The
first few days out, most of our passen-
gers were kept busy paying their re-
spects to old Neptune. That. of course,
was to be expected. They made I'D for
lost time, however, when they found
their sea legs. Mrs. ChannOn was the
only one who could not get over her
sea sickness, the least motion Of the
ship at sea was enough to upset her.
After a tedious passage of 16 days,
with adverse winds all the way, we
finally anchored in Butaritari.