The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-09-16
SHE IS COMING THIS WAY
SOPHIA SUTHERLAND BOUND FOR
SOLOMON GROUP.
WIN Seek Gold i'm South Sea Stands
Heavily Armed Expcdition---Will
Mine aud Hunt Pearl Oysters.

The schooner Sophia Sutherland, in
charge of the South Sea Commercial
Company, which left San Francisco
last week with Il party of men on a
gold hunting expedition, may be eN-
pected to sail into the harbor withhi
another week or so en- route to the
South Sea Islands, where in the Solo
mon group of islands is said to lie al
most ineXhaustible mines of golu
quartz. The party left Frisco with
considerable secrecy and it is not yet
known definitely whether she will stop
here or not.
While the vessel was preparing for
her trip at Hatherley's wharf the i'm
preston was given out that she was
to seek hidden treasures left in some
South Sea island by pirates many
years ago. But the stores that were
put aboard at once disproved the
statements made by the promoters of
| the expedition. Among the stores
were large number of muskets. TT
! tles and pistols, besides a quantity OF
mining machinery.
Captain Alexander MacLean, who
was in command of the Montserrat
during her incursion among the ma
/ tives of the Gilbert islands. is in COM
mand of the expedition. He has now
gathered around him Il galaxy of gun
| fighters, who will shoot at the drop
of the hat, and who in addition to the
arms and ammunition carried in the
schooner's outfit, are individually arm
ed to the teeth.
For years the cupidity of the trad
ers to the Solomon Islands has been
excited by the display of crude gold
ornaments worn by the natives of the
islands. Several expeditions have en-
deavored to land on the islands, bun
1 hostile demonstrations have driven all
the gold hunters away. The crew and
passengers on the Sophia Sutherland
however are made of sterner stuff, and
a few Solomon islanders more or less
will not be allowed to stand in the
way of the daring spirits engaged in
the venture.
The Sophia Sutherland is provision
ed for eighteen months. At the Gus
tom house she cleared for Samoa and
/ islands of the Pacific ocean. The
members of the expedition expect to
remain on the islands for three years
and come back with more gold than
| the luckiest miners of the Klondike
! " x oII. III OItltI lllil no ucluN NAV
| interfere with their visions of wealth
a ten stamp mill has been taken along
to crush the quartz.
While some of the party are engag-
ed in extracting gold from the Solo
mon Islands mountains. others will
devote their attention to fishing for
pearl oysters. Two expert divers ac.
companied the expedition, and they
will engage native talent to assist
them. Others will devote their time
to visiting various islands of the big
group and trade with the natives. III
fact, the expedition is so equipped
that there is nothing in the islands
which can be converted into gold that
will not be handled.
vt the office of the South Sea Com.
mercial Company great secrecy is still
maintained regarding the object of
! the expedition. Every member of the
expedition is a member of the compa-
ny and is financially interested in the
outcome of the venture Although
! pledged to secrecy by the articles OF
agreement, some of them. dazzled by
visions of prospective wealth. have told
! their friends, and in this way the OBJ.
lfct of the enterprise has become well
! known