The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-05-11
She ONLY WAITS
Gunboat Bennington May
Leave or May Remain.
There is Much Uncertainty - The
War Paint is Going On-Capt-
Barker Has the Paris.

The Advertiser said yesterday morn |
ing that in the course of the day the |
war painting of the L. S. Gunboat Ben
nington would begin. All the neces- |
sary material was aboard the ship on
Monday evening The work was start
ed at an early hour and the force en-
gagged the entire day with crowds of
spectators on shore. The funnel and
masts first received attention. By 2
o'clock everything lin the air" had
taken on the leaden hue and the men
went over the port side with their
brushes and paint pots.
A naval expert on one of the local
papers used faithfully the story given
him to the effect that the masts OF the
Bennington were to be removed.
| There was failure on the part OF the
expert to also reproduce the statement
made to him to the effect that the
keel of the gunboat was to be removed
in order to enable her to beat to wind
ward the better. This important bit
of information will probably be
unfinished under scare heads in a few
days.
officers aboard the Bennington ex-
pect that the gunboat will leave here
upon arrival of the Alert from Mare
Island. The Alert is a small vessel
with light guns. Bennington officers
say that possibly they will nave IN
structions today to move. There ap-
pears to be much question as 20 the
! direction in which the gunboat VIII
head on leaving this harDor. Nhe
| could not reach the Philippines IN time
| to be of any service. she IS needeu
on the Pacific coast and would scarce
1v he sent to the Atlantic side. There
has been no end of speculation On the
immediate future of the Bennington
as to movement, with no satisfactory
answer. When the time for the de-
parture of the Bennington arrives ev-
! erybody in town will know 1t several
hours before she proceeds to sea. She
| has not vet started in to coal for a
VOYAGE and at the last would OF course
take on a considerable quantity OF
sunnlies that are never taken aboard
till the last moment.
IT will be remembered that IN the
napers received by the schooner iran
| sit last week it was reported thaC Tue
G. Paris, a late purchase OF the =.
Government, had probably been cap
tured bv the Spaniards. AdVlceS 70
uonolulu bv the S. S. City OF Rio were
n the effect that the Paris had reached
Sandy Hook, off New York harpof ~
l sofo+v Her commander had SAID thal
no was entirely confident nothll1e
aaoat under the Spanish flag coulu
overtake the splendid passenger liner
in the open sea. The Paris Is one "
tho fastest steamers in the ACIdnCl0'
people here have speclal lnUeleo
in the Paris from the fact that com com
rnand of her as an auXlllaiS u 10
has been assigned to captain Df'l NJ
who was in charge OF the u D. % 80 -
1adelnhia in this port just before Gap
Co++on came to the command
Tan+oin Barker had been, up TO IN
80 of heing sent to the PARIS, mem
ha,. IF the United States Naval Boar
~ strategy and had been depehue
mon very largely in distributor :
~ eaets of the Americans. Inc WI
Of Cantain Barker, is well known nel
as tourist and writer. MIS- Hs'i iN>
was formerly Mrs. MaxweH. s. 90
rho very keeneSt interest," 10
80 in a number of the ships IN IL
Asiatic squadron, that is SUPPOSE =! =,
this to have descended upon MAJ Ian;
About every man aboard tne ! snfenG
philadelphia, Captain Dyer mas a AZ r -
or acquaintances in Honolulu to,chnd =
other ships out there nave o Iou oxnres
80. ,ort The hope has been eAp GO
bero hundreds of times that 1t IL IL
gu 60 nc we'll with the Americans IN u
Orient.