The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-08-19
BEER IS A Bit A DRINK
Honolulu Is Beautiful but in
Some Respects Expensive.
The PEOPLE ARE LAZY
Lieut.. French of Company A Writes That
He Is in Temporary Command OF
the 800 California Recruits.
He Doesn't Like tine Job.

Great Falls, Aug. 1s~.-Lieutenant
Charles French OF Company A writes
the following letter from Honolulu to
his father, John French. Of this city:
your last letter came aboard with
the last mail and / did not get 1t until
we were out to sea. We had a very
smooth sea all the way. except The first
night, when tho ship rolled pretty hard
md nearly everyone was seasick, but
Captain Moran and / were not sick at
all. I enjoyed the trip very much, but
had a great deal to attend to. We have
over 1,400 men on board and the ship Is
only licensed to carry 800. She only
has facilities for cooking for the latter
number, so you can imagine how 1t
must have been for the first two or
three days, until we got things work
ing systematically. but after that we got
along very well. / have been placed in
command of 300 California recruits and
i have two ~lieutenants to assist me. but
that is only three officers, whereas the
other battalions, with the same num-
Der of men, have Is officers. SO you can
see get my share OF work. j expect TO
get some of them transferred to the Rio
de Janeiro, which arrived to-day, SO
that will relieve me some.
I'VE arrived here Thursday morning,
although we sighted and about Q
o'clock the evening before. Honolulu is
one of the most beautiful places l ever
saw. The harbor is small and is not
landlocked, but is protected by a reef
and YOU can see the surf for miles along
the coast breaking over the reef. The
entrance to the harbor is only 200 fee
wide. The town is situated in a val
ley that comes down to the beach, VIII
a background of mountains that rls'
to an elevation of about 5000 feet. at {
distance of about three miles from tn
coast. The town is almost entirely con
cealed by trees of all kinds, the princi
pal varieties being umbrella. cocoanut
royal palm and banyan trees. Their
are others l don't know the name o
and some are a mass of scarlet ana vel
low blossoms. Flowers grow everywher
and the natives are very fond OF them
nearly all wearing wreaths of flower
on their hats.
1.-The natives seem to be a peaceabl
and quiet race and do nearly all tn
labor here, a great many being en-
pley as clerks in the stores and govern
ment offices. All the policemen are ais
natives. Chinese and japanese are eN
erywhere, a majority Of the stores an
other places being run by them an
some parts of the town being entirei
occupied by them. 1t is the same as 60
ing to an oriental country 10 visit her
''There people here have treated L
better than any place we have yet pee
They gave b%anquets to all the trooT
arriving here and the officers are ente
tanned by the officers of the Hawaiia
National guard. They have a fine clu
house in the government ground
around what was once the royal palac
but IL is now the capitol. This clu
house was once the private residence
the king. Everything is free there. Ht
can order anything you want ana
much as you like and then you will
urged to order more. At the banqdC
which was the finest l ever sat down
/ had the pleasure of meeting Preside
Dole. This is at present a very qui
town. To-day everything is closed U
even the drug stores, the only plac
open being the Chinese tobacco al
fruit establishments, and a great ma
of these even shut up. Everyone qu'
work here at 5 o'clock and a great ma
business houses close at that hour. TT
is rather a high-priced place, exca
for h and that can be boug
cheaper than in San Francisco. BE
4. a bit a drink and in some places
nigh as 25 cents. other drinks are
same. Fruit is not as cheap as Q
would expect to find. although cheal
tina in Montana. Pineapples are 3 Gel
apiece and this about the only FIR
here / like, although they have So
very nice
Hospital Stewart Charette is s.
with typhoid fever and has been
moved to the hospital on shore, VIII
we will have to leave him. ] hear
day that he is very low. The rest of {
company are very we'll. Mccormack
entirely recovered and is feeling fr
rate. / have not seen much of our CO
pany since we started, as they
ouartered in another part of the :
from my command and | only see
of them once in a while. ] will be :
when l get back TO Company A ag
and hope they will let me stay Their
don't get time to get homesick, bu
often wish I was back there for a W
or two and free from all duties and
sponsibilities." Lieutenant French
states that he met Joe Steiner on
street. He was with the signal &C