The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-10-27
This New Railroad is TO be
Operated by Electricity.
WITH new LINE OF STEAMSHIPS
The Estimated Total Trsckags OF
red and Thirty Miles.

The fact that electricity Is to- be the
motive power of the new Hilo-kohala
railway will come in the nature OF n
surprise to- Island people. but such ap-
pears to be the case IL there Is any
truth in the following from the Chi
cago Times Herald:
Through the efforts OF a Chicagoan.
Herbert b. Gehr. n company has been
formed which proposes to build the
first railroad on the Island OF Hawaii.
OF the eight Islands forming the Ha-
waiian group. only the Isle OF Oahu
has any railway line, the road in this
instance consisting of but sixty miles
of track running from Honolulu. The
charter for the Kohala * Hilo Railway
Company. as the new corporation Is
known, was obtained from President
Dole by Mr.. Gehr on June 90. The cap
ital stock of $4,000. 900 already has been
subscribed. the greater amount being
taken in New York and Boston. On
October "a Mr.. Gehr will return to- Ha-
waII with an engineer for final consul
tation with Engineer Bishop. who Is
now surveying the route.
1.-The projected railway Is to run
from Hilo, the principal port on the
eastern coast OF Hawaii. to- the city of
Kohala. The line will have n total
trackage of 130 miles. and trains will
be run by electricity. The road will
pass through the foothills marking the
approaches to Mauna Loa. the volcano
whose recent eruption attracted much
attention. The country to- be ira
versed presents some serious difficult
ties in engineering. Orders for mate
rial will be let within a few weeks. It
is stated, and construction will begin
shortly.
The operation of the new road. its
projectors say, will affect the COM
merce of the entire group OF Islands.
A line OF express boats may operate
from Hilo direct to San Francisco. Wa
ter rights have been conferred upon
the corporation by the charter. which
may result in speciaI steamship serv-
lulu, on the Island of Oahu.
Among the incorporators OF the
company the following names are Civ
en-: Jaudon Browne, Philadelphia:
Herbert b. Gehr. Chicago: Francis NJ.
Swanzy and Thomas Rain Walker. Ho-
nolulu; Gardner X. Wilder. Judge OF
the Circuit Court at Hilo; and W. C..
Wilder, Honolulu, President OF the Ha-
waiian Senate.
The managing directors. Theodore
II. Davies & Co, n Honolulu corpora
ton controlling more than n half-dozen
sugar and coffee plantations. are di-
recting the company 5 interests in the
Islands. The American counsel OF the
company is said to- be Louis Edwin
Bomiesler OF New York. law partner
of Attorney Dill. who helped organize
the Federal Steel Company.
las one of the incorporators OF the
Honohina Coffee Company, a local cor
poration with interests in Hawaii. Mr..
Gehr has been attending to- n purchase
of coffee lands to the north OF Hilo.
The building OF a railroad on the east
ern coast OF the Island had been de-
clared not feasible. owing TO the bluffs
and gulches marking the coast line.
Mr.. Gehr saw that these difficulties
might be partially overcome by con-
structing the road inland five miles.
Near Punaluu, on the southern, and
Kukuihaele, on the northern side OF
the Island. spurs OF track had been
laid. These spurs were held by indi-
vidual plantation owners. and market
products were shunted in small cars
over the rails