Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-01-13
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
viii Pacific Tourist Business
cut Into European Travel =?

MnV-I,InbOrate Arrangements MAX
inn to That End-The Telephone In
Hawaii.
NEW YORK. Jan. H. Special. There
,rs some reasons for believing that the
tide of European travel from the country
NAV be somewhat cut down in the near
future by the growing tendency Of Amer
leans to tour the Pacific, taking in Ha-
wall. Japan and the Philippine Islands as
the chief features Of the tour and perhaps
making side excursions to other less
known regions.
Such a tour would naturally be one of
the most interesting in the whole world
for Americans to make at this time from
the very nature of things, though until
now the expense attending it has been too
great perhaps for the ordinary purse and
the facilities not entirely satisfactory TO
any one. But from this time on, we are
told. neither poor facilities nor undue ex.
pense need stand in the way. This is
especially true with regard to Hawaii,
which now possesses greater interest for
Americans than ever before.
The Hawaiian commissioner to the
Omaha fair r. w. Shinge whose talk
on coffee planting in the Sandwich Islands
was reported some days ago in this cor.
resuondence, told me not long ago that
during his stay in Omaha he received up
ward Of 1000 letters from persons who
were DESTROYS Of visiting the islands either
on pleasure or for business purposes. This
circumstance. together with Others along
the same line, has led to much improve
ment in the method of getting there, and
the railroad and steamship companies
whose lines must be used in making the
trim are already making strong competi-
tive bids for the coming rush of Pacific
travel.
To Hawaii and Return For 5000.
Two additional lines of Pacific steamers
have Just begun plying between this coun-
try and Honolulu. One of them formerly
piled between Australian ports and the
British capital One of the vessels now
plying between Seattle and Honolulu is Of
1000 tons registry and is fitted up as well
and boasts of as fine catering as il it were
a first class Atlantic liner. This is
novelty on the Pacific
You can now 90 from Minneapolis to
Hawaii via Seattle and return for $3.50,
and this includes every expense-train
and sleeping car tickets, steamer fare,
trips about Honolulu, stage trip from
Hilo to kilauea, the great volcano, day
of sightseeing on the island of Maui, eight
days on the island Of Oahu, of which Hon
olulu is the metropolis. You will travel
10000 miles altogether and be gone IS
days from Minneapolis, and you might
start without your pocketboOk and never
miss it once before you got back.
Minneapolis is mentioned here because
IL is the eastern terminus of one of the
routes over which special tours have been
planned. The additional expense of visit
ing Hawaii, starting from other points,
would amount to the fare TO the Flour
City and return plus the sleeping car fees
and meals From New York, for instance,
the total would be a trile, but not much
in excess of $500. Tours from San Fran
cisco, covering 20 days and costing $2lO
all expenses paid, and others covering
81 days at an expense of S225, all tours
taking in the big volcano, have also been
laid out. With the aid of ticket agent it
| is easy to figure out the cost of any of
these excursions from any point in the
country. The figuring in most instances
will show that the Pacific trip is as cheap
as any similar trip across the Atlantic
! The passage money from San Francisco
to Honolulu and return is Sl25, first class.
The Telephone In Honolulu.
| The almost universal use of the tele-
! phone in Honolulu will prove to be a nov.
| city in the eyes of many visitors to that
unique city in the mid Pacific. Mr.. Shin
gle says that most of the telephone stories
told of Honolulu are nothing less than fact
Thus it has been the custom of Honolu-
luans to get the time of the day regularly
from Central. One man who often for
got the lunch hour in devotion to his
work used to be regularly reminded at
midday that it was time to eat Others
have habitually been Weakened at rising
| time by the same agency. 1t was until
lately common for the operators at Gen
tral on The arrival of steamers TO read i'm
| portant items of news to all the subscrib-
ers, ana the information that annexation
had at last been accomplished was first
disseminated through the city in that way.
| Many OF these things are about to be dis
continued-mayb be have already been stop.
| ped a new $50 600 switchboard has Just
been bought for the exchange, and it has
been decided that the time of the operators
they are men, not girls by the way
can no longer be taken up in such trivial
work.
Inc subscribers to the Honolulu Ex-
ehahge get the service absurdly low and
nllherto It seems really to have been con
Quoted partly for the accommodation OF
the public and not solely for the conven.
fence OF the operators ard the rolling up
OF fabulous profits for the stock holders
here telephone story in point related
by MI. Single. 1t also throws a curious
side light on Hawaiian life.
one afternoon, soon after the compile
.ioh OF the present opera house in Homo
iulu TO replace one that was burned down,
Nat Goodwin, Maxine Elliott and their
company arrived by steamer. The house
hau already had its amateur christening
at the hands of a local company and was
.hat night to be christened professionally
oy .he frawleys under the management
Oh Melville Marx. On the arrival of Good.
WIN however, the manager wished TO
onahge the programme and have Good
WIN open it, Melville Marx wouldn't hear
10 THIS at first and didn't relent till after
1he last editions of the afternoon paper
were out Then he changed his mind and
Goouwln decided to put on "a Gildcd
FOOL. Notification of the change of bill
was made by telephone, with the result
,hao the house was crowded. All Homo
iulu society was present in honor of the
occasion, and every man that by any
stretch of the Imagination could be con
s sd OF the local Four Hundred wore
his spiketail suit
AS the ladies were universally gowned
uecollete and wore no hats-they never