New Iberia enterprise. (New Iberia, La.) 1885-1902, 1900-07-07

harbor, played "Home, Sweet
Home and the National Airs.
Frisco has an almost land-locked
harbor. The scenery is beautiful.
In the harbor are countless vessels
of all descriptions; on the left,
going out, is great city with sky
scrapers which rival those of New
York ; on the right, numerous green
islands, back of which is town
ahead the Golden Gate, guarded
on the right, by the highest mount
ed gun in the world while, through
the Gate, stretches the greatest of
all waters.
We are on the L. S. A. Il. Han
cock, which is the best ship in the
service. She was, previous to her
purchase by the U. s., the Arizona.
In 1900, she lowered the record
across the Atlantic, from New York
to Queenstown, IS hours, making
the trip in days, hours and !
minutes. She can now make Is
knots an hour; but it is found
economical, considering the coal
consumed, to run her at 131a knots,
and the Government permits her to
run faster only in case of necessity.
On the ship are the Commission
ers; their families; the families of
two of the Secretaries of the Com
mission, the staff a q. 8. A. Sur
geon, attached to the Commission,
and his family; two L. s. A. Of
ficers; dozen Hospital Corps men
of the Army; anurse; four maids ;
and barber. We are not crowded,
have plenty to eat, and enough to
drink. All are agreeable and sOci
able: the trip enjoyable.
The voyage to Honolulu was un-
eventful. No land was seen, nor a
vessel sighted. On the morning of
the Oath, Coco Head and Diamond
Point, near Honolulu, which is on
the island of Oahu, of the Hawaiian
Group, was sighted. At that mo-
ment, | had travelled 24S9 miles
across the Continent and 21OO miles
from Frisco to Honolulu.
An hour later, we were anchored
just outside the coral reef of Homo
lulu (Which means Fair Haven)
Bay.
Now, only two weeks before,
there had been a number of cases
of plague in Honolulu. Japan's
quarantine laws are very strict; and
as we cared more to see Japan than
Honolulu, and wanted to escape the
disagreeable experience of staying
two weeks in quarantine, besides
having our clothes disinfected, be-
fore entering Japan, the Japanese
Consul was sent for. He very cour-
teously offered to do his best to see
us through, adding that there was
no more plague in Honolulu, which
was fact.
1t was then we entered inside the
Coral-reef into the bay. The reef,
although beneath the surface Of the
water, breaks the largest waves ;
while inside the harbor it is always
calm. In the toughest weather,
tremendous waves may be seen COM
ing with a terrible force; when,
suddenly, the reef is reached, and
the wave is no more.
Before we had anchored, young
natives (Kanakas) were swimming
towards our ship. Inquiring Of the
ships officers what they were after,
we were told drop a nickel in the
water and see them dive for it.
Well, our ship was drawing 20 #.
of water, and she was not touching
bottom; so | remarked to myself +:
"How absurd. Just at that mo-
ment, some one of the party threw
a coin about ten yards from the
swimmers. In a second, all were
under water; and in twenty seconds
they were up again-one fellow
holding up the coin TO show that he
had it, then put it in his mouth and
was ready for another dive. We
kept those poor fellows diving fol
nickels for fully 80 minutes, giving
them but one blow between each
dive, and not one cent was lost.
One of the Kanaka boys told us
that coin sinks very slowly, dis.
cribing, in it's descent, a zig-zag
motion: further, that they see the
coin under water.
We got to shore at 4 P. NJ, and
that night, with a few friends, OF
the party, l went to the theatre tc
see a minstrel.
The next morning, arrangements
for omnibuses for the whole party
were made; and at 10 A. NJ, w
started for the Pail (Kanaka fol
Cliff, six miles from Honolulu
The drive is through the Nuuanr
Valley, which is very narrow; thu
mountains on each side rising al
most perpendicularly for 1000, ol
more, feet. At the time, on top o.
the mountains, on one side, it wa
raining--simply pouring-while th'
water, descending down the side il
gulleys, dropped in streams of abou
6 inches in diameter, making small
waterfalls. A hundred in front, o.
behind, could be seen at a glance
affording an example of rare beauty
The mountain sides and valley wa
covered with an abundance Of flow
ers and foliage characteristic o
tropical countries.
On we travelled, through wind
ing, serpentine like road, until
o>>~>s>ssess>eeesss>e .
II - - - - 90 n n