The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-03-29
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
AMERICAS LARGEsTsHIP- OWNER
HERE.
What w. e. Mighell Thinks of Homo
lulu's Quarantine, and of the Needs
of the Port.

w. e. Mighell the largest ship-owner
in America, arrived here yesterday on
the steamship Mariposa, in the interests
of his business. Mr.. Mighell has FIVE
ships in Honolulu harbor now, the Pac-
tolus, st. Frances, Henry b. Hyde, S.
IB. Carleton and r. D. Rice, and the
John Mcdonald at Hilo. Twelve others
of Mr. MighelPs vessels are on the way
TO Island ports, and others are distrtb-
ubed all over the world. Mr.. Mighell
is one of the trustees of the San Fran
cisco Chamber of Commerce, President
OF the California Shipping Company,
vice president of the Ship Owners and
Merchants Tug Company of San Fran
cisco, president of the San Francisco
Committee Of Commerce, an organlzu-
tion made up from other mercantile
bodies, and vice president of the Ship
Owners Association. This is not
complete list of the offices he holds In
! the shipping world, but includes some
of the most important. When he was
here last time, in 1863 Mr.. Mighell was
a mate on board one of his fathers
vessels
Mr. Mighells views of the quarantine
in Honolulu are in line with those re-
Gently expressed by the merchants pc
tition to the Board of Health, This
/ morning he expressed the opinion that
/
| quarantine should be raised. ship
masters here and in San Francisco are
all complaining" said the great ship
! owner land they do not see why SO
/ much fuss is made over the situation
here. 1t is hurting the port a very
great deal and is doing no good. My
| ships are quarantined here and fumf-
gated and delayed, and when they get
| to their ports of destination they are
! treated Just them same as If nothing
had been done to them here. It seems
to me a very useless expense that we
are put to.
I'm Yokohama and Hongkong there
is plague all the time, but shippers
have no trouble. In San Francisco we
have diphtheria and smallpox, both
deadly and contagious diseases, but the
authorities are satisfied with isolating
the cases and they allow business to go
on. They don't close the port even
now, when they say plague is there.
THE injury to the port of Honolulu,
4 in keeping travellers away and making
4 ships expenses higher, is very great.
The impression prevails abroad that
the plaee-is infected, and people don't
want to come, whereas If they knew the
real state of affairs they would not hes
itate, except for fear that they would
! be held here in quarantine. My wife
| would have accompanied me here, but
we thought it best not in view of this
being declared an infected port. If we
L had known how things were, as found
them as soon as I got ashore, Mrs.
Mighell would be here now. re- ~ 4
Mr. Mighell says he was surprised at
the amount of business along the water
front here. 'I felt as if 1 was back in
San Francisco" he said, when 1 visit
ed the water front. AS port Honolulu
is very lively though 1t is in great need
of more wharves. The discharging OF
coal is very slow. One of my ships,
the Pactolus, arrived here on January
II and is here yet, making a very eX-
pensiVe stay, which hurts the port, as
it effects the price of charters for here.
"Honolulu also needs a large dry
dock very badly and a larger towboat
If ship gets into trouble the Eleu
is not large enough to give proper help
Mr.. Mighell Is owner or part owner
and manager Of twenty-eight ships. On
the list are the Henry b. Hyde, Pacto-
lus, st Frances, s. B. Carleton, r. D.
Rice John. Mcdonald, Charmer Jabez
Howes, Rufus E. Wood, Elwell, Flor
ence, General Fairchild, J. b. Brown
Sea King, James Nesmith, Oregon
Reuce, Alex Gibson, James Drummond
Carrolton, Wachusett, Henry Failing
st. James, May Flint, A. G. Fuller and
j. B. Thomas.
The transfer of ownership of the
Henry B. Hyde, which was damaged
by fire en- the way here, was a part o
the business that brought the grea
ship owner here. He intends to 81
away on the next Australia. if the doc
tors will let him. If not, Mr.. Mighel
is a man who can always travel whe1
he wants to. There are few parts o
the world in which he couldn't hav,
the pleasure of encountefing some o
his own ships, and in Honolulu he cal
{ have his choice of several of the bes
windjammers afloat.