The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-06-14

"YHEN Fort street Is damned with
w hacks and carriages, all going in
W one direction, down towards the
waterfront, and bearing travel
stained men and women smothered to
the ears in flower wreaths-when old men
and women, young men and boys and
matrons and maidens and little girls go
streaming down towards the docks, hur-
rying along with excited. impatient steps
and beaming. important faces; when bare
footed and holoku-ed native women make
haste to the shore, carrying baskets and
bundles full Of beautiful and delicious
smelling tropic buds and blossoms; when
business in town is practically suspend
ed and everybody is out of doors and
Berger's band is marching Stewards,
then know you, oh gentle stranger to
these lovely Islands, that it is steamer
day"-that it is Australia day." and
that many persons are about to depart
for the far-away Mainland on the good
old reliable Honolulu-San Francisco fam
lily ferryboat, Australia.
Australia" Day.
Christmas, the Fourth of July and ST
Patrick's Day only come once year and
are observed right properly in their places
by all good citizens, but Australia day.
has the great advantage of coming many
times a year. giving the people of the
Paradise of the Pacific many opportuni-
ties for holding feasts of flowers and
music and conventions of good-byes and
alohas.
Perhaps nowhere in the wide world is
quite such scene enacted as at the de-
parture- of the Australia from Honolulu
for the Coast. The Hawaiians are ardent
worshipers of all things beautiful in ma
ture; their daily deeds must needs be as
| ISOLATED somehow with song and flow
ers. And when the haole comes under
the Islands summary spell he cannot
help but reach for the flower wreaths
and bedeck himself Herewith, encircling
| his neck with the tender. clinging things
| breathing in their sweet. intoxicating
perfumes and feeling conscious of how
well he looks, and how we'll everybody
else thinks he looks, clothed in the pretty
| blossoms of perennial spring.
The Crowds Gather.
| Yesterday was Australia day." Indi
cations of this fact became evident early
in the afternoon when express wagon.
began to rattle towards the Oceanic
wharf and women commenced to forsak,
their shopping at the dry goods establish
ments. Then the seward procession O
hacks and carriages started; shortly aft
| EDWARDS the small boys saw the big bas
drum of Berger's immortal band COINS
| TO the front on an ice wagon, and follow
ed helter-skelter to secure good seats OIL
the sugar bags and plantation machin
cry on the dock, to listen to the divin
| music and watch Kappelmeister Berge
beat time-Berger is god to the small
boys.
On the Oceanic dock was gathered
cosmopolitan multitude; nearly a thou
sand people were on hand to see tn
Australia off There the great ship lay
six feet off from the wharf so that n
San Francisco rats might come ashore
her big. black smokestack with it's jaun
" slant giving smart appearance t
the old vessel.
Four o'clock was the time set for tn
casting loose and getting away. Lon
before that time were the crowds on hand
| Long before that time did music burs
| forth upon the air at the magic wave o
| Berger'S wand.
Berger's Band.
Time passed. The band played on l
played ever and anon. 1t juggled rag
time, 1t played march, 1t produced tn
grand selections. More people came
/ There were those who had come to SCI
others say goodbye to others. Their,
We're those who had come to saw good