The Hawaiian gazette., 1900-07-20
A CIRCUIT
Of HAWAII
Sketch of Brief Island
Trip.
H. NJ, VIII THEY AUTHOR
Writer Who Was in Hilo in l849
TeIs Of the Points Of
Interest,

Half the pleasure of an inter-island va
cation trip consists In having good wealth
err and a smooth sea, with Just breeze
enough to keep passengers in cheerful
humor from start to finish, says ii. NJ
whitney In the Planters Monthly. such
was our good fortune as we left Homo
lulu harbor in June to make the circuit OF
Hawaii by sea and land. swift four
hours run brought the Kau packet
abreast the west end of Molokai, where
the evergreen groves of Kiawe or Aga
roba trees line the shores for miles In
extent dropping daily abundant supplies
of succulent pods that serve as rich food
for domestic animals which are attracted
to them from the highlands These are
known elsewhere rs the Caroo or St
Johns trees, and the fruit or pods are
what the apostle is supposed 10 have Nv
ed on while in tie desert of Arabia, or
which 1t is a native plant. The seeds
were brought to these islands from Val
paraiso some sixty years ago by the late
Bishop Maigret, and from them was rails
ed the first tree grown here, stu stand
ing In the north corner of the Catholic
church yard in lis city-a living monu-
ment sacred to his memory. Algarooa
groves are now found growing on each OF
the islands of this group, mostly on the
lee or sheltered sides, as the salt spray
and air blown by the strong trades pre-
vent their growth on the windward
shores
SHORES IF MOLOKAI.
As our steamer glides rapidly along,
there may bee seen on the plateau above
the village of Kaunakakai, a field of sugar
cane, some COO acres in extent, apparently
az green and thrifty as any cane grow
ing In other localities. 1t is some six or
seven months DID, and as viewed from the
deck of the steamer appears in good con-
dition, kept so apparently by the light
sun showers that daily give 1t a few
sprlnklings. and by the deep rich soil on
which 1t is planted. Yet the absence of
reliable rains and noun ain springs and
streams, so far as is known at present,
creates conditions of risk from which
timid capital shrinks. Still. as 1t rains
frequently on the eastern half of this ISL
and, the time may come when this abund-
ant rainfall may be captured and con-
veyed forty or fifty miles with profit to
It's western ha.. for agricultural purposes.
instead of emptying into the sea, as at
present. Stranger things have happened
in other countr .es, and 1t may yet be
found a matter only of dollars and cents,
backed by Yankee pluck, to secure this
wasting flood, and turning what Is now
total loss into u permanent and abundant
supply for irrigation on this desert tract.
Reaching Lahaina after q short stop of
thirty minutes, nothing worth noting Is
seen in this ancient and now dilapidated
capital of the group, except that 1t has
become an extensive sugar plantation,
with cane fields stretching for mics along
the shore from KaanaDali to Olowalu.
al on
to leave or take off the few passengers
and freight awaiting transportation. The
same may be said of the landings of Maa-
laea, Khei and Makena, between East
and West Maui. Our steam packet then
glides on swiftly and in smooth water
around the lofty mountain of Haleakala,
the ancient blouse of the Sum-" running
closely along the coal-black lava shores.
the sea abreast of which is almost I'M
fathomable, except with deep sea line.
BAY OF KAILUA.
At daybreak the souu st,amer is close
under the shadow of the extinct crater OF
Mount Haleakala, and little later drops
her anchor In the placid bay of kailua,
where she remains several hours discharg-
ing or taking on freight. This place, as
well as the entire district as far as the
south point of Hawaii, has at present
very few attractions for tourists. on the
mountain slopes, back of kailua may be
seen the ever green cane fields OF the
Kona Sugar Company, which Is this sea-
son harvesting Its first crop, about 500
tons of sugar. to be increased during the
next two years to four and five thousand
tons annually. A few fields of coffee may
be seen scattered among the green 70 iage
on the mountain slope. but from all ac-
counts this industry does not prosper as
1t might, were the price OF coffee more
remunerative than 1t is at present So
long as Brazil can raise this staple prod
uct and dispose of II in the leading mar
kets of Europe and America at seven and
eight cents a pound, there is little or no
inducement to engage in its cultivation
as a profitable industry in any other coun-
try.
In the early dawn of the second day out
the steamer rounds Kalae Point, the eX-
treme southern cape of Hawaii-a locality
noted for the wreckage and drift logs &C.
casionally thrown ashore, and which often
line the beach for miles, consisting mostly
of timber and trunks of trees and occa-
sionally wreckage of vessels. 1t was here
that the writer visited the spot and
sketched one of the masts OF the United
States sloop-of-war Levant, which was
lost In the winter of 1860, while on the
passage from Hilo to the Mainland. After
leaving Hilo the ship was never heard
from. The spar that drifted ashore was
the fore or main mast, and had rack
for guns still remaining on 1t. The d.
mansions of the spar were carefully meas
ured-iength, girth and a piece cut out
from II for identification This piece
proved the spar TO have been made of
Kauri-gum timber, and as the ship was
built In the United States. II was thought
that 1t could not be the Levant's. How
ever. the piece taken from the mast was
sent TO Washington by the American Min
ister. and on referring to the record OF
the Levant. II was found that she had
once been TO Auckland. New Zealand, and
while there had a new mast put in, which
was made from a Kaurl-gum tree. This
gave perfect Identification, and II was
decided In Washington that the spar re-
ferred to as having drifted ashore at Alu-
aiu. belonged to the Levant-the only relic
ever recorded from her. The full details
of this incident were published at the time
in the Advertiser OF 1861, and again re-
ferred to In the same paper March. 1893.