The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1901-01-18

"a a cans VINO arrived mere yes
7eI day on the City of Peking and who
we're hustled in Island steamers to
other Islands, where they are to work
on the plantations.
The truth is but told when 1t Is said
that no more wretched- looking lot Of
human beings ever came to these Ha-
4vaiian Islands.
Half-starved and consumptive-look-
sng, dirty beyond all description, for
dorm and absolutely without anything
material to cheer or comfort them in
&heir poverty, they have come to this
country in the hope that they Will earn
enough by honest toll to provide them
with sufficient to keep body and soul
together.
AS they were transferred from the
City of Peking yesterday to the Island
steamers which were to take them to
Gheir new homes. those who saw them
were overcome with pity for their
wretched condition. Poor little wasted
infants, looking more like living skele-
tons than growing human beings, with
little claw-like hands clutching at the
nat breasts of sickly mothers whose
sad, pity beseeching eyes had long
ceased to know the poor comfort Of
useless tears, caused many hearts to
ache and many heads to turn away.
1t was not a sight to look upon long.
The country which these unhappy
ones have left has sent forth fearful
examples of the conditions existing
there. Here, in Hawaii, they are to
find homes and food and wherewithal
10 clothe themselves and perhaps hap
piness. 1t Is a change from positive
suffering to contentment for them; for
the country 1t Is an experiment.
One who went among them yesterday
morning told an Advertiser reporter
that 1t would be some time before they
could be expected to do any work
They have first to be nourished they
have to regain some OF the strength
which has been lost by semi-starvation.
1t seems that they have been picked
from the very poorest and most hope
less class in Porto Rico; it would he
hard to imagine people in more desti-
tute circumstances.
About half the Porto Ricans are wo-
men and children. They very naturally
have suffered more than the men. The
men are better able to stand 1t. The
dirt which was so evident on the per-
sons of tire immigrants was not by any
means only the stains of travel: 1t
seemed rather to be the accumulation
of days and weeks and even months
of living in the most squalid circum-
stances. But how could they well be
otherwise? Herded like cattle, each
bearing tag with his name and the
name of the plantation to which they
were consigned, punched together in
such a way that it was practically inn
possible for them to do much more than
sit up to eat and lie down to sleep.
The surgeon aboard the Picking used
a great amount of drugs on the way
down from the Coast in his attempt to
night malaria and dysentery among the ,
Porto Ricans.
AS soon as the Picking was at the Pa !
cific Mail wharf the steamer Helene of
Wilder's company went alongside OF
the steamship and three hundred of
the immigrants were Immediately
to the smaller vessel. They /
were well managed and Captain Clarke .
ssw to It that they We're we'll provided
with food. The Helene then proceeded |.
TO Hawaii and Maui, where they are
To be distributed among the different
No trouble was experience
ed with those put aboard the Helene.
Later In the day the steamer Ke-Au-
Hou OF the Inter-Island Company was
ready to take most of the remaining
Immigrants to Hamakua. A little over
one hundred We're put aboard the Ke-
Au-Hou and early in the afternoon the
steamer was ready to start upon her
journey. Captain Olsen commanded
the boat.
The Ke-Au-Hou Is not a large boat
and when the laborers, the sickest look
ing lot OF laborers who ever hired out,
were aboard there was hardly room for
The crew 10 move around In.
1t IL fortunate for the two steamship
companies that the Federal inspectors
~ hulls and boilers have not yet arrlv-
~ 10 put the United states laws into
effeet IN regard 10 the carrying Of mora
passengers than can be properly ur
safely accommodated,
IN any accident happened either tlr
Helene or the Ke-Au-IIou on their re-
speetlye trips 10 the other Islands a
great many lives would be lost for
there are no, the necessary number ~
boats OF RATS and so forth on the yes
sells 10 save half the number OF people
which they carried
fht hfHAh #ilnu hhd no sooner got
Ten oni INTO the stream, an ready 10
depart before those On shore noticed
: graal eommollon on board and pref
- soan some one came hurfylna from
she vessel IN boat and after landing
made . rush for The police station.
what's The malierT cried dozen
~ aloFe excited persons Ahen they got
Eisa - the fspl that there Has aolae