The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-03-06


States, delivered a lecture on t'ebru-
| ary Is before the Louisiana Sugar Plan
ters', Association on Hawaii, as follows:
Beyond our western coast, 2,100 miles
southwest from San Francisco, Caiifor-
mia, lies the new Territory of Hawaii.
| This Territory consists of a series Of ISL
ands extending from northwest to south
east resting like cluster of emerald
gems in mid-ocean, 1000 miles or more
| from their nearest neighbor They are
| of recent volcanic origin and are frlDged
| with coral reefs. This group consists of
| twenty ISLANDS lying between The 19th
and goth degrees of latitude, and l54th
| to the l72d degrees of longitude west OF
| Greenwich. OF these, eight-Hawali,
Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, ka-
| hoolawe and Niihau, are inhabited,
| though the last two are small in area
and in population.
| The smaller ones are only temporarily
| inhabited by workmen of the guano COM
| panies, who collect the eggs and the ma
nure deposited upon them by the myriads
| of sea-tdFds and turtles which perma-
nently abide there.
! In the past these islands were isolated
| from the centers of civilization, but In
recent years, with the development OF
commerce between the Occident and
| Orient, they have become directly in the
line of travel. and form halfway
house of coaling point for steamers
| bound from San Francisco or Nancou-
yer to Australia and from the same
ports to China and Japan, and from the
/ Isthmus of Panama to the same coun-
tries Since the purchase of the Phlilp-
pine Islands by this country, they have
! become also the resting as Well as the
coaling station between these islands
and the United States
|
and reefs, and are known only for their
| guano deposits, their shark fishing
| grounds and for their sad tales of ship
wreck.
OF the eight larger islands, five only
are considerably populated the other
three, Niihau, Lanai and Kahoolawe, be-
! ing used mainly as cattle ranches.
! Hawaii the largest island, gives its
name to the group and the present Ter
ritory. 1t is ninety miles long from
north to south, and seventy-four miles
broad from east to west. It's area is A.
| 210 square miles. This island is an ag
gregation of three enormous volcanoes,
which from many points of view, appear
as sublime domes, bold and majestic in
outline, their bases joining each other,
suggested the name of THE Triplets,
which they sometimes receive.
Mauna Kea 13,S05 feet in height is
| the loftiest, and is at present inactive.
! Mauna Loa presents the only living vol
canoes in this group. On its summit is
| the occasionally active crater Mokua-
| weoweo, whose highest rim is 1855 feet.
| followed into the side of Mauna Loa, at
an elevation of 1000 feet, is the famous
crate of Kilauea, always manifestng
! strong indications of eruption and some
times in 1898, furiously active.
! To this volcano weekly excursions are
made by tourists from Honolulu. An ex-
| cellent road (thirty miles long, from Hi
| n n hapn
| and comfortable hotel at the crater
has been erected for the accommodation
of visitors. This volcano is one of the
| attractions of the islands, and to those
| who can stand a rough sea and a long
carriage ride, a visit will give great
pleasure and much instruction.
Captain C. Z. Dutton, in his paper on
! the Hawaiian Volcanoes, United States
Geological Survey, Fourth Annual Re-
port, says:
] Deep sea soundings in the vicinity
have recently disclosed the fact that
| these volcanic piles are only the SUBMITS
/ of gigantic mountain masses rising sud-
denly from the bottom of the Pacific,
which for many hundreds of miles
around them is only moderately diversi-
fed The slopes of Mauna Loa, east,
west and south, descend beneath the
! surface of the ocean with a gradient full
ly equal to. if not greater than, the Wis
ible slope of it's TANKS. The submarine
slopes of all the other islands in direc-
tons perpendicular to the principal axis
of the group, are equally great and pos
Slbly somewhat greater The depths at
tanned by these continuous slopes within
30 to so miles of the shores vary from
2,4oo to 300 fathoms, or 1900 to $4,000
1 feet. Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea re-
ferred to their true bases at the bottom
II of the Pacific, are therefore mountains
not far from 1000 feet in height. And
j in general, the island group consists OF
Il the submits of a gigantic submarine
/ chain projecting it's loftier peaks and
4 domes above the water
i Hawaii leads the other islands in size
in picturesqueness and in diversity OF
soil and products. 1t grows the larges,
quantity of sugar, coffee and live stock
I! Maui is the second island in size with
Il a length of As and a breadth of 80 miles
1t contains 760 square miles. Here we
nave two mountain formations of I'M
equal size. The smaller consists of a Sc
RES of serrated ridges, rising in extreme
height to $500 feet, with deep. narrow
fertile valleys between. On the north
east and southwest are sufficient level
arabic lands to permit of extensive SUI
gar culture and stock raising, while
steep preclpices overlook the ocean in
the north.
Oahu is the third island in size. but
'he hrst in population, due to the CITY
OF Honolulu, which is the capital of the
territory, and the chief seaport of the
islands.
~ IS % miles long by 25 miles broad
neihg, however, irregular in shane. For
us size this island has the largest pro-
uucins power. It's sugar plantations are
justly esteemed as the best in the world.
honoiuiu is the only improved harbor
Oh the coast, with a, depth to the wharves
of 30 feet moi YES
Pearl Harbor, twelve miles west OF
r4 o.olulu. port ceded to the United
kaua, upon the execution of the treatv
OIL reciprocity with these islands, is ca
pabie of being made one of the largest
and safest harbors in the world
Kauai has length of % miles. with q
breadth of % miles, and an area Of 5oo
square miles. Geologically it is the old
! est island of this group, as will he
shown later under the geology of the
islands. Accordingly, we find it better
! supplied with streams and cascades. the
! former originally furnishing the power