Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1901-11-26
FROM HAWAII.

From a letter received recently, by Miss
Sigma Markstrum, the PILOT is allowed
to make extracts, which no doubt will
be very interesting to all of Miss Hol-
den's Wausau friends.
The letter is dated October I'd, 1901, |
and was written from Waialua Oahu:
MY destination has been reached
and now / feel quite at home in my new
surroundings. / left Chicago, for
San Francisco, on the 18th day OF Au-
gust and had most delightful trip and
enjoyed it so much. There were so
many new scenes that the journey was
not tiresome. The mountains charmed
me and did not tire of watching them,
day after day the scenery through New
Mexico and Arizona, was beautiful
except, of course, the desert. | do not
think | care for California, especially
during the dry season. Everything
looked so dead. Ipersume it is beauti-
ful after the rainy season; should like
to see it then After four days and five
nights of constant travel we reached
PIT Richmond and was ferried across to
San Francisco"
Miss Holden visited at Palo Alto for
few days with Miss Sophia Cramer
and then returned to San Francisco,
and continued on her journey.
"We left the dock at ten and went
out in the Bay, anchored there and
waited for mail on the Southern Pacific,
delayed by burning snow sheds. At
last at four O'Clock in the afternoon
we got the mail and with our pilot on
board we started out of tbs Golden
Gate into the great Pacific. was sick
for two days and on the third day, sue
ceeded in getting out on deck. 1t was
Sunday morning anH we had services
conducted by ar Episcopal bishop.
Monday night we had quite fine con-
cert, and OF Tuesday we had all sorts
and kinds of races. Prizes collected |
from the passengers were awarded the
winners
After six days of sea and sky, we
came in sight of the islands. They
looked like clouds at first, but as we
came nearer we could distinguish the
mountains. At last after an inspection
of quarantine officers, we landed at |
Honolulu. Two kindergarten teachers
from Honolulu met me and took me to
the home of Mrs. Castle, an old mis-
sionary. They treated me beautifully;
no one could ever be kinder than the
family were to me. spent week at
the Castle home and during the time
took in the sights of the city. The Cas-
tie home was built mp the mountain
from Honolulu and made you think of
place in Switzerland. The house was
painted dark red and sat on narrow
ledge of rock just back of the house
the mountains rose to the height of
thousands of feet. From the dining
room window you looked out over the
valley down to the sea. Every boat
that entered or left the harbor coulu be
distinctly seen. went to see the for
mer queen, Lilioukalaua. She gave
a reception. The public was invited,
so /, thinking it my only chance to see
real live queen, went with the rest.
Her palace was not grand affair ac-
cording to our ideas. When we arrived
the whole yard was filled with natives
and whites, too, walking in line to the
doors, or standing around under the
trees We joined the line and marched
between two rows of attendants,
dressed according to Hawaiian royalty.
They wore capes made of feathers;
these feathers used to be a sign of roy
ally. We passed in at the door one at
time; made a bow to the queen and
walked out She was dressed quite fine
and was attended by several of the royal
family. The feast was spread under an
awning in the yard. We were not in
vited to participate, SO could only look
table set on the mat The principal
food is fish and poi poi which is made
of taro, II native food, and is about the
consistency of thick starch. 1t is eaten
with the lingcrs-that is, the natives eat
it that way.
Honolulu is beautiful spot; the
homes are large, some uf them magnili-
cent. The yards are large aud are
one mass of foliage. Some If the trees
are beautiful. The royal palm is one |
of the principal features of beauty. ! |
think it the most beautiful city l have
ever seen. Istayed there one week then |
came out here, by train, accompanied |
by Miss Sly, the former teacher here, |
and the plantation r4anager sent the
plantation engine and cane car to
meet me. Although not palace car
it answered every purpose, and now to
make you understand the situation, | |
must tell yoH about plantation. Oahu,
the island on which we live has six |
plantations. 1ney each consist Of thou
sands of acres of land all set out to
sugar cane, or nearly all; few fields
of rice, taro and pine apples. 1t is the
most paying crop that can be raised. |
Each plantation is owned by stock |
company and run by manager. The
work is done by japanese, Chinese,
Porto Ricans and Portuguese. 1t takes
about 5000 people TO do the work on
one plantation. The work in the fields |
is done. of course, by low class of
Japs, etc. these men are divided into |
companies and over each company is 4
an overseer. These people live in
camps, we call them villages, which are |
built around the pumping stations.
There are seven, / believe, ON the Wal |
alua plantation. The land has to be
irrigated, hence the necessity of the I
4 L e L