The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-01-17
OLSEN IS COMMENDED.
BUT THE POLICE SAY HE HAD
GOLD FEET"
Some Porto Ricans on the Ke Au Hou
Had No Breakfast and None Had
Lunch.

The Ke Au Hou was suddenly stop
ped yesterday afternoon after she had
started for Hamakua with 12S Porto
Ricans on board. A Porto Rican luna
named Fortuna drew "a knife and
threatened Captain Olsen, during dis
pute about food for the immigrants,
Others appeared to be in violent mood,
and Captain Olsen dropped anchor and
sent for the police. Deputy Sheriff
Chllngworth went on board with two
officers and the threatened riot was
prevented. The Porto Ricans were fed
and pacified and at about 6:30 the ke
Au Hou started on her journey again.
The police department, the Inter-
Island Steamship Company and the
planters who brought yesterdays lot
of Porto Ricans here have marked diff
ferenceS of opinion about the row that
occurred on board the steamer. Presi-
dent Ena thinks that Captain Olsen of
/ the steamer by his good judgment
| avoided very serious row which might
/ have caused much loss of life and pos
! sibly loss of the steamer. The police
| department declared that Captain Oh
sen showed cold feet" and need never
have stopped the vessel at ALL if he
had simply put the Porto Rican with
q knife in irons. Some of the sugar
men agreed with this view.
There were 12S Porto Ricans on the
little steamer Ke Au Hou. Her crew
unarmed. The immigrants were all
hungry and the presence of complain
ing women and children only made the
men worse. If Captain Olsen had used
violence on the man Fortuna, who
drew a dagger, it is thought by some
that the whole lot would have attacked
the captain and crew. If they had done
so they could have oVerpOwered all the
officers and crew of the vessel. There
might have been bloOdshed and the
steamer, left without management
would probably have been wreck, will
possible further loss of life.
II consider that Captain Olsen show
ed very good judgment" said Presi-
dent Ena of the Inter-Island Company
"and that his prudence prevented the
affair from becoming very serious. Tn,
police said he ought to have jumped on
, the man and had him put in irons, bu
, that would have been simply to caus,
, a fight in which the Porto Ricans WOulC
have got the best OF When cap
tain uses good judgment like that anC
does such good work he ought to b,
given credit for it and not to be ac
cused of having cold feet
Lack of food was the cause of tn
trouble, though the fact that Fortun
had had a good deal to drink helped t
develop the row. Fortuna was the lun
in charge of the people on the he A
Hou, and he was their banker. 1t /
charged that one reason why he mad
the row was that he wanted to caus
I trouble and get ashore with the none
he had belonging to others. Thi
: might have been done much easie
while the Peking with the immigrant
was at the wharf, however.
On the City of Peking the immigrant
had a great variety of foods, as show
, by the stewards lists for the triI
a | Chief Steward Johnson says that n
them a
= start rounds of plates, knives and fork
n were issued and the immigrants wer
+ served in regular steerage style. The
v had several kinds of meats and man
vegetables.
. The food arrangements came to griC
c when Honolulu was reached. Many {
: the immigrants declare that they onl
Il had cup of coffee on the Peking yes
c terday morning. Some say they ha
e buns. A considerable proportion sta
n ed while the row was being settled O
"a the Ke Au Hou yesterday that the
~ had had absolutely no breakfast at al
a 1t is certain that none of them had an
n lunch. They We're leaving the Pekir
: and were off Steward Johnson's hand
20 Even those who had had breakfa
h We're naturally hungry.
g Ke Au Hou had not facilities fl
J., feeding them and it had not room
p place them at all comfortably. On II
i forward deck of the Ke Au Hou, a L
of hard tack, salt salmon and oth'
II, stuff was dumped, and the immigran
ts We're told to help themselves.
/ This was not a very auSpiciouS b
ginning of life in Hawaii, 1t was Il
h, immigrants first meal in the count
al to which they had come in hope
~ better things than they had at hon
w Fortuna drew a large dagger al
G threatened Captain Olsen, while othe
10 made angry demonstrations. CAPITA
" Olsen promptly dropped his anchor al
called for help to settle the matter b
fore going on the journey.
Deputy Sheriff Chillingworth and ty
J. officers were soon on board and qui
he was restored though not until MAJ
he of the Porto Ricans had torn off al
ne thrown away the tags" they bore, gi
ing their names and destinations. TT
will make it difficult to sort out al
o. land them.
is Captain Harry Flint, Captain Kan
and officer Jim Kupihea went on I
<e Au Hou as guards to prevent fu
ey ther trouble.