The Hawaiian gazette., 1901-04-23
Zealandia From Los Angeles.

The Zealandia of the Oceanic Steam
ship line arrived off port on Saturday
night from Los Angeles, bringing over
eight hundred Porto Ricans to work on
the plantations in these IslandS.
She remained outside of The harbor
all might, coming into port about 8
o'clock yesterday morning and going
to the railway wharf.
The Zealandia sailed from San Fran
csico on the 18th instant, arriving att
Los Angeles on the following day, early
in the afternoon. She sailed from the
latter port at daylight on the 18th, max
ing the run to Honolulu in seven days.
fourteen hours and fifty-five minutes.
I The steamer left Los Angeles with
S49 Porto Rican immigrants, men, wo-
men and children. Six Of the children1
died on the voyage and were buried at
anaemia.
| Yesterday about 200 of the laborers|
went down the railway line to Waialua
and other plantations. The remainder
of them will be shipped to the other ISL
ands on the Kinau and other island
steamers.
The Zealandia has about 400 tons o.
cargo for this port. She will remain
here three or four days and then sal
for San Francisco.
While the present lot OF laborers 4.
anything but pleasant to look upon, 1
Is not the worst crowd which has com'
to these Islands by any means.
The people are dirty, very dirty, to b.
sure but that perhaps may be laid par
TALLY to the fact that they have beef
cooped up on board ship for a lon,
time to say nothing of their travelling
experiences on the train overland.
The majority of them are thin anS
sickly looking. They seem to posses
considerable stamina, however, an
may recuperate soon under favorabl
conditions.
They We're all very hungry when a.
Advertiser reporter saw them aboar
ship yesterday and proved that they ha
appetites when several dozens of bunche
of bananas were brought aboard.
Those who happened TO be on the gu
gar wharf when the bananas wer
aboard the Zealandia saw a sight whic
was both amusing and pathetic. Ther
was a wild scramble for the fruit meI
women and children making rush fo
the bananas as fast as they were take
aboard.
A man would be going up the gang
way with a box OF the fruit on his shou
der when the crowding and pushing Id
borers on the deck, those who were neal
est, would reach over the rail and era
at the yellow punches. filling their blouse
and dresses and hats, so that by I'll
time the man arrived on deck theI
would hardly be a banana left In II
box.
Some of the fruit was carried aboar
two punches at a time. a man waikiki,
up the gangway with a bunch In eith9
hand. When he arrived on deck the
would be a scramble and the banana
would be torn from the punches. one
one, or by the handful by old men. your
men. young girls. women with babes
arms and children ranging from the al
OF just learning to walk TO long trouse1
There were fights and yells and cries
youngsters while the distribution OF b
nanas was going on. One would make
big haul OF fruit only to have II TAXI
from him or her by some ons wi
WAS bigger or stronger or hungrier
more selfish
There were enough bananas 10 give
Of the laborera Euiileeney. They a
them fast and furiously. aa II they hi
not had anything To eat for a day
two. They have been well fed on Il
steamship, however, and their ezcit
ment over the bananas was perhaps OF
ting 20 the fact that they had not lasl
fruit Tor long time