The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-11-16

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E>HE dredging of the slip between
the two railroad wharves is now
u finished. and the depth OF the
slip Is thirty feet at all places. The
work was done by Cotton Brothers big
dredger as the dredger owned by the
Oahu Railroad company was not able
TO handle the coral rock which consti-
tutes the bottom of this slip, as it is
pump dredger and only Of use in pump
ing out mud and sand. The coral rock
on the bottom of the slip had TO be
blasted in pieces before it could be re-
moved, and the job has been rather
tough one.
The big freighter American will prob
ably sail this morning, so this Will
greatly reduce the activity on this part
Of the wharf. The ship Tillie Starbuck
Is loading sugar and expects to take
away with her about $1,000 bags. She
took 1851 bags from the steamer Nil
hau and will also take the Mauna Loa's
sugar. She expects to get away during
the coming week
The ship Charmer is unloading coal
at the short wharf. Her entire cargo
Is consigned to the Oahu Railway &
Land Company.
The schooner Dauntless has been dis
charging her load of lumber and may
sail today.
The ship Carrollton got away yester-
day. She is going to Tacoma for an
other load of coal consigned to the o.
r. & L. Co.
A True Fish Story
venerable native named Hoopunipuni
arrived yesterday from the olner side of
the Island. He has a great reputation
as a fisherman, and is able to tell won
derful stories OF the monsters of the
deep, the life and pecuiarities of which
he has studied for a lifetime. Among
the stories he told yesterday the follow
ing seems novel enough to bear telling.
\ small shark was found dead on the
beach some time ago. It was all torn
up. and In its belly a large balloon fish
was found. 1t was blown up and weak,
but still living. Hoopunipuni offers the
theory for the popularity of
his find: The balloon fish had evidently
been swimming along quietly and realiz-
ing that times were bad he went on mod
estly without blowing himself a bit.
When balloon fish is not blown up he
looks most ordinary fish, and this evil
IDENTIFY deceived the young shark, who
got gay and swallowed the little one.
AS soon as the balloon fish got into the
gastric department of the shark, he evil
1ently tumbled to the fact that he was
right In Ii, and therefore took occasion
TO blow himself to a great extent Con-
trary to the ordinary terrestrial laws, II
was NOT the balloon fish who went broke,
however, but the shark, who, being the
one upon whom the balloon fish blew
himself, ought to have escaped all evil
The shark got literally
busted" by the giddy pace set by the
balloon fish and did not survive the
shock. His body, as-has been mentioned
before, was found on the beach, entirely
torn up. The balloon fish, however, was
not able to escape from the body of the
shark. as his prickers had been become
In it's anatomy.
The natives were highly gratifled by
the intelligent action of the balloon fish,
however. and let 1t out to sea again in
the hope that he would destroy still
these beasts are very troublesome TO the
native fishermen of these parts.
Hoopunipuni. after telling this story,
babe the bystanders observe the IN; raj
OF the tale, namely, that 1t sometimes
pays to blow yourself, and observed that
sandpaper was very cheap In Honolulu.
Later In the afternoon Hoopunipuni
told several other stories of marine mon
strosities. He told about some Jew fish
which always carry scales, and even in
some cases have learned to use
them from observing schooners weighing
anchor. He told of bibulous pilot fish
who at times saw water snakes, and sea
eggs which Matched out flying fish and
finally suggested that the Board Of
Health import a lot of catfish in order
that the seamouse be eXterm:nated, and
the danger of these animals carrying
plague germs from infected ports thus
prevented. These stories seem to bear
more or less the stamp of a careless
handling of the truth, however. and they
found few believers.
October's ShlpbulldIng Returnp.
The Bureau of Navigation reports that
$50 vessels of 45,547 gross tons were built
in the United States and officially num-
bered during the month of October, as
follows: OF wooden sailing ships So were
built. with an aggregate tonnage amount