The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1901-02-07
4 YAKIMA WOMAN IN HAWAII.
She Writes An Interesting Letter From One Of
Uncle Sans New Possessions.


A recent letter received from Mrs.
wilkins, a former resident of Yakima,
who left for Hawaii in November last,
in hopes that the change would prove
beneficial to her health, sends the fol-
lowing letter to friends under date OF
Dec. 20:
eve were IA days on the water and
had very rough voyage nearly all the
way. l was not sea sick, but so tired
from continually bracing and clinging
to the furniture of the ship, and at night
it was hard work to stay in our berths.
One night the ship rolled so heavily that
the engines were stopped and hove to
until morning. The dishes became
pretty scarce by the time we neared the
end of our journey. We landed at Hon
olulu on the Sd, and left for Marie the
next evening. l liked Wialuku very
well, but after staying there a week and
not being able to get house or even a
couple OF rooms, we concluded to try
some other town. We were advised to
try Lakiana for my health, as it was hot
and dry. This meant crossing the noun
tains in stage coach, requiring a ride
OF four hours. The stage had span of
little mules for wheeers, and the lead
ers were island ponies, and none OF them
looked as if they had ever had a square
meal the driver had pile OF rocks on
the box to throw at the leaders, but we
arrived safely, and the next day began
house hunting with the same success we
had in Wialuku. There are over 5000
people here, OF whom perhaps 80 are
white. In Lakiana there are still less.
The first boat for Honolulu started in
few days, and we We're on it and have
been house hunting ever since. We can
get house on the beach with two small
rooms and porch, for $40 per month
Ii we don't soon find something within
our reach, we will start for California
The prices here would ruin a millionaire
inside OF six months. They rob us ON
every turn.
Think OF it, five days until Christmas
and everyone dresses in white, the ka-
naka children all bareiooted, the women
many OF them bareiooted, also with hol-
icoo or mother-hubbards, either calico
or silk, and string OF flowers around
their hats. The dressmakers and tailors
are all Chinese. with shops along the
e-+,- l. IL. II.
like barn door. Each shop has three
or four sewing machines. The native
women weave beautiful hats, baskets
and fans. The hats are made OF cocoa
leaves, slit very fine, and are very light
and pretty. They cost IRON 81 up. The
cocoanut trees are loaded and figs and
bananas grow everywhere, the yards are
full of them 0rren bought II bananas
for dime and pine apple for nickel.
Grapes are scarce and strawberries are
not vet in market. The oranges are fiat,
but the lines make very good lemonade; ,
it has a different taste from Yakima lem
onade-a little like Chintz bugs smell.
The tomatoes grow wild and are like our
ground tomatoes back home. The fish
are mullet and fine eating. The natives
have devil fish in the markets, and eat
them raw. In fact they eat all kinds OF
fish raw.
The natives are very fond 81 bathing
in the sea and are expert divers and
swimmers. The other day we saw
number of girls and boys in bathing, the