The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1902-07-22

SAN FRANCISCO. July 3.--'fhe New
York Commercial publishes portrait Of
-. r. Dillingham; ON It's editorial page,
and gives the following saotch Of his
career.
Benjamin +. Dillingham; is the Pier
pOnt Morgan of haNali.' For dozen
years ne mas been the leading factor ia
the Inauguration col all great enterprises
m the islanus, and IA, IL acknowledge TO
be kccucr ON financial questions than any
other man ia the territory. II, rs rich
worth at least ii haif dozen muAons-and
sull working hard Tor the stah.
some persons call Dillingham; the
Monte Cristo of HAWAII because, Like
Edmond Dantcs he attained fortune alter
years OF sCaturing, and has risen nom
frioudloss sailor to be a powerful million
arc. But Monte Ciistu" got his wealth
by chance and through another, while
Dillingham; fought his way from poverty
to riches against overwhelming odds. He
is the zeal promotcr-the sort that can SO
back To the same bankers time and again
and get their funds because he las kept
their confidence.
| Dillingham;, less than thirty years ago,
was cast away ON the beach Of Hawaii
| by a shipwreck. Three voyages around
! the world before the mast had given him
a good knowledge OF men and things.
While his comrades bemoRnod their fate
and sought assistance In their plight Jil-
| llnEham looked for work and had 1t he
! fore his clothes were dry. lie made up
his mind that he would go no more to sea,
but would make his home under the
plumy palms Of the Pacific paradise. A
dollar n day was all he was paid at first
and he saved little even then. By and
by he proved his value. and his pay YVES
H.. Ia Ht,,., .l...,t
for investments for his small capital and
at last he embarked in the hardware
business. For many years he continued
in that and even now controls the largest
house in that line In Hawaii When in
the latter eighties Dillingham; proposed
the construction OF n railway on the s-
and OF Oahu. which would connect ard
be fed by number OF sugar plantations
that he intended to develop. sluggish
capital baked at the idea as foolish and
impracticable.
Oahu lis the principal island of the Ha-
waiian group. though not the largest. On
Oahu Is Honolulu, tho capital of Hawaii
for many generations. Dillingham;
scheme was to run n steam road from
Honolulu along the seashore for thirty
or forty miles. tapping rich lands that
would be transformed into eNtensiv,
plantations In. his mind he saw tn,
, road extended to Kahuku, on the othei
side of Oahu. 1t 10 there now and som,
day will encircle the island entirely
Dillingham's unbounded pluck and optim
ism overcame one obstacle after another
and he finally landed himself and his fol
lowers just where ne predicted they
would find themselves when the task h,
; had outlined was accomplished. Artesiar
wells were sunk on the present site q
; Eva plantation and water a-plcnty To-
! irrigation was struck. The Eva Suga
, Company was organized and the stool
, fioated. Investors were slow. but Dill
, bingham kept hammering away and final
ly EVA became one of the most mar
velous producers both of sugar and dvi
dends in the world.
BY that time Dillingham; hsd becom
known not only in Ban Francisco but IL
; New York. To-day he has scores n
friends in Wall street, and even in tina
, lane of wolves and hawks" his word Il
as good as hi. bond-and he has Away
Ian