The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-01-14

An annual precipitation of 2a1 inches
as at Kaumana, or, as it Is said of 274
inches at Kilauea QS9O), has certainly it's
drawbacks on any theory. Kalauea has
been recommended as a health resort,
| and doubtless, in view of the rainfall a
| disciple of Priessnitz might commend It
| as watering-place. Yet, rainy climate Is
not necessarily damp climate. Nearly
| all the Hawaiian towns and villages are
on or near the seacoast; but they stand
! for the most part on slopes of more or
less gentle declivity and this insures a
| rapid discharge of the heaviest rainfall
into the stream channels or directly into
| the sea. The Waikiki road was one
night. so far under water that the trans
| could not run, and boats could have been
! employed; yet in less than thirty-six
i hours the dust was blowing in the middle
! of the road. The soil Is of porous coral
| inc, through which the rain runs like a
sieve" (Nottage.)
| The rapid discharge of the rainfall on
| the eastern coast of Hawaii is a sight
| to behold. 1 have stood upon the bank
| of deep canon in the Hilo district, while
! the heavy rain-pour was deluging the
| slopes of Mauna Kea. Far below a pure
mountain stream easily fordable by leap
| ing from one lava rock to another was
| foaming seward. Presently the noise of
| Embossed waters came from the noun
| tain side, growing momentiy louder, ana
soon the torrent yellow and turbid, came
| laundering down the rocky valley, with
no less force and fury than if a great
dam had broken in the mountains; and
suddenly the little stream was magnified
into a roaring and impossible torrent, a
| hundred times the volume of a few mo-
| ments before. For days afterward, and
| for miles around, the sea would be dis
colored by the turbid discharge, and the
floating driftwood came ashore at distant
points along the coast.
| Under high tempera lures neither this
rapid drainage nor the absorbent powers
of the soil would prevent the overlooking
of the air with moisture But as we
/ have seen, there is no excessive heat
and without excessive heat, excessive
/ danpness is unusual What constitutes
dampness? Not by itself, the actual
| amount of the vapor or water in the air,
for this may vary considerably in a dry
atmosphere at different temperatures;
but the degree of saturation of the air.
| \ difference of only two degrees between
the dry and the wet bulb means great
dampness; a difference of four or five de
grees is a comfortable average, neither
moist nor dry; a difference or eight or
nine degrees means excessive dryness
Now in Honolulu the difference is -four
or five degrees, with a variation in the
monthly mean of absolute humidity OF
from $40 grains January. 1880 TO 7o&
grains June, 1900. But equability
whether of dryness or of humidity, is q
more important factor of health in a eli
mate than the actual amount of humid
ty. whether this be more or less. Elk
cessive variability is the bane and the
curse of the American climate, and Of
!, climates generally on the western aspect
of the great continents
From the experience of a long res!
dence in Hawaii I can say that while
. extreme wetness prevails in many re
fpaon nil n q
still dampness or high saturation is no
the rule. There is confirmation of this II
the fact that fogs and mist at the sea
level are unknown in the Islands Wher
: there it not rain, there is sunshine; anc
the oppressive sitting feelings that be
long to our hot summer days with mgr
saturation are not known except some
times as already said. during the preva
lence of the warm southerly storms
Except at Honolulu, few meteoroiogic
observations other than those OF rainfai
have been recorded. The table on paSl
1886 for the two years from July, 1898, to
June. 1900 will show uniformity In tenn
perature. pressure and humidity, almos'
as noticeable are the range ana Vasa-
ries of the rainfall IN other parts OF the
are much needed for the outlying sta
tons. ID
| DISEASE AND MORTALITY
In Honolulu, with an eStliiidteo PoPuid
ton of 80. 900. total of 1885 deaths was
reported for the years 1928. One hun
dred and sixty-one deaths were from
phthisis 135 from old age, 1O3 from car
diac diseases, AZ from bronchitis, 81 from
diarrhea. IS from pneumonia, a from
PARALYSIS. and IS from cholera infantum.
OF the total deaths, 1873 were of HaWah-
ans. s5s of Chinese, 1S4sof Japanese. l4i
NJ Portuguese, Jos of Americans. AZ OF
British and So of other nationalitesi
these data show the highly composite
! character of the population. Lepresy ex-
lists in Hawaii, but the disease Is prompt
" isolated. and foreigners are seldom at
tackled by it The Hawaiian government
expended more than 600 on the lepel
colony on Molokai, and its present cos
!, Is about 100000 annually.
The safety of living is complete-ther'
are no noxious beasts, no snakes, no pol
> sonous vermin save the centipede anC
the scorpion, and these are seldom. If a
all. hurtfuI, as in hotter climates. TIL
only really noxious creature is the mos
, quito Introduced from San Bias. Mex
u leo. at Lahaina, in the year 1926, by tn
n careless skipper of the ship "Welling
ton" they speedily became troublesom
, pest and throughout the group the pro
u lection of mosquito-bars is required.
RESORTS AND PLACES OF RESI-
= DENCE
e Honolulu. the capital town. while
r may not be absolutely the most health
l. full. is the most attractive and best al
IS pointed place of resort in the Havana
id group. There are good hotels and boart
4 ing houses: the foreign visitor. howeve
g will do well TO hire a furnished bungalo
and keep house for himself. Domest