The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-05-23
Golden Wedding "reminiscences of Distin-
guished Citizen Who Has Seen Hawaii
and Much of America.

the Seas. arriving here in January. 1888.
The ship was lowed into the harbor by
n long line OF native people who grasped
the hawser and walked along the reef.
IL was after this that oxen were sub
atituted for the purpose OF bringing In
shIpS. There was a path along the
reef which bound the entrance. which
"a n natural break In the outer reef.
and along this the men and oxen
walked In pulling In ship. marching
through the water. Inside the harbor
we found probably 100 whaling ships OF
from 300 to 500 tons. These had come
in with oil and were waiting to reship.
our big ship was soon surrounded by
the whaIers, two on each side. which
began at once to transfer into her the
barrels OF oil for shipment to New
York.
The main business here then was
the dealing with the whaling fleet, or
" hich there were not less than 2oO
ships which were in the habit OF calling
at Honolulu, Lahaina and Hilo, gener-
ally twice during a year Their sum-
rler months they spent in the Okhotsk
and Behring seas and in the Arctic
ocean. taking the right whales which
then were abundant in those seas IN
the winter they went south or TO Japan.
This gave them a chance TO make the
year very full. for they left their oil
here for reshipment and thus with re-
fitting were enabled to put in almost
the entire season at sea.
There were very few structures or
the American or European styles. II
architecture or building. There were
a few houses OF wood and stone. the
latter predominating. There were SOW
eral fairly commodious and handsome
buildings occupied by the well-to-io
merchants. Now there are scarcely any
traces of the old buildings which were
then accounted so good. I can rernem-
Der only one historical building, that
being the main room formerly occupied
by Hackfeld & Co. at the rear OF their
new building. That was at that time
the Legislative and Judiciary building
Kawaiahao church was then much m
the same condition as now. On the
site of the lately destroyed Kaumaka-
pill church there was a structure CT
adobe and thatch. The present Catho-
lie Cathedral was then in existence.
But. as / said. the major portion OF
the dwellings OF the city were the
matched ones OF the native people.
THE native population formed the
7 great body OF the population then seen
upon the streets. They were always
moving about and at work. They bore
burdens upon the Hawaiian yoke or
mamake. which with it's load At both
ends. very much resembled the method
OF carrying which IS followed by the
Chinese at present time. The men al
work generally wore shirts but nothing
more In the way OF apparel. At that
time there was scarcely wheeled We
hicle In the city. Those which were
20 be- seen were OK carts. with occa-
slonally q hand cart. Saddle horse
were here in very small numbers Thir-
teen years before when 1 left home
there were no saddle horses. or prac,
tically none. when i returned founo
that the few here were held very hlsh
from s75 TO $50 each. But the matter
OF horseback riding became such
craze that within ten years the prices
OF horses had fallen TO from SIC 10 50
each. In fact In 1850 one could get Q
very fair riding horse for from $40 &c
So. At the time OF which speah
there were no large plantations ol
ranches The cattle were just begin
ming 70 multiply upon Oahu. and beel
was generally obtainable where ter
years before Il has been very scarce
indeed.
AT the time of which am telling