The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-02-16
LOCAL KNOCKERS
AND THEIR FAILlNGS

Editor Advertiser: 1 was much
pleased this morning to read your edi-
torial on the everlasting knockers
who are so plentiful in Honolulu, and
who seem to take especial delight in
knocking" the greatest tourist attrac-
tion the Islands possess. namely: the
volcano.
In this connection 1 desire to men
ton two instances of the work of the
"knocker" against the volcano which
came under my observation last sum
mer and fall. Some time in August,
DR.. L. and his wife and mother-in-law
of Arizona, concluded to spend their
summer vacation in Hawaii Being
old friends they called upon me soon
after their arrival and one evening
after dinner, in speaking of the attrac-
tions of the Islands, asked my wife and
self what we thought about their max
ing visit to the volcano. We i'm
mediately spoke in the highest praise !
of the volcano, describing it as one of
the wonders of the world and telling
how much greater it was as an attrac- |
ton than Yosemite, the Grand Canyon |
of the Colorado or anything else that !
either of us had ever seen.
Both the DIR. and his wife expressed |
great surprise at this, saying they had
been told at the family hotel on Rich
ards street, where they were stopping, |
that the volcano was not active now
and that il was not worth going to see. Il
We denounced such statements and Il
said one might as we'll say that the
Grand Canyon of the Colorado was not
worth going to see in these days be-
cause the mighty glaciers which form
ed that marvellous gorge were not
drifting down the river now. The re-
suit of our enthusiastic talk was that
both the DR.. and his wife visited the
and they said they would not
have missed seeing the volcano for
anything that it was the grandest
sight they had ever witnessed. Both
If these people had seen a great deal of
he world, having Travelled extensively
through Europe, visited Egypt and
made an extended trip up the Nile, as
we'll as visiting all the points of in
crest on the North American CONT
lent.
About month or six weeks follow
ng the visit of these people, Mr. M,
ornia, came to the Islands with his
wife, on vacation. Being an old
riend he also called to let me know
lie was here and he too related the
anne experience as the Doctor about /
he volcano. 1t had been so denounc-
d to him that he had made up his
hind not to visit it although the chief
ause of his coming here had been to u
ee the volcano. AS in the other case -
told him he would miss the grandest
lght OF his life If he failed to visit
ne volcano. Finally he concluded
, follow my advice and after his re-
I'm told me that both he and his wife
ould never have forgiven themselves
they had not gone to the volcano,
lat nothing they had ever seen in any
Their part of the world-and both had
'aveled much could compare as a
lagnificent bit of grandeur with the
olcano of Kilauea. This gentleman
'nsidered the steamer fare to Hilo ex-
'b1tant, comparing it with the fare
ON San Diego to San Francisco, or 1
ON San Francisco to Seattle, each one
distance of about 800 nautical miles,
Id in which the fare is but $1,000 with 4
lie very best of service and meals,
can staterooms and good bedding.
All of these visitors especially COM |
ented upon the fact that they could
Vt secure any printed matter in the
ty about the volcano and thought it
ost strange that the steamship COM
ny did not have printed folders de-
riptive Of the volcano, and containing
ustrations Of the scenes there and on
e way. |
May your demands for tourist travel
ID your exposure of the knockers
1aken the people to a sense of the l
Id mine at their doors if they will
ly develop it properly and all pull
sether for the common good.
G. E. S.
Honolulu, February 10, 1903.