Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1903-07-15

| To the Editor of The American:
Iclosed my last letter to you on board
our ship April 10, 1903. We are still there
on this date and must remain until we
can get our clean bill of health from the
harbor doctor, whom we are expecting to
come aboard any minute. / presume he
is now enjoying his breakfast.
Our signal is up, and this ffightens
some of the passengers, for, seeing the
yellow flag hoisted, they take it to mean
| that there is sickness on board, end that
we are in for quarantine. The doctors
boat has come alongside, and he Is on
board, and we are summoned to the din
ing saloon to answe r the roll call.
1t seems that all are hearty and hale,
and that each has been able to get away
| with his or her rations.
| Steam is now applied to the windlass,
| and SO, link by link, the big chain that
leads down to the coral bottom is rapidly
coming in through the hawser hole, being
chased by the kiliick.
We are now running up the narrow
channel toward the government pier, and
as we get near to it, our ships keel stirs
up the mud under it at a great rate until
we seem to stick on the bottom and are
trying to back out. A big hawser is car
ried to the pier; steam applied to the
capstsn, and we are warped in.
crowd of white people and Kanakas
is on the pier to give US welcome. 1 am
| looking for the face of friend whom l
have advised of my coming. Presently /
hear a voice: "How do you do, Mr..
Wooster" / look again and see my
friend, r. G. Moore. The mail is being
taken off and the gang board goes out for
the passengers, and soon meet Mr..
NJ oore at the pier eud of the board. He
kindly directs me to the carriage that runs
for the Royal Hawaiian hotel.
While the carriage is waiting for other
passengers, See that we have landed at
the government per; that we must pass
through gate in order to gain the street,
on the opposite side of which are govern
ment buildings.
notice with interest the tropical trees,
palms mostly, growing in what might be
called the front yard of the place.
We are now numbering along up the
clean, narrow streets, turning corner
here and there, and very soon turn into a
pretty court leading to the winding CO.
ment staircase of the hotel, at which we
alfght and climb to the first floor where
we find the office and Jap bell boys.
1t is about II a. M, and we, my fellow
travellers and 1, register in what is the
hotel-excepting some changes aud i'm
provements made to it since-that was
built for and used by the Hawaiian roy
atty. The royal shield still graces its
front.
AT lunch we meet many of our ships
passengers, who are to continue the voy-
age to the Orient, but have come ashore as
bit of del cious respite to fare.
Among them are my lawyer friend and
his family. Il mentioned them in a letter
preceding this.) Directly af,er lu.cn as
over, and we have picked our teeth to a
finish, we go out for stroll, sight seeing
and to use our camera. to occupy the few
hours tbs J have before the ship sails again.
In going out we pass through the ho-
tel, go down another staircase very much
like the one have already described, and
enter court leading to another street.
The main part of the hotel is near the
GER tire of the short block. The court is
lined on both sides with small cottages or
villas-which are part of the hotel SER
tree bearing pods of all lengths from six
inches to two feet.
We are now on the street that runs past
ex Queen LilioukaIani's residence. 1t
stands on spacious grounds, planted tc
tropical trees and shrubs, and about
twenty five hundred feet from the hotel
we have just left. We take good look at
this big, square, hip-roof house and
glance up the long, shrub bordered, wide
walk leading to the big front door stand
ing open in the middle of the ha bitation.
The ex- queen is at home, having arrived
from San Francisco few days ago, but
we do not see her.
Walking down the street a block or
two we turn to the right, go one block,
and enter the government grounds to the
executive buildirg g, which was once the
palace OF King David Kalakaua. We are
interested in the royal palms that line the
main entrance on both sides, and we snap
our camera once or twice.
Passing on around the palace we walk
down another broad, royal, palm lined
avenue-ths one occupied by force from
the U. S. S. Boston, and volunteer
troops on the 18th of January, 1898, when
1t took possession of the government
building now used as court house.
We cross another street to this building
and grounds and examine the statue of
Kamehamebs /, after which we retrace
our steps to our hotel.
This is the evening OF our first day in
the city OF Honolulu, on the island of
Oahu of the Hawaiian group.
P. G. WOOSTER.