The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-02-17
RUNNERS Of PAPA HOLUA
At BISHOP MUSEUM
Fine New Set Received From Colonel W. II.
CornweIT Will Have Place of Honor
Because of Beauty.

The Bishop Museum has received
during the week two as fine specimens
of the runners of the Papa Holua, as
are TO be found in any museum or prl-
vate collection in the world, and Col.
w. H. Cornwe1l, who was the donor,
regrets that he was not able to secure
the entire toboggan.
There is an interesting story told in
connection with the runners. the
sledge entire being found by natiVe
of Maui. in one of the burial caves IN
the mountain side. He did not realize
the value of the relic. and when he
got il at once began to tear it apart for
the purpose of using the wood for his
fire. He had taken off the top OF the
sledge and had burned all of the cross
bars. the thongs having been lost. Col
Cornwell happened to hear of the dis
covery and at once went after the to-
boggan. He was only in time to save
the runners and as they are such
fine pair he presented them to the mu-
scum.
The Papa Holua was the sledge on
which the chiefs of the old time used
to enjoy ,ne. sport of riding down hill
The sport was so dangerous that none
but the ciefs were permitted to un-
dertake it. For the purpose a strip OF
a steep hillside was cleared of stones
for width of some fifteen feet. The
path thus made was strewn with grass,
which drying rapidly, became as slip
perry as ice, and furnished an excellent
riding surface.
me sledge was built with two run
ners made of the hardest wood. In
the case of the two just received here,
the wood is kauila, and is very heavy.
The runners are four inches deep and
are tive inches broad on the l2p and
are trimmed down almost to an edge
on the riding surface. They are straight
on the edge with slight curve up
at the front. The top was fixed with
cross bars. tied in place with thongs,
and on top of these was placed mat.
When a chief wished to ride, he
would take the sledge, hold it in front
of him and running to the top OF the
slide would precipitate himself down
the steep incline, living PROSTATE on
the top of the sledge. This in itself
was no easy feat, for the runners were
usually placed about two and half
inches from center to center, and the
top was not more than six or eight
inches wide. The sport was attended
with danger for the speed became ter
rife.
me runners just received are very
long being nearly thirteen feet from
end to end, indicating that they were
the property of a very tall. man. They
will be specially mounted for exhibit
ton, though there are several other In
the museum as well as the only COM
plete sledge known to be in any muse
UNI in the world. for Professor Brig
ham esteems them as an exceptionally
fine pair and will give them place
of honor.
The work of getting the new han
of the museum ready for display goes
on apace. There is being made an ex-
cellent set of plaster casts of the fruits
and fishes of the islands, all of full
size and colored to the life. This will
be one of the most complete exhibit
tons of the products and the natural
history of the islands that could be
got together.
The grass house, rebuilt over frame