The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-09-27
WONDERS OF
MIDWAY ISLE
lroquois Finds lsIet
Bristlins With
Buildings.

Buildings.
With her main iopmast gone ant
carrying split mainsail, the L. s. $
lruquois returned yesterday morning
from an evcntful trip to Midway Island
where she landed a large amount Of sup.
plies for the cable colony United State,
marines and the workmen engaged il
putting up new buildings. The repair.
to the mainmast will be made shortl,
and the Iroquois will again be in as
good trim as ever Captain Niblack wa,
the only officer aboard the vessel on the
trip.
WHITE MENGAID OUT.
Eight out Of the twenty white work.
men engaged by Alilliken Brothers tc
construct buildings were brought back
in the lrouuois. They were the sick
broken down remnants of the laborers
whose PLACES are filled bv Japanese
Their names are o. ]. Miller, w. C.
Shannan, J. f. Taylor, n. f. Cherry, b.
B. Wilkins, w. McManus, G. L. Scott
and +. Blake. The men claim not to
have been well treated by the contractors
on Midway, but speak in the highest
terms OF Captain Niback. 1t is known,
however, that some of the men should
never have been shipped to Midway as
they were unequal to the life that is of
necessity rigorous. They are to be sent
to San Francisco.
ROUGH WEATHER MET.
On the way out to Midway, and two
days before reaching the island, the Iro-
quois was struck bv a gale and the
maintopmast went over in a jffy. while
the mainsail was split Captain Niblack
found it too rough on the bar to attempt
to steam inside and the vessel was an
chored outside. The stores were sent
ashore in the tugs boats. the sailors
having to row two and half miles The
channel on the bar is only 70 feet wide,
and the lroduois had but very few
inches to spare there. This was the first
time the lroouois could not go inside.
The stores were all landed the first day,
and Captain NiDlack then waited another
day to give the lonely colony time 70 an
swer their letters for return to Homo
lulu.
MARINES LIKE PLACE.
Captain Niblack visited the encamp-
ment of the detachment of twenty
marines under Lieutenant Owen, and
found them housed in tents in an open
place. The men were all well and were
enjoying their queer outing. Assistant
Surgeon High. u 5. N, is the medical
officer with the detachment. The men
are put through drill constantly, and
have target practice quite often. Al
though many in the cable colony were
quite willing to return to Honolulu in
the Iroquos, the marines were content
to remain where they were
NOT HOPEFUL ABOUT PLANTS.
The cable colony were not very hope
full as TO the future of the trees, plants
and grasses taken to Midway by Captain
Niblack. Although most of the varie-
ties were chosen by reason of their
growing in Honolulu on sandy stretches,
yet there is absolutely no soil on Mid
way in which to start them. There is
only a wide stretch of coral POWDER but
no soil
Efforts to get soil to Midway have
been unfortunate. One hundred barrels
Of soil from Honolulu were lost when
the Julia T. Whalen was wrecked on
and 100 barrels more were lost
when the cable steamer Scotia was
on Guam. The ten barrels of
soil which Captain Niblack took to Mid
way were but crumb in a bucket,
with the hundreds of trees
and shrubs and thousands of seeds taken
also. Among the plants, ETC., taken to
were cocoanut trees, pandanus
palms, milo. kamani, hou, algeroba,
bananas, Dapaias, passion
vines, potato vines. These were contri-
buted by Mr. c. c. Conradt. ex-Gover-
nor Cleghorn, the Hawaiian Government
Nursery, Rev. John osborne and the
naval station.
MODEL TOWN ON MIDWAY.
The new steel buildings which are
being erected on Midway bid fair TO
create the little village into model
town. There are several buildings in
course OF erection OF similar appearance,
practically two stories, which are to be
used for cable offices, residences. dormi-
tories and storage purposes. The colony
will have a fine cold storage plant which
will enable the cable people to keep
fresh supplies on hand for an indefinite
period. The contractors are building a
big reservoir to catch rain. They have
two wears supply OF acetylyne for IL
Eliminating purposes. and once the ma
,hinery OF the new village is put in mo-
ton, life will not be so uninteresting as
il has been in the past. They will then
have ice the year round Al present the
only drinking water they have is pro-
cured from wells sunk in the sand This
IS not cool and the only cool liquid they
have had in months was made from ice
which was taken over in the lroquois.
ISLAND HAS CHANGED
II may seem odd but Midway can
low be seen At greater distance away
han before This Is due 10 two wind
mills which have been erected These
ire each % feet high In former times
Midway whose greatest height vas a
sand dune a feet above the level OF the
sea, could only be seen from q vessel,
leck about 6Ne mile distant Now IL /
AN hc seen Or IA least ihf Windmllls !
'an twelve to fourteen mile, distant !
One ~ ihc Wndm'lls s used io furnish
rfsh water from the reservoirs ana ihe
NJ