The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-01-01
NO DANGER
OF STARVING
Fleet Will Leave
Enough for Us
to Eat.

Honolulu will not suffer from food
famine as result of the presence or
departure of the fleet today. All day
yesterday and last night stores pur-
chased in Honolulu were loaded on the
battleships and cruisers, although the
Wisconsin and Oregon finished taking
on supplies early in the morning.
Had it not been for the great quanti-
ties of food stuffs brought by the Ala
media and Solace there would have been
a famine in Honolulu. The presence
of the fleet, has shown one thing very
conclusively and that is, that Hawaii is
not able to provide for any great force
OF soldiers or sailors in case of siege.
1t such an array as the Asiatic ships
were bottled up in Pearl Harbor by a
hostile fleet, the people of Oahu and
the men of the vessels would soon be
reduced to short rations, and pro-
longed siege would mean starvation in
the island. For of all the fresh vegeta-
bles purchased here by the fleet, such
as potatoes, cabbage. fruits and green
produce nearly all of it was exported
from the coast. The usual supply would
be exhausted in less than two weeks if
the regular ships were kept out by
blockading fleet. The conditions made
apparent by the presence of the fleet
illustrate more forcibly than anything
else the necessity for placing as large
an area of land on Oahu under cultiva-
ton as possible. Small farms and what
they can produce will be the salvation
of the islands in case of war. There
is large tract of land on this island,
which was coded to the United States
upon annexation, for military purposes,
and which could produce a sufficient
amount of green vegetables and such
things to keep an army of men for
long period. The land was originally
set aside for the use of invalid SOL
diers from the Philippines. and as there
is no chance that it will be used for
that purpose, efforts to regain posses
sion of it on the part of the Territory
might prove successful. The land Joins
that of the Wahiawa colony and is very
fertile.
1t is impossible to estimate the a
mount of food that the fleet purchased
in Honolulu during its two weeks stay
The greatest demand was for fresh meats
which were purchased daily in enormous
the ships. One butcher estimated the
amount used daily as ten thousand
pounds, while another firm supplied the
fleet with eight or ten cattle every
day. A conservative estimate of the
amount of fresh meat used by the fleet
while in port would probably be thirty
five tons. This is at the rate of about
two and half TONS per day. Two days
supplies will be taken on for the voyage.
This is in addition to the canned meats
which are regularly supplied by the
Navy Department. "The canned meats
are put up now so that you can't tell
the difference from the fresh meats
said Lieutenant Chaplin of Admiral
Evanss staff the other day. 1T is a
regular picnic going to sea nowadays.
We take on only fresh meats and green
vegetables for our cruise to Cavite. The
Department supplies the fleet with regu-
lar rations, and the vessels are depend
ed upon to get what additional supplies
they need as they touch at different
ports"
Potatoes, onions and cabbages were al
so taken on board the ships in large
quantities yesterday. These are prac-
tically all the fresh vegetables that the
vessels take for regular stores, although
it is not by means the only variety OF
edibles that went aboard. Every ship
HAS separate mess, crew as we'll as
officers, and they loaded up with all
sorts of delicacies Yesterday. Canned
fruit, raisins, fancy Vegetables; cakes
and an endless variety of good things
to eat were SEM on board the ships, and
the clerks at'many of the down town
stores worked far into the night getting
their orders filled. Foodstuffs are much
cheaper in Honolulu than in either Ma
Mia or Yokohama and the various mess
funds were largely drawn upon to re-
plenish their respective larders. AT one
store only was it reported that there was
any probability of shortage in food
stuffs in Honolulu because of the pur-
chases made for the fleet, the other
merchants joining in the statement that
there would be plenty to eat for every
one left in Honolulu after today. 1t |
was said, however, that had it not been
for the shipment of stores from San
Francisco there might have been Sc
rious shortage in the food supply OF
Honolulu. Another grocer stated that
had it not been for the cable, which
would permit the increase in orders in
time to catch the Sierra which sails
from San Francisco December 3Ist Ho-
nolulu might even now. be facing the
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