The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-03-04

: inter-island steamer came I'D from Ho
! nolulu and overhauled us SLOWLY. it bein.
well on towards midnight before shl
dropped her lights below the horizon
ne lighthouse on Diamond Head. tn,
well known promontory hard by Homo
lulu, shene like cleaning eye, paline
\ a solitary star that foated overhead.
All this so far was easy sailing, but
hard work was coming at eight bells, SC
we took our ease as it came to us. The
referee lit cigar, and the giant and
| the skipper snapped shark stories as
| the moon slid down the western sky.
he Paloma was, as we found later
we'll inShore, the reef running in close
enough TO let them hear land noises
very distinctly The shore is here very
barren and precipitous, and only an oc-
caslonal fishing village shows signs OF
habitation The Gladys was well around
BARRIERS Point by seven o'clock and the
wind proving abeam, in came the spin
maker, the boom being dashed along the
starboard rail. La Paloma we saw
nothing of after this until the next
morning, though she saw the Gladys
from time to time, until our lights
went out on her as we passed them at
midnight. Our sheet was hauled in and
the jib-trimn1ed. but the breeze proved
ftful. The Helene was ahead and to
leeward like gray shadow Doldrnms
were split by little squalls that came
down the steep ravines, but the Gains
were frequent and at times we scarcely
held Storage way.
1t looked for a while as If we would
never make Kaena Point before day-
break, a tantalizing thought in view of
the almost certainty that there was a
half gale waiting for us once we got
round the cape. The Gladys was getting
the best of it in what breeze did happen
along, however, and later comparisons
showed that we were fortunate in find
ing wind that did not reach the others
The water was brilliantly phosphores-
cent with promise of fine weather, the
bubbles slipping past the sides ike semi
circles of blue fame A school of por-
poises churned the sea into liquid fire
as they chased their supper. The moon
was getting very low as we drifted, and
the lights in the shrouds cleaned like
''claret and creme de MANTLE" to use
the simile of one bibulous minded in
dividual, as we tackled in the hope of
better breeze Just after ten the moon
dropped into a bed of clouds and in
her goodnight greeting, across the
waters we saw the Helene a mile to |
eeward and abeam With alternate |
calfns and windy spells, we glided a
ong toward Kaena Point, steering n. |
w. IL n course by the card. Before !
we caught promise of the |
wind awaiting us, as the sea, quiet as
a mllpond for two hours past, became |
white capped, swiTling in phosphores-
cent foam from the bows into a gleam
ng wake.
Committee figures later showed that
the three boats must have rounded the |
cape within few minutes of each other !,
and midnight, but with the wind IN |
her teeth, the Gladys soon bid them all |
good-by, fortunate in having reached |
Kaena Point on even terms. From
now ahead for the rest of the cruise |
there was no lighthouse until Diamond /
Head, at Honolulu, and we were cruis-
ing in unknown waters. Somewhere,
eleven miles ahead in the darkness, lay
Inc finish of the first leg at Waialua
where there was a harbor, a small one
with narrow entrance, as yet unvisit-
ed by any of the competing shippers.
The harbor is seldom used, and the
-ange lights have long since disappear
ID The manager of fine hotel, built
Tor tourists, had agreed to hang prom
nent light in the grounds. and mutual
agreement made the finish at point
With the light abeam within limit of
NO miles from shore, the light abeam
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