The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1905-09-23

till morning, Willie was to jump over
board and swim toward the shore to
be picked up by boat from the Exa-
miners tug which was TO be on the
lookout 1t was late in the year, and
the water is cold in that part of the
North Pacific, but Willie would have
done it, if it had been necessary. But
the Canadian officials made it unneces-
sary, by doing everything in their pow
err to help the newspapers.
/ =
Willie was rather vain of his athletic
proves. He had won some reputa-
ton in track events and at one time
was a crack cyclist. The severest
wound his vanity ever got grew out Of
this fact. When Col. Fred Croker
was stricken with paralysis at his
country home, Uplands, near San Ma
teo, the Examiner sent one of it's for
mer Oakland correspondents, a man
who had lived on bicycle for years.
down to San Mateo on what is techni-
cally known in newspaper slang as
"the death watch" and because Willie
was unabashed, had good legs and was
a fleet bicycle rider, he was sent along
as assistant The Call sent a Univer-
sity student who was doing newspaper
/ work during the summer vacation, and
! who was something of an athlete. The
Chronicle sent a rather portly man who
in years was past the bicycle craze
period, and in fact hadn't ridden a
bicycle for ten years.
BE- Uplands is about two miles from San
Mateo by road that is up grade near
ly all the way, and at that time had a
number of sharp curves i'm it, and a
rough and rocky road at every curve.
The newspapermen lived at a hotel in
San Mateo, and rode out to Uplands
half a dozen times a day or SO on
bicycles, the Chronicle man renewing
his acquaintance with the machine in
spite of his weight and years. Things
logged along in this way for nearly
two weeks. Col Crocker died late in
the afternoon, rather Unexpectedly, too,
but the four reporters going out to
Uplands in a bunch arrived there a
few minutes after the event. The
COlonels secretary met them at the
door and briefly informed them of the
fact and the circumstances. Then it
, was a grand rush for the telegraph Of
flee, every man for himself and no one
wanting to be the last to get the news
to his office in San Francisco. Willie,
with his track experience started
quicker than anyone else. but in an
instant the four were strung out pedal
ling for dear life, Willie in the lead,
O'Connor, his superior next, the CAN
man third and the Chronicle man a
good fourth.
1t was just beginning to grow dusk
and some tall trees cast confusing
shadows at the first sharp curve in the
| road. Willie over-confdent and heed
| less did not check his speed, and strik-
| ing a rock, his bicycle was hopelessly
| wrecked and Willie himself, as it was
| afterwards learned was doubled up un-
! conscious for fully fifteen minutes. A3ut
! as it was everybody's business to go,
and nobody's business to stop. Willie
was allowed to regain consciousness in
his own way and his own time. O'Con-
nor pushed on with redoubled effort,
for it was up to him now to get the
news to the Examiner ahead of the
! OlItI papers. ne CAME ~ ~ lGL at NliN
next curve, his bicycle frame buckling
| up when he struck big rock that was
! hid in shadow and the Call man lead
| the procession. He was not more than
| a quarter of a mile from the telegraph
! office when in his eagerness to gain
| time he turned to the left instead OF
| the right on meeting a team and was
! crowded over an embankment, He
wasn't hurt but he was delayed and
the portly man rode into the telegraph
! office an easy winner
1t was a long time before Willie got
over the humiliation of his defeat, ano
the sharp call down he got in the Exa-
miner Office for being fully ten minutes
behind the other papers with the news
4 = = =
A well-known resident-we will cal
him John, because that is not his nam
recently attended a luau; got his fee
wet, and did not reach home until about
2 a. m. He opened the door of his homo
without disturbing anybody, so HI
thought, but his wife was laying TO