The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-05-09

Touching Human inter
est Story Comes
From Disaster.

/ A couple of letters which cover a
touching human interest story came 70
the Acting Governor in the Alameda
was g tourist in Honolulu who was
| charmed with the place, as they al
are, and who took human interest in
, it, moreover, and in its people, as many
tourists do not. This tourist, lady,
, called at the Office of the Acting Gov
ernor twice while she was here. and
upon both these occasions showed
desire for a closer knowledge of island
affairs, coupled with so sympathetic
an interest, that her talk with the
official was prolonged somewhat beyond
the length of the usual gubernatorial
irte, view, and took a wider range.
The lady was greatly impressed by
the talk, as her letters will show. She
was so very much impressed, that up
on he: arrival in San Francisco, where
her home is, she began a work of
mercy there in behalf of afflicted Ha-
waiians, without any person in the is
lands of course. being at all aware of
ever, met with success and on the very
day before the earthquake came that
caused the beautiful Coast city to fall
in ruins. she sat down and wrote to the
Acting Governor telling him of what
she had been doing and of the success
she had met. That letter was not
posted. Probably it was written too
late at night to get it in the post. 1t
is dated on April II. And, while it re-
posed in the lady's satchel, waiting for
the new dawn to be put in the mail,
the temblor came and the Writer of the
letter became a refugee.
Tt was five days later, on the 22d. that
she found the letter, and realized that
her plan for helping afflicted people
she must have undergone in the mean
time, only those who passed through
the great disaster can imagine. She +
fourd the letter, and with a pencil, on
rongh paper, she wrote to the Governor
an enclosure with which at last she l
mailed it. She has not given uo her |!
project, but like many another plan /
OF San Francisco people. it's fulfilment |
has been delayed. The original letter, !
is as follows: /
San Francisco, April 18th.
Acting Governor Atkinson.
My Dear Sir: Surely your enthu-
siism for your beautiful isles of the
sea is contagious. After the second in
terview you so kindly gave me, was
imbued with the desire to send a little
to the afflicted at Molokai.
and I have spent the past two days /
getting people interested in them and,
as a result, have collected ton OF
fresh magazines which will be sent !:
you on the next trip of the Alameda, I
freight paid. Also the manager of the
(our largest store) has
kindly donated for the children one
half Of a ton of toys, which Mr.. Spreck-
els freight manager has kindly offered |
to ship on the Alameda free of charge,
and q number of musical instruments /
are promised which I will send after !
a day or two. 1t will interest you to /
know that Mr. Baceigalupi {Edison's |
western AGENT has offered 40 per cent |
off any instrument that may be bought |
for the Settlement, and I have written
to the London branch of Steinway 6 /
Son (who are old friends and neigh
bors) to ask about an automatic piano
and l think they will send one.
This is the enclosure that accom-
panies it:
April 22nd, 1906.
Dear Sir: I found the enclosed among
the few things saved. You have read
Of the appalling disaster that has
overtaken our city and will understand
why 1 am not able to carry out, at
present, my plan fer helping the Set
tlement, but later I will do it from !
Chicago. Our hotel was wrecked by
The earthquake and was later con-
sumed with fire, and I lost everything
except little grip which contained the.
et1er.