The Hawaiian gazette., 1907-05-28
CAPT. CHAPMAN
PASSES AWAY

Captain II. r. Chapman, pioneer
both OF California and OF modern trade
In the Pacific. died at his home 1870
College street at $40 Friday even
ing. after lingering illness OF several
months from cancer OF the stomach.
His funeral will take place from the
house at $3.50 o'clock this afternoon.
The pallbearcrs will be Judge A. 8.
Hartwell. Godfrey Brown. II. w. Cath
cart, J. L. Young. Captain A. N. Tripp
and DIR. George Herbert. Services will
be conducted by Rev. w. ID. wester-
welt. After the funeral the body viii
be crcmated.
Benjamin Franklin Chapman was
born at New London, Connecticut, in
! 1881 and was hence about seventy-six
years of age at death. When the news
of the gold discovery in California in
famed the Eastern States, as II did the
rest OF the world. Captain Chapman
| with few comrades set sail I'm a little
vessel and rounded the Horn. For n
Few months after arrival on the gold
coast they ran back and forth in the
sacramento river. A severe winter set
In and they set sail for the Sandwich
Islands as the name went then. They
touched first at Lahaina and then came
to Honolulu.
Il tell YOU" Captain Chapman said
to an Advertiser reporter who inter-
viewed him over eight years ago, at
did my heart good as we came near
these islands and saw the green. grassy
slopes and the cool shade trees. 1t was
altogether different from the climate
we had Just escaped"
The voyage just mentioned was in
the schooner Oddfellow, which arrived
here on Feb. 16. 1850. Captain Chap
man took back a cargo OF potatoes to
San Francisco. After that he made
several voyages between the two ports.
While he was in this trade San Fran
cisco depended on these islands for it's
vegetables and sent its boys and girls
here to attend school at Punahou.
Shortly after that time Captain
Chapman bought vessel and went
trading in the South Seas. He located
in Tahiti, where he founded the gen.
eral merchandise business OF Turner
& Chapman. remaining n member of
this firm for twenty-six years. He con-
tinued the profession of the sea, how
ever. until some time in the nineties,
being master OF different vessels of his
firm. Turner & Chapman owned and
operated the mall service between Ia
hiti and San Francisco. before the ad-
vent of the Oceanic steamer Mariposa
on that route, their fleet including the
brigs Tahiti. Tropic Bird. City of Pa
peete, Galilee and perhaps other xes-
sells.
Captain Chapman visited Honolulu
from Tahiti in 1854 and after that made
periodical visits here until he retired
tIctt x,txr nt.,t,t
and made his permanent residence
here.
While sojourning here for about four
months in 1900 he had a house built
at Punahou. and he left in August of
that year with his niece for an extend
ed trip through British Columbia and
California. He left for Tahiti the fol-
lowing March and returned by way of
San Francisco. arriving in the steamer
Sierra on October 3 to settle down here.
Just two years later he visited Tahiti
again to attend family reunion at
which between thirty and forty of his
children and grandchildren were pres
ent Mrs. Chapman had died q few
years before. Miss Ida NJ. Poston, his
niece and housekeeper, is the only rela-
tive Captain Chapman leaves here.
Three daughters and one son are mar
ried and have large families in Tahiti.
Another son has been In the Imperial
Chinese service at Swatow for a long
time.
Captain Chapman has left a will dis
posing of his estate, which is believed
TO be worth nearly $4,000. He was a
man of sterling and upright character,
holding and practising stern ideas of
what was right between man and man.
Among his friends here were many of
the most substantial citizens. He be-
onsed to the masonic fraternity, re-
tanning to the last his connection with
MS old home lodge in New London
captain Chapman was a man of fine
bearing and features who would at
tract notice in a crowd anywhere.
----s.ts-