The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1907-04-19
Los ANGELES CALLS THE
OHIO EXCURSION A FIASCO

Los Angeles Times My expert.
/ ence on that excursion to Honolulu
and since we came back have almost
dampcned my enthusiasm In the work
OF boosting southern California" said
Frank Virgins today. The secretary
OF the Chamber OF Commerce feels
this way because OF unjust blame
heaped upon him by disgruntled pas
sengers who made a voyage on the
| Ohio to Hawaii.
Secretary Virgins feels hurt He is
not accustomed TO censure and for the
iiasco Of the Chamber of Commerce
excursion TO Honolulu he Is not a whit
to blame. AS he said today:
The trouble all arose from over
estimating the capacity of the ship
and from the fact that we took SO
many persons who never before had
been on the ocean. They were sea-
Sick, but l was not to blame for that.
In all the nineteen days l never slept
In my berth. No, wasn't seasick, for
| hadn't time. l was kept too busy
waiting on the sick ones"
AS the only way to reply to the
"kickers," Secretary Virgins has ask
ed six members of the Chamber of
commerce to act as committee to
near complaints. on this committee
are Lee A. Mcconnell, Percy IL. Clark,
@. c. johnson, l.. Kimball, r. d. List
and p. II. Heron.
THE Ohio is an old ship, it is true"
said Secretary Virgins, but she is
staunch. She carried General Grant
on his trip around the world and has
less vibration than any other vessel in
these waters. / realize that the ac-
commodations were over-sold, but ey-
cry effort was made to add to the COM
fort of passengers. The principal kick
ing came from persons who hadn't any
idea what ship was like.
The blame they laid to me was I'M
just. AS for Mr.. Heron he acted like
a prince in giving UP his accommoda-
lions for certain complaining persons.
We were not to blame for the charac-
ter of SO large portion of our pas
senger list. Some of the worst of them
had been recommended by good men,
bers of the Chamber of Commerce.
Those persons who preferred to
sleep on deck rather than occupy their
inside staterooms did SO on their own
volition. Yes, it is true there was al
most a mutiny, but 1 turned the
trouble over to the captain and he said
he could manage it. In all it was the
most disagreeable experience l ever
had in my life"
r. H. Heron, who, as a committee,
had approved the Ohio for the Homo
lulu trip, feels hurt because of what he
terms unjust criticism. He said today:
THE fact that / took my own family
on the trip should indicate my faith
in the boat. The greatest trouble as
view it, is that the passenger list did
not include a representative crowd of
Los Angeles business men. There were
no business men in the party, that is,
men interested in cultivating the trade
Of the Hawaiian islands. Those pas
sengers who We're experienced in ocean
travel were not the chief complaint
ants"
DR.. r. w. Hill, who was a member
Of the party, describes conditions as
resembling those on the old-time slave
ships The doctor has been across the
Atlantic enough times to familiarize
him with ship accommodations. He
said today:
THE Ohio, if in good condition, could
carry say fifty first-class passengers,
245 tickets We're sold for this
rip. The rooms apportioned to pas
;engers on the lower deck were abom-
nable and a good many passengers
'efused to occupy them. My chief COM
olaint is that after 1 had seen the boat |
md decided that I didn't want to
80 in her, I could not get money re-
unded for my ticket. AS an excursion |
t was the limit"
A PLEASANTER ACCOUNT.
The Los Angeles Examiner has the
GLOWING:
The steamship Ohio, which sailed
1arch 2 from San Pedro, bearing the
'hamber of Commerce excursion to the
hawaiian Islands, returned to the por.
t its departure yesterday with no mis-
APPS to report and every one on board
n good health
Each of the $50 passengers that sailed
way to the magic isles received such
welcome home from friends and rel
tives thronging the wharf as to make
ne voyage a double pleasure.
The fact, too, that days and nights
'ere spent in anxiety over the fate of ;
heir friends and loved ones by those
'ho. stayed at home, and fear lest the
clay in arriving in Honolulu might
lerely be the precursor of disastrous
ews, lent something to the reception
lat might not otherwise have been I
resent.
The Ohio first sighted land near Point
conception at o'clock yesterday
nything at all-will be by more con-
,rvative hands. Senator Dolliver of