The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-02-05
T. B. THOMAS
IS NO MORE.
Died in South Africa
Some Time Last
Year.

E. 3. Thomas, once the leading brick
and stone builder of Honolulu, appears
to have passed away in South Africa
some time last year. An advertise
ment for missing heirs of 1907 in the
London Times of January 4 contains
notice to those of E. B. Thomas Of
South Africa, who had left an estate
of s2946 (about $4,000. ''Ted'' Thomas.
as he was Familiarity called here. wrote
from Johannesburg on August II, 1905,
to Thomas R. Lucas, saying he had
been in South Africa one year and
for considering South Africa ''the most
awful country he had ever visited and
expressed the hope of leaving for Ha-
wall in about a month from writing.
Mr.. Thomas left Honolulu in the
steamer Queen on October 13, 1900, ac-
companied by his little daughter. Glen
mis- Furniss Day Thomas. He intended
to visit his father in England and then
proceed to Capetown, where he had
relatives. At last accounts his daugh-
ter was in Germany with his sister.
Among many tokens of esteem given
to Mr.. Thomas an his departure from
Honolulu was a large cluster of green
oranges with their stems attached,
garnished with maidenhair ferns, from
Queen Liliuokalani accompanied by an
autograph note. His daughter ALSO
took away some charming souvenirs
of the Queens friendship. Mr.. Thomas
was imprisoned for three months in
1895 under suspicion of completely In
the Wilcox uprising TO restore Lfliuo-
kalani to the throne. At his death his
name was on the list of claimants for
Indemnity for Imprisonment without
trial, their case since annexation be-
ing matter for diplomatic adjustment
between Great Britain and the United
States. 1t is still unsettled, but sew
eral of the claimants have died.
E. b. Thomas was born in Liverpool
England, in 1850, and would thus have
been about So years old at death. He
had made his home in Honolulu for
% years. Stopping off here from the
steamship Zealandia, then on the Col
onial route, in 1877 to visit the Volcano,
he liked the islands so well that he
remained. Mr.. Thomas was an ex-
pert stone and brick mason, as such
obtaining the biggest contracts in that
line going here most of the period of
his residence. He> built Iolani Palace
(now the CapitoD, Lunalilo Home, Ha-
waiian Opera House, Honolulu Library,
the Wilder & Co. building, Bishop Hall
of Science, Hawaiian Gazette building,
Kalakaua Hale (police station), the
building and several brick
structures in Chinatown, his last con-
tract here being that of the Katsey
Thomas also manufactured a fine quail
ity of lime from Hawaiian limestone,
but the profits were little or nothing
owing to the competition of lime
prouSHl mere AoI DdildSh dS Tnucn as
for freight.
At one time, through the press, Mr. |
held out an offer to the au-
thorities to take care of all of Homo
lulu's garbage for nominal recon-
pense. His idea was to turn waste ma |
terials occurring in the mass into |
articles of merchantable value, the /
very thing that is being done in New /
York and other large cities,
About 1891 Mr.. Thomas married a
laughter of A. H Day. now living here
md employed in the office of the Rap
d Transit Co, and a sister of Charles
T. Day. a well-known young business
nan. One child was born to them, the
laughter already mentioned, who was
'ery young when her mother died.
Mr.. Thomas was of a genial and
ociable nature, though a man of firm
opinions and outspoken expression. He
Ilways got along we'll until he became
involved in the turbulent politics of
he later revolutionary period. Yet in
he quiet five years before his depar-
ure political enmities had disappeared
nd he left here attended by the gen.
raj good wishes of the whole commu-
Iity. W. r. Castle, on hearing of his
eath yesterday. expressed his salts
action that no debts remained against
he name of Mr.. Thomas here, as the
asst dollar of such had been paid. AS
e died intestate, according to the
Times notice, the snug estate he left
vill probably go entire to his orphan
hid.