The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-07-17
THE WEIRD TALE OF "A
WELL-kNOWN HIL0 MAN


sight At times the cone would seem
to check up and belch forth with roar
that was deafening and the lava would
heave around you like an ice flow.
FORCED TO DRINK WATER FROM
WILD HOG WALL0W.
ga little of this convinced us that
a safer. vantage ground would be more
acceptable and we started 4or our grub
and water. We thought we would have
little trouble in finding them, but after
several hours we had TO give it up, as
the sun was intolerably' hot and we
knew it would take even the balance
Of the day to reach the timber land
below. Even then there would be slim
chances of finding water. When we
reached there at 5 p. m, there was no
water, and in some of the damp places
we dug until our fingers were raw.
After wandering about we came upon
wild hog wallow, and here was an
excuse for water, hard to swallow and
as hard TO keep swallowed We made
bed of leaves and tried TO sleep, but oh,
the nightmares
"We were absolutely lost above the
clouds, with no idea as to directions.
Iilo people had warned us to keep from
/ the forests, as those who penetrate them
/ seldom return. So we skirted the upper
edge of the woodland and soon found
an overland cattle trail, which we fol
lowed until we found water.
| "My second pair of shoes was gone
and had taken my upper garments and
I led up my feet, and we were getting
along foot by foot without food for
two days.
''Oh, we were up against it all right,
and it was with pain that every step
was made.
Just about noon we thought we
heard voices below us in the forest, and
turned from the cattle trail. Soon we
heard the voices distinctly, and we tried
to attract their attention. Running as
fast as we could we came in sight of a
party of horsemen below us. | remem-
Der that tears came to my eyes and
choked with rage to think that they
were going to get away from us, but at
last they noticed us, halted and came
to us, for we were far gone. 1t proved
to be party coming up to see the vol.
cano and they sent the guide back with
lis to cattle ranch eight miles away.
That crowd saved our lives. We found
we had been travelling in just the OPP
posite way from Hilo and deeper into
the wilds. -
, Beamer was days in recuperating and
it was weeks before he could wear
J shoes
Hilo at that time had coffee boom
on and Beamer thought it good place
to recuperate his slim pocketbook. He
J secured employment rs bookkeeper-hc
confesses he did not know the debit
from the credit side of the ledger-ir
n livery stable. In a few weeks some
, thing better doomed up and he started
in to learn bridge building. One day
Q a bridge support broke, fell on hin
| and knocked him unconscious. BY on,
t chance in a thousand, rescuers reached
, him before he fell to the rocks sixty
Q feet below.
7 That cured Beamer of the brdg,
: fever, and he tells the rest of the story
thus:
9 made up my mind to hunt some
thing less dangerous, and decided t.
: look the bicycle field over. They haC
n sort of repair shop in the little burg
but ] was willing to give it a trial
r We tried to get wholesale prices from
Y Honolulu, but thanks to my competitor
that was knocked in the head, ant
r when they called me 'curbston,
n agent in answer to my letter-well
d say! to what success / have today
G can thank only that letter and the few
i words I had with my competitor where
t in | expressed myself in some forcefu
p language I did not learn back anon,
= the Quakers.
I toll 4hot
o in Hilo till saw his finish, meant ii
|. and my Dutch-American was up il
= arms, and we went to work. We wer,
+ able by offering 10 per cent. per montl
: for some coin of the realm to ge
r enough together to send to the state
e for some goods. Meanwhile we die
: some tall hustling for trade and secur
ing space'in livery stable, paying tn,
rent by painting the wagons and help
L ing the blacksmith for the use of hi
h tools, we made bread and butter-no
!, much but some.
Q In about six months we were abb,
d to get enough together to buy buncl
of wheels from the coast. l sold six
d teen the first month, working day an
n night, Sundays included. In year GU
3 kind competitor had closed up and W
@ were looking for larger quarters down
k town. Meanwhile, had concluded tina
l. there was an opening for sportin
70 goods store, and came to the states t
y lay in a supply. Taking advantage o
N the Pan American Fair rates, | yisite
&c the fair, paid old Hoosierdom visi
n and got a large stock in Chicago an
/. San Francisco.
l. ~ paid cash in Chicago, and had e,
g pected to do SO at Frisco, but tn
n money did not arrive. thought | wa
up against it, but visited the sportin
< establishments. They gave me, ur
A. solicited, all the credit would TAX,
If With my stock, / returned to Hilo an
y opened quarters in the best location i
a town. My failure was predicted, but
er worked just as hard as ever, and whe
s. the bike business began to drag,
le branched out in other directions, pu
I'd ting in tools, hardware supplies, aut
lg mobile sundries, etc, going through IL
ed country hustling for business, and
he building up by courteous, prompt al
of obliging treatment | had worked har