The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-07-12
THE WEIRD TALE OF A
WELL.KNOWN HILO MAN
LOST on,Great Lava Flow as an Indiana Paper
Says, and Laughed at Adversely.
Now Making Fortune

less you would go over the Stag pile of
big steel mill and that pile was forty
miles long. 1t would give you only a
faint idea of what we had to climb over
and pack water, food and blankets
We travelled for three days with the
fire in sight, but growing farther and
farther away each day. The evening
of the third day found us about played
out and we concluded to camp for the
night Mind you, no trees, no soft spot
to pick out, just make yourself as com
Portable as you could in a Stag pile
But when the shades of evening came
along, the volcano doomed up in grand
shape just ahead and we made up our
minds to go ahead and camp by it that
night. 1t was apparently but short
way ahead, and we did not bother to
take our provisions. It was bad walk
ing-we would fall in small crevices.
skin our shins and hands, and each
time we would come over rise we
would expect to see the volcano. By 10
o clock that night we were played out
and we put in the time the best we
could awaiting dawn
''It was impossible to get any rest
and, although the middle of July, it was
one of the coolest nights L have ever
known. 1t was s a. M, after eight
hours wandering, when we reached the
volcano. Well, here is where the best
would fail in trying to describe that
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 WALLOW.
"a little of this convinced us that
a safer vantage ground would be more
acceptable and we started Tor 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
a wild hog wallow, and here was an
excuse for water, hard to swallow and
as hard to keep swallowed. We made a
bed of leaves and tried to sleep, but oh,
the nightmares!
eve were absolutely lost above the
clouds, with no idea as to directions.
Hilo 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 ;;air of shoes was gone
and had taken my upper garments and
tied 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
party of horsemen below us. / remem-
Der that tears came to my eyes and I
chokcd 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
MS to cattle ranch eight miles away.
That crowd saved cur lives. We found
we had been travelling in just the OPP
posite way from Hilo and deeper into
the wilds
Beamer was days in reeuperating and
shoes
Hilo at that time had coffee boom
on and Beamer thought it a good place
to recuperate his slim pocketbook. He
secured employment as bookkeepeT-he
confesses he did not know the debit
from the credit side of the ledger-in
a livery stable. In a few weeks some
thing better doomed up and he started
in to learn bridge building. One day
a bridge support broke. fell on him
and knocked him unconscious. By one
chance in thousand, rescuers reached
him before he fell to the rocks sixty !
feet below.
That cured Beamer of the bridge
fever. and he tells the rest of the story
thus:
81 made up my mind to hunt some
thing Jess dangerous, and decided to
look the bicycle field over. They had |
sort of repair shop in the little burg, |
but I was willing to give it a trial. |
We tried to get wholesale prices from !
Honolulu, but thanks to my competitor |
that was knocked in the head. and |
when they called me a 'curbstone |
agent in answer to my letter-well |
say! to what success I have today |
IAN thank only that letter and the few
words I had with my competitor where |
n | expressed myself in some forceful /
language I did not learn back among
he Ouakers
'EWhen I told him that I would STAY |
n Hilo till 7 saw his finish, I meant it, |
md nv Dutch-American was up in |
arms. and we went to work We were
lble by offering 10 per cent. per month |
'or some coin of the realm to get /
'nough together to send to the states
or some goods. Meanwhile we did |
'ome tall hustling for trade and, secur-