The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-10-16
THE WONDERLAND OF PUMA
AT t1ILO'S BACK ENTRANCE

rect thing to make the ascent of the
volcano and gaze for n, space on the
weird and majestic spectacle presented
by the fiery pit of Halemaumau, sur.
rounded by the enormous crater of XII
lauea. Many hundreds have made this
trip, but very few have given
thought to the minor marvels that are
more easily accessible in the Puma dis
trict. Yet these latter will we'll repay
day spent among them, and the vis-
itor will return deeply impressed with
the strange and contradictory sights of
that region and with its great CONNER
cial potentialities.
Such were the impressions made upon
large party which on Thursday last
enjoyed an excursion over a considera-
BILE area of Puma, on the invitation of
Mr.. l.. A. Thurston, president of the
Hawaiian Mahogany Lumber Company.
The prime objective was to visit the
mahogany company's mill and forest,
and to witness the operation of con-
verting ohia timber into railroad ties.
For reasons that will appear, this pro-
gram was varied so as to take in many
other sights of interest. Leaving Hilo
by train about s a. m, the party was
rapidly carried past Waiakea planta-
ton, through a rough and stony tract,
to the station at Olaa mill. Branching
off here from the main line, the rail-
road runs across the great lava flow of
lS4S, which is some thirty miles long
by ten broad. Over the greater p0r-
ton of this area, the former deep and
rich soil is covered over and hermet-
ically sealed from sight and use by a
hard deposit of volcanic rock, in most
places fiat as table, but occasionally
showing hummoclsy heaps and deep ifs
sures. But grass is already growing
uxuriantly on the barest parts, diver
sified by trees and shrubs, and Mr..
Shipman has large herds of cattle graz
ing on this rocky plateau.
Arriving at the village of Pahoa, the
huge structure of the ohia tie mill
bursts on the view. The mill domi-
mates Pahoa; it fills Pahoa; it is Pa
hoa. As Fate would have it, the big
mill was in sulky mood and refused to
show off to the party on arrival. Per-
haps it had got insufficient notice and
determined to show resentment. At all
events, the bursting of a small steam
pipe had brought the mighty monster
to standstill. The weather also took
a fit of the sulSs. Its frowns and tears
deferred the voyagers from making a
. 0 .
hands to the quarters, and in a few
seconds the men were swarming up like
rats.
The emperor took the time himself,
and in one minute and half the en-.
tire ship was ready for action with all
water-tight doors closed. 1t was . a.
M, the royal standard at our main and
the searchlight of the Columbia turned
on it, the ship was ready for action,
and the emperor complimenting the cap.
tain on the forecastle. 1 find myself
in some funny positions.
When we went aft, where every one
could hear him, he said. "Captain
Evans, | can not imagine that ship
could be in better condition very
nice for all of MS. He left the ship at
3 a. m, and all Germany has been read.
ing accounts of it since.
] can recall very wildly how sur
prsed was when at 5 clock the
same morning my orderly called me out
of sound sleep to report that the Of
ficer of the deck said that the emperor
was just then passing the ship, steering
his own yacht. My only reply was,
For Heaven IS sake don't stop himl !"
I managed to get one eye open, and,
looking out of an air port in my cabin,
discovered him, dressed in white fan
nels, steering the Meteor bound for an
ocean race, and looking as if he had
never taken a drink or smoked a cigar
in his life.
The Surrender of the Vizcaya.
Presently boat came alongside bear
ing Captain Eulate, Commander of the
Vizcaya. That was a sight / shall
never forget as long as | live. In the
stern, supported by one of our naval
cadets, sat the captain, covered with
blood from three wounds, with blood
MS DuIt
head. Around him sat or lay dozen
or more wounded men. In the bottom
of the boat, which was leaking, was
foot or so of blood-stained water and
the body of a dead Spanish sailor
which rolled from side to side as the
water swashed about. The captain was
tenderly placed in chair and then
hoisted to the deck, where he was re-
ceived with tho, honors due his rank.
AS the chair was placed on the quar-
ter-deck he slowly raised himself to
his feet, unbuckled his sword belt,
kissed the hilt of his sword, and, bow
ing low, gracefully presented it to me
as token of surrender. L never felt
$50 sorry for man in all my life. OF
course i declined to receive the sword,
or rather | instantly handed it hack
to Captain Eulate, but accepted the
surrender of his officers and men in the
name of Admiral Sampson, our com
mander-in-chief. My men were all
| Al "a