The Washington herald., 1908-05-16


Honolulu was the capital. both politically
and financially. and the people were put
to great Inconvenience by the necessity
nf waiting upon communication by slow
anc Irregular steamers from island 10
isnnd. Experiments were made toward an
interlsland cable. but as the channels
ave- SO very deep the shore ends were cut
of on the sharp coral reefs almost before
the cable was laid
Once the people turned 10 carrier pig
cons as their saviors. Pigeons were
bought, cotes erected, and arrangements
made 20 forward messages and letters
from one island 10 another by means Of
the homing birds. But the pigeons failed
10 become a commercial success Then
came MarcOnfs discovery OF the wireless
Hawaii was first 10 see the practicability
OF the discovery. Marconi was induced
% set up stations on the various islands
but as his system was then in an ex
perimental stage. the service was made
quate. and not reliable The Territorial
legislature had faith enough to grant the
wireless company a subsidy, and Il stTug-
sled on with its experiments. Financial
success finally crowned the efforts Of
those interested. although not until the
original company had failed. Now one
walks into a telegraph Office in Honolulu
and sends a telegram 70 any point in
the islands IN Just as matter-of-fact fash
ion as he would send a wire from New
York TO any other city Of the Union.
In 1903, when the Pacific cable reached
Honolulu there was a day Of great re-
joieing. The newspapers issued special
cable editions. and. for the first time in its
history. Honolulu knew what was going
on In the world on the same day that it
happened. But the same newspapers
which made 50 much OF the cable news
had been using press specials by wireless
for many months. In fact, Honolulu had
the first paper in the world to employ
the wireless telegraph as a nsTs-gather-
ing agency.
OF course, the cable did much for
Hawaii Until five years ago. when q
steamer came into Honolulu from San
Francisco. almost the entire town would
be down at the dock yelling 10 the pas
sengers on board ship What's the
news?' and the passengers would take
QtkAEHk III chAVAiSAAS AAAH 40adAAutac WIN
their six-day-old san Francisco inforna-
tion. Now there are few Hawaiians to
meet the beats, and the passengers are
anxiously inquirlng: What has hap
pened in the world during the six days
we have been at sea?'
The traveller who comes from the
Orient finds Honolulu the beginning OF
the Occident A party Of fifty japanese,
merchants and bankers. who had never
been away from their home country be-
fore, recently started on trip around
the world. The first foreign soil they
touched was the American port Of Homo
lulu The Alexander Young Hotel was
an eye-opening crash, which showed them
the difference between the Occident and
the Orient This is the largest building
in Honolulu. Il is six stories high. and
has large electric elevators, manned by
thoroughly reckless young Americans.
The Empire of the Rising Sun does not
boast OF an elevator in its entire domain.
About fifteen japanese crowded into the
elevator and asked to go 10 the roof gar
den. They never had been in an ele-
vator before, and the elevator boy knew
it, They went to the roof garden at ex-
press schedule. screaming and yelling
and holding onto the iron work on the
inside of the cage. When they set to
the top they declined 10 get out, and
asked to go to the basement. For prac-
| ticaily half the afternoon the japanese
around-the-world talrty. fifty leading
merchants and manufacturers. were chas-
/ ing up and down in the elevator with all
the delight of an American boy on his
first roller coaster party
There is an old Egyptian saying 70 the
effect that he who once tastes Nile water
/ longs for Il evernore, and the same prin-
! cipIe is true Of Hawaii The traveller who
/ follows the tran until it leads him 10
this enchanted land Of eternal spring,
/ finds its influence weli-niBh irresistible
when he takes his leave of IT, No ma
! ter to what cline he owes allegiance. he
must pleasantly remember the deep
/ slashed. cloud-capped mountains, the
/ laughing breakers. the crimson flowers,
and the loving people who al
ways feast and sing IN happy Hawaii.
Copyright. 1886 bg Frederic ]. Haskil.)
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