The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-12-29

greater than all the others put toReth
er, including the one at jacksonville.
1t cost two million seven hundred and
fifty thousand dollars. 1t devoured
three thousand tons of beets per day.
That meant thirteen thousand dollars
for the farmers. Mr.. Spreckels had re-
fused to begin its construction until
those farmers had contracted to keep
nearly twenty-five thousand acres plant
ed in beets for a series of years. The
beet.felds that supply it with raw ma.
terial stretch for nine miles in one
direction and five miles in the other.
1t takes one thousand two hundred bar.
rels of petroleum a day to keep the
machinery running.
His Railroad Enterprises.
While others had experimental in
beetsugar culture in California, it was
the Spreckels enterprise that made it
a success on a grand scale, and similar
ly, while others had made Intellectual
dabs at the handouts of railroad mo.
nopoly that fettered the industry of
the state, Mr.. Spreckels wrenched
them off. The merchants and farmers
of California had been trying to raise
money for competing railroad through
the San joaquin valley. They needed
about six million dollars in all. Sub.
scriptions had been dribbling in, but it
seemed exceedingly doubtful whether
the amount could be raised. But Claus
Spreckels shook up the community by
taking five hundred thousand dollars
worth of stock and making two of his
| sons subscribe one hundred thousand
dollars each. Later, he lent the COM
pany another million. Nothing could
stop the enterprise after that. The Val
ley Road was hauling freight out of
Fresno in 1896. Eventually it was sold
to the Santa Fe, and San Francisco had
second Eastern connection.
Oceanic Steamship Line.
Long before this. the Oceanic Steam.
ship Company, owned by the Spreckels
family, had been carrying the trade of
San Francisco to the Pacific Islands and
| Australia. Alone it had been keeping
the American flag flying in the South
Pacific, and it furnished the proof that
| Australia was nearer to England by
way of American than by way of the
Suez Canal.
There are other vast Spreckels en-
| terprises: electricity, gas, journalism
and what not. But enough has been
saidito show the fashion in which they
are conducted and to give some idea of
| the manner of man that stood behind
them. With all his American energy,
| Claus Spreckels has never lost the char
acteristics of his fatherland. Although
he came to this country as boy, and
| has lived here for over half century,
he always spoke with marked Ger.
man accent. He had the German char
acteristics, too: streaks of idealism, un-
selfishness' and sentimentality, alternat.
ing with others of combativeness OBJ
stinacy and something very like malice.
He was a most generous and affection
ate father until some things happened
to disPlease him, and then his family
was split in two, or rather three and
its discussions were blazoned through
the courts. These things Swallowed the
close of life of incalculable useful
ness, but they could not impair the
value of the services that his life has
rendered to the community. Whether
there was peace in the red sandstone
palace on Van Ness Avenue or not,
there is happiness in thousands of
homes that owe their existence to the
tireless activity of the grizzled sugar
king
His Great Aids to Hawaii.
During the many years that Mr..
Spreckels has been identified with the
sugar industry of these Islands, his
work has been along the lines of the
solid and permanent improvement of
plantation conditions and. in the bust.
ness conditions of the Islands them
selves. Hawaii's wealth has been
largely increased through him, bust
ness processes systematized, advances
in civilization promoted through the
broad views, definite methods and de.
! cision of character shown by him in
his operations here. 1t is true that
there were legal controversies with
which he was connected, but these
have long since ceased, and now, at
the close of his wonderful career, his
labors are comprehended, and at the
period of his last visit to Honolulu,
Mr.. Spreckels received the practically
unanimous respect and affection of
Honolulans, irrespective of party, class
or sect.
He was easily the first citizen of
| California and beyond any man had
been identified with the unequaled de-
velopment of the western part of the
United States. Starting with cap
ital mainly consisting of brains and
energy, his forward and upward path
had been steadily opened with unwav-
ering purpose, with iron will and with
concentration in the community where
his first success originated. Other
capitalists of the Pacific Coast trans
ferred their investments and estab
lished their homes far away from the
scenes of their early accumulations
Mr.. Spreckels, who had been really al
the head of them all, though far
reaching as his enterprises and trans
actions have been, centered his opera
tions in the State OF which he had
become citizen, and though large
enough in his capacity and in his bus
mess to have been recognized through
out the world. he was distinctively
known as the leading capitalist of the
| West.
Mr.. Spreckels had always been noted
for fidelity to his friends. Towards
his employees he was a kind master,
| I'D atr;kau nm fha pkrf of hia man