The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-05-16

nave tnelr run In Honolulu 1usts az
promptly as tney do in Quincy, Ill.
or Bangor Slalne.
1t Is interesting to know that wire
less teiegtapny Was first useu IN prac-
tIcal commercial affairs IN hawaii.
The first commercial system installed
ny Marconi was that connecting the
islands OF the Hawaiian group. and
this preceded by some time the con-
nection of the Islands with The resi-
|ot the world by submarine cable. The
Iquestion of interisland communication
mad always been perpleaing one.
Honolulu was the capital, both politi-
Ically and financially. and the people
were put TO great Inconvenience BY
the necessity OF waiting upon comnlu-
'nication By slow and irregular steam
Iers from island to island. Experiments
were made toward an interisiand cable.
but as the channels are so very deep
the shore ends were cut off on the
sharp coral reefs almost before the
cable was laid.
Once the people turned TO carrier
pigeons as their saviors. Pigeons We're
bought cotes erected. and arrange
ments made to forward messages and
letters from one island to another by
means OF the noming birds. But the
pigeons faiiedsto become commercial
success. Then came Marconi's dis
covery of the wireless. Hawaii was
first to see the practicability OF the
discovery. Marconi was induced to set
Iup stations on the various Islands, put
as his system was then in an expert
mental stage the service was made
quatc and not reliable. The Territorial
Legislature had faith enough TO grant
the Wireless Company subsidy. and
II struggled 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 q telegraph
office In Honolulu and sends telegram
| to any point in the Islands in just as
matter of fact fashion as he would
send q wire from New York to any
iother city OF the Union.
In 1908. when the Pacific cable reach
| ed Honolulu, there was day of great
irejoicing. The newspapers issued spe-
cial cable editions. and for the first
time in It's history Honolulu knew
| the same day that 1t happened. But
tho same newspapers which made so
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 news
gathering agency.
| or course, the cable did much for
Hawaii. Until five years ago, when
| a steamer came into Honolulu from San
would be down at the dock yelling to
the passengers on board ship: Whats
the news?'' and the passengers would
take delight in surprising the islanders
4 with their six day-old San. Francisco
information. Now there are few Ha-
j waiians to meet the boats and the
! passengers are anXiously inquirtng,
"yvhat has happened in the world dur
/ Ing the six days we have been at
|sea?'
The traveller who comes from. the
Orient finds Honolulu the beginning OF
tho Occident. "A party OF fifty Japa-
Inese. merchants and bankers. who had
never been away from their home coun-.
around the world. The first foreign
soil they touched was the American
port Of Honolulu. The Alexander
Young Hotel was an eye-opening crashs
which showed them the difference be-9
tween the occident and the Orient,
This is the largest building in Homo
lulu. 1t Is six stories high, and has
large, electric elevators, manned by
/ thoroughly reckless young Americans.
The Empire of the Rising Sun does
domain, About fifteen Japanese
|crowded into the elevator and asked
Ito go to the roof garden. They never
had been In an elevator before and
the elevator boy knew It. They went
ito the roof garden at express schedule
screaming and yelling and holding
onto the iron work on the inside OF
1.-THE cage When they got to the ton
tIthey declined to get out and asked to
4 go to the basement. For practically
Ihalt the afternoon the Japanese around
the-world party, fifty leading mer-,
lchants and manufacturers, We're chas-
ling I'M and down In the elevator WITH
lall the delisht Of an American hoy on
Ibis first roller coaster marty,
4 There is an old Fgyptian saving to
4 1.-THE effect that he who once tastes N,les
i water longs for 1t evermore, and the
same prnctnle Is true Of Hawaii. The.
( traveller who follows the trail until IT.
!. leads him to this enchanted land ne
j. eternal snring finds Its influence
well-niwh trresistihle when heltakesl his
slaave az IT.. Nomatter to what cline.
he owes allegiance, he must pleasantlY
romember the deep-slashed, cloud.
i capped mountains the laughing break
ers. the crimson flowers, and the pleas.
|ure-lovinr neople who always feast
and SING In happy Hawaii
fcopYright. 1908, Vhy Frederic y,
Hasklns) BE
-Aslatlcs in British Colo q