The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-05-30

Army and :;
Navy News ;
y Sx&%S s&& " $3.50

@" ." - 90 70" %" ~ ~ %" ." ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The Army Board, composed of officers
of the local staff and garrisons, to
which was assigned the duty of select
ing the site for the new brigade post
at Leilehua, is still figuring on the best
location, but has come to no definite
result. The question of water is still
an obstruction to an early agreement
on the site. One of the officers is said
to have found a source of water which
he thinks will afford plentiful sup
ply to the post, but the other officers
are not yet convinced. The plans for
the post have not arrived from Wash
ington. AS soon as they are here bids
will be advertised for. The money for
commencing work on the post is avail
able July l. 1t is supposed that the War
Department is busy with plans for
building and improvements closer to
the seat of the national government
than Honolulu, and that Honolulu s
needs must take a back seat for the
time being.
Got Even With Kalakaua.
Surg. Charles F. Stokes, U. S. NJ, in
a recent address in Buffalo, told of a
time when he got the better of king.
1t was in the days when the surgeon
was on the Pacific station with the
old Iroquois. I'VE are stationed for
some time at Honolulu in the reign of
King Kalakaua,' he said. 1.-The king
was very fond of naval officers, and
beside continually receiving us at
court, with a pomp equal to that of
the court of St. James, he was a fire.
quent visitor on board ship. His
Majesty also had q taste for poker
One night when I came aboard Kala-
kaua had just finished a session of
poker. He had likewise partaken of
several strong rotations of gin. l
noticed that he was casting a longing
eye at my room, and 1 knew that if
His Majesty took my room / would
have to go ashore. So l proposed we
should play a game of checkers for
the room. The king, being a sport,
agreed. l was very careful to beat
him, and the monarch of the realm
had to go home" The late Admiral
Meade used to tell a story of his ex-
periences with Kalakaua before he
assembled the throne and was engaged
in building up a not altogether
creditable reputation as a private citi-
zen of Honolulu.
On one occasion, while at th-t port
with his ship, the Admiral, who had
at that time lesser rank. gave an
entertainment on shore. His pay as a
Navy officer not permitting of I'M
limited indulgence in champagne, he
had two tents pitched. in one of which
he served that beverage to a select
few, while others were received in
another tent, where there was less
unrestricted flow of beer Finding the
always thirsty Kalaikaua, who had
been assigned to the beer tent, crawl
ing under the fly of the champagne
tent, Meade hauled him out by the
heels. Some years afterward Meade,
then stationed at the Brooklyn Navy
Yard, was required to go in state with
other officers to pay his respects to
Kalakaua, the King, who was visiting
New York. Meade presented himself
before His Majesty with some trepida-
ton, but was received very gracious
ly and reminded of their previous
meeting in Honolulu, of which the
King evidently retained no unpleasant
recollection. Probably the treatment
he received at the hands of the Navy
officer was too much in the or9nr OF
what he was accustomed to a. tho
time for it to make any special i'm
preston upon him.