The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-10-21
BuCknam PaSha, Whom
Honolulu Used To Know

Columbus, Of which he was captain,
while she cas- on exhibition at the
fair Later he went to the Pacific
coast and built the whaleback Sid
ney. in 1895 he became a mate IN
the Pacific Steamship Company S
service, and two years later was
made captain of the Island of Macs,
Panama. 1t was there that he
met Ledbetter, who has been his
aide in Constantinople for the last
four years.
Ledbetter at that time was captain
of the Bolivar, the little tender that
piled between Naos and Panama.
There were not so many Americans
in the Isthmian town in those days
that is to say, the kind of Americans
with whom Bucknam cared to asso-
ciate-so he and Ledbetter became
great chums.
While at Panama the future pasha
invented an ingenious instrument, OF
which for some unknown reason lit
tie has been heard. It consisted Of
an electrical device by which a COM
pass automatically traced on a chart
the route a vessel was taking. Buck
naf tested it at Naos a number of
times, in the presence of others, and
it always worked well. About 1900
he was transferred from Naos and
became mate of the City of Pekin,
then the Pacific Steamship Com
pany's new transpaciic liner.
1t was not long after his assign
ment to the steamship that Buchanan
received an offer from the Cramps to
become their nautical expert In this
position he came into frequent touch
with naval officers of this and other
countries, and his knowledge Of naval
subjects was broadened to an extent
that made him an authority. He was
commander of the new battleship
Maine on her trial runs, and, when
the Turkish cruiser Medjidia was fin
ished, he was sent to Turkey under
three months contract to train her
Mohammedan crew.
FaVorite of Sultan.
Just how it happened, nobody
seems to know, but undeniably the
old Sultan took a fancy to the Amer
lean sailor. The Turkish fleet, since
the day of the Navarino, had been a
thing to joke about. This state of
affairs was not altogether agreeable
to patriotic Turks, who could remem-
Der the time when their galleys of
war were the scourge of Mediterra-
mean Europe, and Abdul Hamid
seemed to feel that in Buchanan he
might count on a force for regenera-
ton.
At all events, the Sultan sent for
Buchanan and asked him if he would
take the post of naval adviser to the
Porte, Bucknam considered the mat
ter, and finally told Abdul Hamid
that he would. Buchanan was prac-
tical, and the salary offered to him
was nothing short OF princely. But
he stipulated that he was to have a
preliminary leave of absence, that he
could go home and marry a girl in
San Francisco. The Sultan assented,
and Buchanan married the young
woman, school TEACHER. She went
with him to Constantinople.
Bucknam's popularity increased
so far as the Sultan was concerned
at any rate. He was made a pasha
and vice admiral, and the Sultan con-
ferred on him the Order of Osman-
Itch, and a distinguished service
medal. Reliable report says that
when an attempt was made to assas-
sinate the Sultan several years ago,
when he was returning to the Yildiz
Kiosk from the Hamidieh MOSQUE,
Buchanan Pasha was first to spring
TO the aid of the Commander of the
Faithful.
A bomb loaded with a tremendously
powerful explosive was thrown into
the mounted escort that surrounded
the royal carriage. Scores of men
and horses were killed, and the
ground was rent and torn, and near
by buildings felt the shock; but the
Sultan was unhurt, although his car
riage was surrounded by the injured,
Buchanan Pasha took his post by the
carriage step, with sword drawn, and
announced that if a hand was laid on
the Sultan it would be Topped off.
Sword in hand, he walked beside the
carriage all the way to the gates Of
YildiZ.
Abdul Hamid never forgot this act.
Nor did the would-be assassin, appar-
emily, for BuclSnams friends have