The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1911-05-12
DEATH CALLS FOR
]. MORTON 0AT
CONTINUED from Page one.l

nolulu was interested. For years he has
gotten out daily sheet devoted to
news about vessels, which kept the
public informed as-to arrivals and de-
partures at ports, including Honolulu.
This sheet has been an accurate com
pendulum of shipping and the recognized
authority in that class for years.
Joseph Morton Dat was born at
New London, Connecticut, on May IA,
1913, and was therefore sixty-three
years of age. He came to Honolulu
with his father and mother and three
brothers ON June 10, 1855, and resided
here ever since. His father went into
the sailmaIing business, and upon ar
irving of age he followed his father
in the same business, and later on
was identified with 7. G. Thrum in the
stationery business.
| 1t was while with his father in the
| sailmalSing loft that he became a tele.
grapher. That is, he received the sig
nails made by the Diamond Head soma
/ phore and interpreted them. These sig
mails told of the approach of mail steam
ers and sailing vessels and through its
use Honolulu was made acquainted with
| the news of the coming of the various
steamers. Mr.. Dat in later years was
| the representative of the San francisco
| Merchants Exchange and received
cabled advices of the movements of
shipping which had some connection
with Honolulu. This work he super
vised until his recent illness. and only
recently he apologized, in brief note on
one of his daily sheets for failure to
keep the record up daily.
Forms Partnership.
In 1876 he went into partnership with
4 T. G. Thrum, the firm being known as
Thrum and Dat, the partnership lasting
about year. He entered the Hawai-
ian postoifice service under Postmaster.
General Brickwood, but left that ser.
vice to open a stationery storerundeI
the name of j. M. Dat & Co., which
later became the Hawaiian News Com.
pany The store on Merchant street
was sold out about two years ago, Col
onel Soper opening up new store il
the Young building as the Hawaiian
News Company. Mr.. Oat then formed
a partnership with Alfred Mossman
. both of whom had been connected will
the Hawaiian News Company foromany
years, and reopened the old store under
the name of Dat & Mossman.
During the time of the Republic Of
Hawaii Mr. Dat was postmaster-general
and was postmaster under the United
States, being succeeded by j. G. Pratt
the present postmaster
Less than year ago Mr.. Dat, accom-
Ianied by his wife, went home to New
London to attend a family reunion
where he met large number of rela
tives. He returned in September OF
last year.
MIR. Dat as a boy was known to al
most every man, woman and child il
Honolulu. lie was the first to start the
cry Sail hol" when a signal was re
ceived from Diamond Head. The mo
ment the semaphore there was raised
young Dat received it and then from hi
father s sail loft on Kaahumanu stree
shouted down the street, "Sail no. ,
If it happened to be only an islant
schooner he was in line for a drubbing
but if it was a whaler, there wer
smiles, for it meant news from tn
estates"
The signals often interrupted game
of quoits played by p. @. Jones, Samue
Savidge and other well known kama
ainas, young Dat being too young Il
engage in the game with these olde
men. He could only sit around an,
watch them, but he had the satisfaction
of knowing he could break up gam
by crying out "Sail ho!''
1t was on February %, 1905, that MI
Dat was succeeded as postmaster b,
Mr.. Pratt. He leaves surviving man
relatives in New England, but her
there only survives the widow. He ha
. brother, John Dat, in business in Sal
Francisco