The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-04-13
History of the Island Made Up of Wreck
StOries--Supply Ships Visits Chief
Break in MOnOtOny

the vain form Of annexing his islands
to the United States, but as his act
had no more sancity than the logging
OF the event in the records of a mer.
chairman upon the high sea It made
no permanent mark. Eight years later
Capt Reynolds was more formal. He
went ashore and hoisted the flag on
Sand Island while the Lackawanna
paid the new possession with a ma
tional salute, but his solemn act ceas-
ed because unconstitutional. In due
time the imperial dreams Of Kalakaua,
whose ambition led him to propose an
empire Of the Pacific with Hawaii at
its head, annexed the chain of islands
from Nihoa to Ocean to the Hawaiian
Kingdom, and as such they descended
to the United States by cession, with
the consent of Congress.
But the history of Midway engaged
not so much as single page in the
history of the world until the Nero
reached that spot in the survey for
the American cable across the Pacific.
The prime date was her visit on May
%, 1899. In 1903 the cable was com
p'eted and Midway became a toll sta
tiion on the line around the world.
An easier route, one which might have
obvated the parting Of the thread
which has recently interrupted the
service. might have been found a little
to the south through the Marshall is.
lands. But these were in German pos
session, and it was considered ad-
visab,e to have the cable wholly under
American supervision, and for that
reason Midway was selected.
/ During the early years of its oc.
cupancy by the Mackey Company the
United States maintained a small
guard of marines under a Lieutenant's
command, only seventeen men in the
ranks, to hold this outpost of empire.
In 1908 the guard was withdrawn, and
somebody Numbered in Washington.
The cable brought the orders to the
marine Lieutenant to withdraw his
S1NthlNNll llltAlt bul llt SuIStOu vi ne
| outfit was apparently to be left be-
= hind Washington had forgotten his
: official existence and it seemed that
, he was to remain on Midway, with
= no men to care for except that in a
wholly unofficial way he might look
after the cable staff in case he felt
, thereto inclined. It took a large
|, amount of cabling to Washington to
! get the error corrected, but in due
time the Secretary of the Navy was
led to include the navy surgeon in the
relief OF the marine guard.
After the departure Of the armed
, forces which represented majesty in
the heart of the Pacific Midway settled
/, down to its quiet enjoyments as a
self-centered and essentially law abid-
ing community. Its present popula-
ton consists of twenty-three persons,
/ the superintendent of the station and
his wife, chief operator and his wife,
a physician operators sufficient to
!, keep the station always manned, and
= a few laborers A few days ago Vice
President Ward of the Commercial
Pacific Gable company in reporting
this census add to the list two dom
keys, two cows, two canaries which
have increased and multiplied most
unsteady, altogether a pleasant and
very human recognition of the fact
that in that utter Loneliness the patient
donkey and the Illuminating COW be-
come companions rather than brute
beasts.
There is only one thing to break the
tedium Of Midway life day in and day
out and that IS the news, At the heavy
price charged for each word there can
be nothing sensational in the news
the isolated colony can get of the day
; and the world, always tomorrow and
/ its news crowding out today before it
! is done, for one day comes east
, through Midway to meet yesterday
2 coming west, The great events of life
, become known to this small commune
3 ty in their baldest statement, life with
2 out headlines, but when one becomes
! used to such life probably quite as sat
( isfactory.
b Yet even placid Midway cannot be
Y quite sure that things will not happen
r to it in its remote sea. Once, and that
S not more than six years ago, Midway
fairly had the time of her life. Wis
y itors came ashore and Midway YVES
S caught up in the social whirl; without
b warning a spree descended upon the
n bare isets.
T Again we turn TO the chapter OF
@ wrecks, September To- 1906, the Pa
t, citic Mail steamer Mongolia, which left
Yokohama five days earlier, went
l. aground OF the Midway reef, 1t IL
a never an ocean pleasure to be strand
n ed in the dead of night and there mus
have been some nervous moments fol
n (Cnntinuad IN napa tUantv.Oual