Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-01-13
ALBERT F. JUDD new HEAD
OF THEHIS1ORICAL SOCIETY

, .iteam and sail power and heading di
rect for Honolulu.
5eIknap Busy.
The commanding officer Of the
TusCarOra. Commander George r. Bel
KNAPP. t. s. ~, was an officer of rare
attalnihcnts and Of good judgment, Gnt
one who kept in touch with current
/ events and with the generally reCOg-
niZed policies of other governments.
Il was only a midshipman at that
! time and was not in position &c
know what my commanding officer S
! impressions and opinions were as he
! watched the British gunboat pass us
headed for Honolulu at full speed, but
! do recall that he Immediately made
every effort to hasten the sounding
operations then in progress, and, as
soon as the sounding wire was reeled
in, put the ship on a course for Homo
: lulu under full sail and steam power,
and then announced the abandonment
for the time being, of the work OF deep
sea exploration which he had primar-
lily been ordered to conduct. He was
the typical first-class naval officer Of
that day-intelligent, able, resource
full, never Sinking his responsibilities,
and always forehanded in everything
that he had to do Of an official ma
ture.
The Tuscarora arrived at Honolulu
during the morning of February 5,
1874, and found II. B. NJ. gunboat Ten
cdos already anchored in the harbor.
The pilot, a Mr.. BabcoCk, think, gave
us the only news of any Importance in
Honolulu at that time, which was to
the effect that the Hawaiian king, Lu
Ealilo, was at the point of death.
Prepared for Election
soon after we moored inside the
harbor, the death of the king was an
nOunced. Within a day or two public
announcement was made to the fact
that no successor had been designated
by the late king and a date and hour
were specified for a meeting of the
legislative assembly Of the kingdom in
order to elect such successor.
A few days after the death of the
king, the U. s. S. Portsmouth arrived
and, dropped anchor in the harbor
abreast the Tuscarora. The Ports
mouth was a sailing sloop-of-war then
engaged in surveying work in the
north Pacific and was commanded by
Commander. Joseph S. Skerrett, one
OF the ablest and most accomplished
officers of the United States navy.
City Wants Queen.
The natives of the city OF Honolulu
were almost unanimous in favoring
Queen Dowager Emma, the widow of
Karehameha ", as Lunaiiios success
scr, but, from the conversations OF
those residents who were acquainted
with political conditions in Hawaii, it
soon became evident that she was far
from being the choice of the people OF
the islands in general.
THE meeting of the Legislative as
sembly had been set for February IL,
nine, days after Lunalilos death, to al
low time for DELEGATES from the other
islands TO arrive, and during the inter
val so much bitter feeling was en-
gendered between the partisans Of
those who were eligible to the success
sion as to make it appear quite prob
able that serious trouble would result
unless the dowager queen was declar-
cd the choice OF the delegates.
Arm and Away. ~ 81. :.
The United States Minister. Mr..
Pierce, was eognizant of the serious
ness of the situation ard. in frequent
conferences with Commanders Bel
krap and 5kerfett, decided upon n line
Of action should the election be at
tended by disturbances which might
result in jecpardiziug the lives and
property of American residents. 1t
was well known to him and others
that The few native troops and the po-
lice force then in Honolulu could not