Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-01-01
Sidewalk Ball, with Mayor as
Chef d'0euvre, Witnessed by
Merrymaking Thousands

Honolulu danced the Old Year ou
and the New Year in last night, and
the sidewalk of business street was
the ballroom the; open sky the only
COY ering for the jewellers.
There was music and feasting and
frolicking all over the city. from the
seaside hotels and inns to the outer
most bounds of kalihi, and the hub of
iie joyous, joy-making city was at
bishop street. Just how many thou
sands Of men, women and children
gathered for the first New Year Open
Air Carnival nobody knows for no
body tried to count or thought of it.
The number might have been five
Thousand or it maght have been ten.
There's were FIVE thousand kinds of
merrymakers and ten thousand kinds
1 of noises to salute the newborn year,
and probably the new year was con-
siderably surprised to see Honolulu
greet its approach with such hliarity
and gay abandon. ".s
The city was CARRIED in gala dress,
and the faint mist of early evening
fed before the tumultous devotee of
Carnival. III !
At seven O'Clock, an hour before
Mayor Fern was due to lead the grand
march and set the ball a-rolling, Bish.
OPP street and most of Bishop park was
crowded. All nations Joined in the
gaiety. all colors, all classes and all
degrees. China. moving her new year
fup in step with the New Year of
/ Christiandom, made notable merri-
i ment At midnight the Chinese out
old themselves In producing volume
i CT noise made up Of everything from
4 firecrackers to gongs.
i Bishop Square was ablaze with
4 lights. Theodore Hoffman, engineer
of the Young Hotel, had worked for
Il two weeks to get the brilliant lighting
Il effect Of hundreds of many-hued in.
candescent bulbs across the front of
the hotel building, In and out among
4 the trees and over the bandstands IN
Bishop Park The result was q beauIi.
h mi ombinatipn of celors that pave to
II the surging sea of people below tile
IhangefuI hues OF the seas ar0vnd
HaWaii's coral shores.
IL All vantage spots were iammed
j with people waiting for the grand
n march to begin. The Schufield band
81 and the Royal Hawaiian Band blared
forth music In ali almost continuous
n volume. Finally, at eight o'clock
Mayor Fern was seen breaking . way
along the crowded pavement in front
of the hotel with about the same eft
feet as a football tackle jammine
Through the opposing line. The mayor
was attired for the occasion In q
d closefitting suit of white and an
eight-inch cigar and his smile TOOK
up the width fof the sidewalk. After
Fl al minute Of blocking the line, the
crowd realized THAT the mayor was
trying To start the grand march and q
Iway was made for Hizzoner. The
mayor and Mrs. Fern led the march
followed by his secretary, W. p. Miles
and Mrs. Miles and other members 0i
ii The committees. The march went
down Bishop street on one side and
started up the other, but nobody
knows whether or not it was evel
completely finished Nobody cared
The sidewalk on the Waikiki side o.
the street was cleared and w +
Miles and John Anderson, armed
with young megaphones, charged VI
and down the interstellar space inyit
ing everybody to come along and
dance. The crowd hung back little
Mr.. Miles thereupoil gave an imita
ltion of the -weI-remembered Duke
Johnson doing his stage waltz. Every
body's dom 1t. sang Mr. Mile.
| Ithrough his megaphone. and Mr.. An
dersoR reared out jolly Invitation
! that no one could resist. Pretty sooI
enc couple stepped out and whirlet
. down the sidewalk q Then another
and another. and in few minutes
. the vacant space was well filled. j
was the beginning of King CarniyaP'
reign and lasted until well after mid
night. When the dancing stopped
as the new year came on there wer'
i fifty couples at time whirling up AMI
down the somewhat narrow space
The paving was rough, nasty soap
stoning had done some good-but no
r1uch--and it was rather toilsome go
ing the length of the block on the up
hill route, but the. crowd liked it.
Meanwhile thousands upon thous
ands surged through the street be
tween the. sidewalks, and there wa:
q constant shower of confetti, a con
slant cannonading of noise, with ;
sharp rattle of musketry from small
er instruments of tumult. The noise
increased hour after hour, coming II
O. climax at midnight.
The crowds were very orderly ant
1.-The police details had praeticall!
. pntI,;,,0 RI do II was an event fO