The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1913-01-14
WHEN KAlAEAUA WAS
UP FOR ELECTION

wauan Historical Society held last
evening ~ the Library OF Hawaii
bui ding. hon sanford y. Dole read a1
Interesting paper prepared by Rear Al
MURAL Sutherland upon incidents
Connected with the Election Of King
Kalakaua in February, is5I.'
Admiral Switzerland was here as q
nidsmpmgn at that lime and ms per
sobb rccolcctions OF the events on
that occasion were recently written, nj
the request OF Judge Dole, Tor presen.
tation to the society. Tne narrative
Is as follows:
During the latter part Of January
1874, the U. S. 5. Tuscarora lett San
Francisco, under orders from the navy
department to run line of deep sea
soundngs from that port to Honolulu,
with the object of determining n suit
able route Tor submarine telegraph
cable TO connect the two potts, these
soundings to he taken at intervals oi
thirty miles apart.
when only few days out from San
Francisco and while engaged in taking
sounding in over 2oU0 fath0ms OF
water. we were overtaken and passed
by the British gunboat Tenedos, which
vessel was under full steam and sail
power and heading direct for Honolulu,
Looked Suspicious
The commanding officer of the Tus:
carora, Commander George E. b lknap,
U. S. Navy, was an officer of rare at
tainmerts and of good Judgment, and
one who kept in touch with current
events and with the generally recog.
-
/ was only midshipman at that
time and was not in position to
know what my commanding officer s
impressions and opinions were as he
watched the British gunhoat pass US
headed for Honolulu at full speed, but
| do recall that he Immediately made
every effort to hasten the sounding op.
erations then III progress and, as soon
as the sounding wire was reeled in, put
the ship on course for Honolulu un.
der full sail and steam power, and
then announced the abandonment, for
the time being, of the work of deep sea
exploration which he had primarily
been ordered to conduct. He was the
typical first-class naval officer of that
'day-intelligent. able, resourceful
never sinking his responsibilities, and
always forehanded in everything that
he had to do of an official nature.
The Tuscarora arrived at Honolulu
during the morning of February 3,
1874, and found II. B. NJ. gunboat Ten
edos already anchored in the harbor.
The pilot, 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-
nalilo, was at the point of death
Election Called.
Soon after we moored inside the har.
; Dor, the death of the king was an
nounced. Within day or two public
announcement was made to the fact
that no successor had been designated
by the late king and 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 off.
GERS of the United States Navy.
Honolulu for Emma.
The natives of the city Of Honolulu
were almost unanimous in favoring
Queen Dowager Emma, the widow OF
Eamehameha ", as Lunalilo's success
sor, but, from the conversations OF
those residents who were acquainted
with political conditions in Hawaii. il
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 10
nine days after Lunalilo's death, to
allow time for delegates from the othel
islands to arrive, and during the in
terval so much bitter feeling was en-
gendercd between the partisans Of
those who were eligible to the success
sion as to make it appear quite prob
able that serious trouble would resul
unless the dowager queen was declared
.he choice of the delegates.
Ready for Trouble.
The United States Minister, Mr.
! Fierce, was cognizant of the serious
pccS of the situation and, in froquen
conferences with Commanders BelSnaI
~ Skerrctt, decided upon line o
action should the election be attende
by disturbances which might result i
jeora rdizing the lives and property o
Am''irnn residents, 1t was well know
to him and others that the few nativ
troops and the police force then in He
nolulu could not he depended upon i
the followers of the dowager quee
were defeated at the election.
The legislative assembly was Gale
Ia meet at noon ON February -. TIL
boatswain of the Tuscarora. Mr. Bai
Ser, was sent on board the bark d.
Murray, which was lying az one of Ill
whHryes, turing the early forenoon I
hoist a furled flag at one of her mas
heads, the breaking ont Of which VIZ
a. bee the signal for the Tuscarora an
! Portsmouth 10 each land an arme
force. Mr. Barker was 90 break th