Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-03-05
]. N. S. WILLIAMS
QUITS KAHULUI
RAILROAD
Superintendent's Action Is a
Surprise-PlanS a Well
Earned Vacation
Special star-BulletIn Correspondence

/ Special star Bulletin correspondence
WAILUKU, Maui, March 81. n. S.
Williams, superintendent of the Ka-
hului railroad, has resigned the posi-
ton, to take effect the first of May.
Some three or four weeks ago he call
ed upon the heads of departments and
to their great surprise told them of
his intention TO sever connection with
the company on the 1st of May. The
news had not been spread about the
island, and few outside of the men he
told heard, it. ..~ 49,.
The many Maui friends of Mr. and
Mrs. Williams will be sorry to hear
that they are to leave the island for
good. ........
As head engineer of the Puunene
mill, Mr.. Williams has had active con-
nection with that mill since the first.
He is still consulting engineer, and
has often been called upon for advice,
during the last few years, since he be-
came superintendent of the Kahului
Railroad Company, 1885,. :.....
Coming to this latter position in the
year 1906 he has made remarkable
changes in the whole system. To the
casual observer the mere fact that the
whole system has a series of new sta
tons throughout the line is impress
i've. The rolling stock of the COM
pany has been vastly improved. Large,
spacious new cars have been added.
Box freight cars and new longer open
cars have marked great improve
ment, together with several new and
much more powerful locomotives,
have greatly increased the value of
the entire equipment. !
Improvements Are Made. "~.... ..
Several important changes of the
railroad, notably the moving of the
tracks in Kahului, the building of the
convenient new depot with the. high
protecting fences about both that sta
ton and the one in Wailuku, and the
use of heavier rails on considerable
of the line, together with more turn
outs, and a better system of switches,
have made a great improvement in
the whole road. ...... .:~s ii
The most noticeable change and the
one that will affect the future of the
road more than anything else, is the
tremendous undertaking that Mr..
Williams has seen completed in the
extension of the railroad into Haiku.
This long line of new track placed
two new stations on the time tables
Hamakuapoko and Haiku = and open
ed the whole district to passenger
traffic The undertaking called for
the building of the huge Maliko gulch
bridge, the construction and compile
ton of which has been watched with
such keen interest by engineers all
over Hawaii. Mr.. Williams dared to
undertake this extension, fully realiz-
ing what he was going into and not
stopping with expense or questioning
the future of the districts into which
he was driving his new tracks. The
whole of Maui owes to him and the
directors of his road the heartiest
thanks for helping develop an infant
industry of the islands, and making
possible change into small farms of
a district that hitherto was nothing /
but pasture. -. -...
Showed Taste and Foresight.
The great improvements in and !
about Kahului are due to very
large extent to Mr.. Williams foresight !,
and good taste in laying out the sea-
port town The streets have been
greatly improved by handsome rows of J
trees, wide approaches to public
buildings, the erection of what large
buildings were necessary in conve- !
nient places, and plotting the whole !
town for its future development. The
idea has been develop
ed The new houses for laborers
have been made attractive and sani-
tary. New streets that have been cut
through have been made straight and
wide, whereas previously anything in
the line of streets aside from the
main thoroughfares resembled cow !.
paths, and reminded one of the early
pictures of Boston. The removal of
unsightly shacks, the doing away with :,
rubbish piles, the re-making of the
fences, the protection of trees, the re-
painting of buildings and general i'm
proyements along all lines have made
kahului an up-to-date seaport town to
the visitor ...." /
The new breakwater undertaken by
Mr.. Williams, and now practically
so far as the main section
goes, has, with the addition of the
claudine wharf with its handsome ap-
preach, made Kahului the natural CEN
Ter for shipping of freight and for
passenger traffic for central Maui.
1t is understood that Mr.. and Mrs.
Williams will leave Maui soon after
his resignation takes effect and that
hey will spend some time in travel in
europe. 1t is hoped that such we'll
earned holiday will be thoroughly en-
Dyed. Ill "