Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1913-05-21
SHARK FISHING
IN THE HAWAnANS
Miss Haynes Letters Continue Inter.
esting Descriptions.
ROUGH TRIP TO KAWAI
AND PERILOUS LANDING.
Former Decorah Teacher Tells O
Ocean Trip on Small Vessel,
School i'm Hawai-, Shark FISH
ing Expedition, Etc.

The trip from Honolulu over to
Hawai-, was a horror. The boat, the
'W. G. Hail." was rather small and
not bit nice or comfortable. While
we were near Oahn it was calm
enough and l went to bed. We left
Honolulu at p. m. and was due at
Nawvilivili pronounced "now-villy-
villy') at 8 a. m, anticipating a de-
lightful trip. Had only been to sleep
short time when / awaken
ed and found myself rolling
around as though had a
fearful stomach ache. Later
we discovered that we had the best
stateroom and widest berths on the
boat and could roll without danger
of rolling out. The other passengers
had to hold on for dear life or they
would land on the floor. That boat
creaked and groaned and rolled and
pitched all night long-it just SEEM
ed as though it would be torn into
a million pieces. Was not sea-sick
(guess / was the only one that
wasn') but that roll almost drove
me mad. / know now, how a baby
feels when it's fond and doting
mother puts it in a cradle and pro-
ceeds to rock it for dear life. Thank
PoodneSs we were an hour late in
getting to Nawililvili, but the Captain
had us up an hour before the boat
was anchored and it was no joke try
ing to sit or stand with it rolling
and the waves washing the decks.
Hawai- pronounced "caw-y') has
mo wharfs, so all the large boats
have to anchor out in deep water
and the passengers and freight are
transferred to small boats and row.
ed ashore. If the trip over was bad
this transferring was infinitely
worse, and simply beyond the power
of words to describe. 1t was the
most dreadful experience I ever had
in my life. The sea was so rough
that the Hall could not get in as
close as usual, so we had longer
row and much rougher weather for
transferring. They lowered one of
the life boats and some steps down
the outside of the boat. You 60
down these, and then have to wait
your chance to get into the boat
When it is i'm it is an easy matter
to step in, but this morning the boat
would be 15 or 20 feet below you
one minute and the next 1t would be
3 or feet above you. All the time
1t was lobbing around like a cork on
the water and at the same time the
big boat was rolling SO badly that 1t
seemed as though it surely would
turn bottom side up. Well, l got
down on the last step and the small
boat went down and when it came
up it rose up under the step / was
on and gave it bang that sent
the step and myself up in the air
! would have landed in the ocean il
the sailor who stood there had not
thrown his arm around my waist
and held on for dear life. That
boat came up and hit us three
or four times and / simply could not
make the small boat. After a time
a lull came and / stepped into the
boat. AS l was the first woman
down, the others wouldn't go until
they had to. Most of them knew
what it was->I didn't. / had to sit
there in that beastly little boat while
1t loaded. Well, we got to shore
safely, but / remarked when / struck
the wharf, Il live and die in Hawai-.
No more of that for me-" Forum
ately gentleman was on board that
i knew so he looked out for me. AS
soon as the boat came in with our
suit cases we took an auto and went
to the hotel at Lihue. ("Lee-hu-ee")
BY the way this transferring took
place in the dark, with three or
four electric lights on the side of
the vessel The hotel is owned by
a white man, but for some unknown
reason he doesn't run it. His chin
ese cook does. If you want a room
or to pay for one, you must go out
into the kitchen and hunt the cook,
there is never anyone in the office.
went to bed and slept until 1000 a.
m. / tell you slept we'll; too. Then
after lunch an auto came for me
and started on our Is mile ride to
~