The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1914-03-03
ENDS
. HUNDREDTH
VOYAGE
Captain HOudlette Who First
Brought Oceanic Liner Around
Horn Fourteen Years Ago
Stands on Bridge and Proudly
Guides His Vessel for Hum
dredth Time Into Honolulu;
Pioneer Skipper Of Pacific.

Is arriving strictly on the dot, with Dut
two or three tardy marks in one hun
dred voyages from San Francisco to
Pacific ports ON each Of which Honolulu
was the first port Of call, the Oceanic
steamer Sierra yesterday completed the
first lap Of its one ,hundredth voyage,
in command Of the skipper who first re.
ceived the vessel when il was launched
at tile Cramps shipbuilding yards four
teen years ago, brought il around the
Horn and who has been in comnland.
Of the popular passenger and freight
carrier ever since-II. G. Houdlette,
dean and nestor, senior commander and
best good mate among the mariners OF
the Pacific.
Captain Houdlette was proud skip
per when he first rounded the Horn with
the new Sierra. lie was gratiiied be-
yond power to express when be entor.,
ed the Golden Gate with his new grey
hound Of the Pacific and many have
been his pleasures, mixed with the tDils
and responsibilities Of fourteen years on
ths bridge Of the favorite of the OCEAN
10 line. But it is doubtful IL at any
other time in his long and honorable
scattering career Ne has felt that fun
ness of satisfaction with work well
done as he viii feel, when home from,
the present trip, he passes for the ONE.
.hundredth time through that marvellous
western gateway Of the United States.
Captain Houdlette has spent fifty,
three years at sea and looks not over
ffty-three years Of age, but he must
be older, for his first smell of the salty
spray was when he sailed before the
mast from Boston and irrevocably seal,
cd his boyish vows for lifelong part
nefship with Neptune. II was, thirty,
four years ago that he joined the Ocean.
lie company and during Those years he
has been capable adviser Of the men
who Supplied tho capital to keep the
Oceanic company abreast of the times
and through all transitions from small.
sailing craft up to palatial ocean going,
oil burning steamships.
Formerly With Sailing Fleet.
For the Oceanic company, Captain,
Hondlette first walked the decks as.
mate of the barkentine John d. Spreck
els, although be had at that time papers
that showed twelve years as captain of
vessels in other lines. In this capacity
be senved for some time and was then
given the captaincy Of the w.. III. Di-
mond, a vessel of like rig, and which
was reported foundered of the coast
of Alaska since tho first of the year.
Since his barkenbine days Captain
Houdletta has sailed the seas in Oceanic
vessels a total distance of 1896, 400
miles, moro than equal TO sixty,fpur
trips around the globe, and during that
more than a third, Of a century on the
ocean in all kinds Of weather and all
kinds of ships, he never has had TO re.
port the loss of man on one Of his
ships nor an accident or disaster Of any
degpee Of seriousness. -1. ,r
Australia His First staam Vessel
The first steam vessel given Captain
Houdlette to command by the Oceanic
company was the Australia in which he
made 1913 round trips between, San
Francisco and Honolulu, three round
trips to Australia, three to Alaska dur.
ing the Klondike boom and one to Ma.
Mia. AS commander of the Australia
on the voyage to Manila he was the first
American sea captain TO carry United
States troops to a foreign land on a
war footing.
From the Australia Captain Houdlette
was transferred to thu steamer Mari
posa, which he commanded during Ave
trips 10 Australia. Since that time his
life has been, practically on board the
Sierra which has become a part Of his
beina and which is known TO him from
every bolt and riyet in the hull to the
faintest sound he has heard from the
engine rooms on hundreds of silent
watches spent on the bridge under the
Pacific stars.
Captain Houdlette is now the oldest
skipper running to Honolulu, as he has
been in. command of vessels since 1868,
when most of those who travel with
not seen the light Of day.
He saw the, whalers disappear from
the Pacific. and knows by heart the
tremendous revolution that has taken
place in the commerce Of the Pacific
during the last fifty years. Not only
the oldest in point of years of service
but he is also accredited one of the
best mariners that ever sailed any sea,
His motto has been always "Safety
First. . which wisdom is well attested
| by his unmarried and unbroken record
Among the, many treasures that Cap
tain Hondlette retains Of earlier ha
waiian, days Is u number of deeora
tiOns received at the hands of Kinl
Kalskaua, but the treasures he values
most ara the compliments he has re
eeiyed from travellers for his unvary
ing courtesies and from his employer
for his unbroken record Of skill il
handling the vessels entrusted to hi
care. 3, ,E.-
The Oceanic Steamship Sierra
The steamship Sierra of the ocean,,
line is now on its one hundredth round
trim voyage from San Francisco 10 Ho
nolulu,. mndor the command of II. c
HoudIette. commodore OF the ocean,
GompanY's feet. ...
The Sierra was built at the Cramp
yards on the Atlantic, under the super