The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-10-26
Soldier Trail Builders, Away Up
On Mountainside, Find That
Blankets and Fire Are SpIen-
did Comrades These Nights
PROGRESS ON TRAIL
WORK IS REPORTED
Preliminary Survey Of Road To
Mauna Loa's Summit Has Been
Checked Over and Approved
Section Threads Koa Forest

(Mail Special to The Advertiser) .
HlLO, October 22.-The Mauna Loa
trail and rest house project is steadily
progressing.
Last week Herbert Dent. manager of
the keauhou Ranch, Furnished mon and
mules to pack two 1000 gallon red wood
tanks and galvanized iron enough TO
make roof twenty by thirty feet, to
a point approximately nine miles above
the ranch; and A. J. w. Mckenzie
erected the same.
II is intended to establish a work
ing camp at this point, from which
the soldiers building the trail will work
both ways. This has been named
- Camp Bates,' in honor of Captain
Bates of Company l., Twenty. fifth In.
fantry. The roof and tanks win fur
nish wnter, any deficiency being made
up by packing water from the Keau-
hou Ranch. Very little packing Of
water is expected, as showers are usual.
~ frequent at this time of year.
On Tuesday last Captain Bates and
Lieutenant Philoon, with Orderly Hoot-
on of Company +, Twenty fifth Infan.
try, accompanied by L. A. 1hurston
Of the trail committee, Engineer Bur.
dick of the public works department,
md Professor Wood of the Volcano
Observatory, went over the line of the
proposed trail as far as Camp Bates.
Ae~srS. Bates, Burdick and Horton
continued on to Pun Ulaula, some seven
or eight miles further, where they
amPed for the night, selected a favor
able location for the halfway rest
house ut Pun Ulaula, and returned the
next day. ~
The favorable preliminary report
made by Mr.. Burdick some three weeks
ago was confirmed in every respect.
The first nine miles is through open
,Ioa, lehua aud. mamana forest, and
mainly over soil with little rock The
<eauhou Ranch already has cattle
trail for the greater part Of the dis.
ance, which will not require much work
o put IL into first class condition. The
soldiers have already begun work on
his part of the trail, working from
the Keauhou Ranch up. eF
The heaviest road work will be iust
Ibove Camp Bates, where an IA flow
three-quarters of mile wide viii have
to be crossed. Work at this point win
begin in about a week. @
The soldiers have comfortable base
camp on the fat across the road and
below the Volcano House. They are in
large tents holding eight men each.
Each tent has wood stove in the
center, which, with plenty Of wood,
keeps the tent s-ug aud warm--and
it is cool enough at this 1000 feet
elevation to make the stove the center
Of attraction during evenings and early
in the morning. .. r.
The soldiers were given the first two
or three days off, to get their bear
nga, see the volcano and amuse them
selves. There is a fair field near the
Volcano House which they have utilized
to the full for football and baseball
practise. What especially appeals to
| the men Of the army is that there is
no dust at the camp, which Is located
on a good grassy turf, in a fine grove
of trees, sheltered by a thirty-foot
rocky bluff just to the windward side.
The men appear to be thoroughly en-
ioying the change and are eager to
get to work.