Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-11-25
"Land of Rope Cigars ard
Several Million Active
PresidenteS"
SPECIAL star. Bulletin Correspondence

lSpec.aI Star Bulletin CORES pondence)
SAN FRANCISCO, Cal. Nov. 10
| This is an account, more or less light
hearted, of a trip recently taken by
E. A. Berndt. chairman of the Hawaii
! Promotion Committee: F. Baering of
Hackfeld & Company, and the Star
Bulletins correspondent. of how sew
eral HonClulans invaded Mexico:
Our chauffeur was instructed TO take
us via Coronado and the Silver
Strand" With the naked eye we
easily discovered Coronado but we are
| still looking for the Silver Strand Ac-
cording to the guide books this is sup
posed TO be wonderful beach on the
shere of the Pacific ocean. at or ad-
! joining San Diego bay.
| IL is only in Hawaii that guide books
give the truth, for no abundance of
| c0mmendatcry adiectiyes. no matter
Low seemingly extrayagant, can ade-
| quateIy describe 1.-The Paradise" Suf-
| flee it to say that a description of
! the beach at Waikiki eloquently pic
| lures what the Silver Strand is NOT.
We swept through miles and miles
| Of flooded district where, the land had
debris through the bursting of the
Otay dam, and every farmer provided
vocal evidence that the dam had
moved from Otay.
On the Border
Passing several villages we reached
the Mexican border The United
| States customs officials on this side
| gave us the appraising look for which
| customs officials the world over are
I famous The look, as we drove past,
clearly indicated that we were opium
1 smugglers or we're engaged in gun
/ running to MEXICO. This is the natu-
raj look of any u s customs official
/ who, on the safety first principle, al
ways assumes that you are rogue.
To illustrate this point would cite the
case OF a man who was sitting on his
trunk at pier in San Francisco after
! the arrival of one of the China liners.
/ A burly customs officer approached
| with the scowl of offieialdom writ
large" on his countenance and de-
manded the mans keys. The latter,
after several such demands, refused to
| deliver, whereupon reinforcements
were summoned armed with hammer
and chlsel The lock was soon pried
off and other damage done which
made that trunk look like cOllap-
sible valise. The contents were more
or less-chiefly less-carefully
dumped out on the dock and to the
no small discontinue of the customs
official he found nothing dutiable. He
! turned to the man, who was an inter
! ested and amused spectator, saying
with usual politeness, why in Hades
didn't you give me your keys-it would
have saved yorr trunk considerable
damage"
81 should worry said the man, sit
is not my trunk"
/ Past the Guards
Just over the border where the citi-
zens have to acknowledge SO many
/ presidents just at the present time
we stopped at the Mexican customs,
above which waved the green and red
| flag, and two small, stout men with
greasy faces and still more greasy
uniforms properly embellished with
gold lace Cthe uniforms, not the faces)
approached on: car with pleasant
"Buenss Dias, Signor," and a cursory
glance convinced them that we had
no 42-centimeter guns concealed UNI
der the lap robe which we might pos
sibly be conveying to our bandit friend
Villa. They accordingly waved us a
CHEEKY "Adios."
A few yards further we crossed one
OF the most peculiar bridges to be
found anywhere. 1t is very low
structure which is awash when the
winter rains swell the river. Two
wheel tracks, with open trestle work
between, compose the right of way
and there is room for only one car
at time Cars travelling in con-
trary direction must wait at the other
end of the bridge until others get
across. Safety stations are placed at
intervals of about 80 yards so that