The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-08-06
pv T. FRANKLIN STEVENS.


Give a dog a bad name and
that Is the trouble with Molokai
the popular conception among
tbose who have visited the Hawaii
a. Islands, is that the island is an
o,ciuslyely leper settlement, n pest
house on a large scale. to be spoken
- with a shudder and by all means
80 he avoided. The mental picture
a of small bleak island inhabited
.olv by manned and suffering iep-
yrs with few devoted people who
have severed all human ties in order
to give to the afflicted exiles some
little medical or religious comfort
THE effect Is heightened by the fact
MAJ nearly all steamers pass the
island at night, as though even the
SIGHT OF II was to be avoided, and
mat virtually no information on II
Is available even locally In Homo
lUlu. IL would seem to be the sort
NJ place one does not even discuss.
Al Of this aroused my interest, so
determined TO visit the tabu isle
and see II see It for myself Such
information as could gather
sounded interesting. even though II
was pointed out TO me that the
hratcn paths were safer and that.
ont OK the many who had come to
ple. and Of these four two were
writer's seeking local color, had Wis
tied the island; that there were no
hotels: that the steamer was poor
and the connections worse.
} The very efficient Hawaii Tours
company took an intelligent interest
in my proposed trip and made my
path easy. They wirelessed one OF
ihe natives. asking OF he would
take care OF my little party, put us
M al his house and drive us around
thc island. on receipt OF his cordial
assent they secured accommoda-
tions for us on the steamer and gave
us introductions to our prospective
host.
Accordingly on a sunny afternoon
IN mid February we boarded n tiny
inter-isiand steamer. the Likelike by
name, and with the veteran Captain
BIZ in command set sail-this Is
literal for the Likelike carried both
sail and steam power-for the port
Of Kaunakakai. island of Molokai.
The port of Kaunakakai is So
miles from Honolulu, 80 of which
are across the channel lying be-
tween the island OF oahu and Molo-
lai. II is a rough channel and our
5oat was some roller, but We forgot
most OF the discomfort In listening
10 Captain Bits stories of his 40
years Of cruising in the South seas
and his tales OF adventcre among
the cannibal and other tribes he
visited and traded with on the is
lands south OF the equator.
About l a. m. we tied up at the
Kaunakakai dock and were cordial
ly greeted by our host Kahinu, to-
~ ho nth L.,
habitants of the village. We found
the dock was three-quarters OF n
mile long, but there was mule
tram to take us to the beach; so we,
with all the freight and all the ma
tlves and passengers, wsr5 loaded
aboard and slowly mule drawn to
shore.
A short trip by auto and we were
al the home of our host and were
assigned the royal quarters. for his
house had originally been the home
Of Kamehameha V. There was not
much to remind one OF royalty In
the plain board house, the grass
walls and thach roof having been
boarded over, but It was immacu-
lately clean and the rooms and
porches were spacious.
In the morning we learned
something OF the island and found
It was beautiful tropic isle rich in
vegetation, with peaceful valleys
and high rugged mountains. The
Island has an area of 261 square
miles with five ports and as many
villages and n population outside OF
the leper settlement of some 1900.
Shortly after breakfast we started
on our drive to the pail or cliff on
the windward side OF the island
overlooking the Settlement" This
Is the local name, and no reference
Us ever mada hv Tho tAa