Evening star., 1939-01-05
Calling on FickIe PeIe
Errotic Howoiion Goddess Draws Eager
Audience for Fiery Performance

N00bSU$S BVt uSIy
This Is the fourth OF a series of
letters from, Ha1Dnii from G. A.
Lyon, associate editor OF The
Star, Uho is spending Dtnter
uacatton in the islands.
A haole-which means a foreigner
can make no greater blunder of
speech than to say that he has
visited Hawaii when in fact he has
gone no farther than the Island of
Oahu, where lies Honolulu. Yet
many people who cross the Pacific
to these blessed isles make that
error of both speech and judgment.
They seem to think that Honolulu
comprises all there is to see that
is worth while in Hawaii-some of
them because they regard Waikiki
Beach as the sole important OBJ
jective-whereas even the most loyal
Honolulans will not only admit but
will stoutly claim that a visit only
to Oahu is grievously inadequate
and that to know Hawaii as it should
be known requires a visit to the
island of that name, where the VOL
canoes are located. And they will
maintain that this holds good even
though the volcanoes are quiescent.
Some visitors are beguiled by the
atlas into thinking that Hawaii" is
a group of islands so close together
that they can all be visited within
few hours, couple of days at the
most. On the average map the lit
tie archipelago is not much more
than blurry blot in the middle of
the Pacific. AS a matter of fact,
there are more than eight islands
in the group and Oahu, where the
capital is located, is only the third
In size and is closely crowded for
that position by two others. The
group covers a span of 400 miles,
from the northwestern rim of
Niihau to the southeastern shore of
Hawaii or about the distance be-
tween Washington and Boston. The
actual land area of all the islands
together is 6,435 square miles. or
about that of the States of Con-
necticut and Rhode Island COM
bined.
Interisland Service Excellent.
Honolulu is not only the capital
OF the Territory of Hawaii and its
largest city, but 1t is the only port
OF call for transoceanic steamers.
whether from the American main
land, Asia or the South Seas. There
is, however, an excellent ship serv-
ice between Honolulu and the other
islands. To reach Hilo, the second
largest city in the group and the
capital" of the County of Hawaii,
where the still active volcano is
located, requires about IA hours
steaming, with an off-port passen-
ger stop at Lahaina, on Maui. It
is very easy boat ride. with ex-
cellent service and with only slight
chance of rough seas in the chan
nels between Molokai and Lanai
and between Maui and its neigh
bors, Lanai and Kahoolawe.
AS a rule there is no difficulty in
getting satisfactory accommC iations
on the interisland steamers. But
occasionally, as on our own trip
back from Hilo the other day. the
demand for staterooms and even
single berths is so great that mat
tress on the floor of one of the
lounges or even on the deck is the
best to be had. This was the case
when we returned from Hilo re-
Gently. But fortunately, our desire
to take the Sunday boat for Homo
lulu was made known to certain
lnfiuentiaf Honolulans and the &C
commodations We wished were pro-
vided, apparently by special dispen-
sation. The congestion on that
trip, we later discovered, was due
to the fact that convention of
dentists had just been held in Hilo
and the tooth-pullers and filters of
Oahu and the other islands were
going home on that trip, and fur
thermore a carnival circus was pull
ing stakes for Maui
Pele Fills Boats.
That big boat load of passengers,
however, was not circumstance, we
were told, to the crowds that swarm
to the steamers whenever there is
report that Pele is active. Indeed,
as I have indicated in an earlier
letter, the steamship Office has on
file standing reservations for the
first overnight trip from Honolulu
to Hilo following report from the
laboratory on the rim of Kilauea
that an eruption is likely to occur.
So keen is the interest of Oahuans
in the performances of Pele that the
Honolulu newspapers make a fea-
ture of weekly report of seismic
manifestations observed at the labor
atory. AS an Illustration will here
with reproduce a recent bulletin
from the vulcano headquarters; un-
der the standing heading: Volcano
Report:
"Kilauea Observatory Report No.
1893, week ending November 6, by
Hugh H. Wawsche, assistant vol
canologist
Local seismic activity for the
second successive week has shown
~NaIw i s