Sailing, Shipping & Shipwrecks | Page 45

March 2, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Steamer Subsidy

The Airline Deregulation Act, passed in 1978, gave air carriers almost total freedom to determine which markets to serve domestically and what fares to charge for that service.

The Essential Air Service (EAS) program was put into place to guarantee that small communities that were served by certificated air carriers before airline deregulation maintain a minimal level of scheduled air service.

The US Department of Transportation is mandated to provide eligible EAS communities with access to the National Air Transportation System.

This is generally accomplished by subsidizing two round trips a day with 30- to 50-seat aircraft, or additional frequencies with aircraft with 9-seat or fewer, usually to a large- or medium-hub airport. (US DOT)

The program was put into place to guarantee that small communities served by certificated air carriers before airline deregulation maintain a minimal level of scheduled air service. The US Department of Transportation is mandated to provide eligible communities access to air transportation and that is generally accomplished by subsidizing trips. (Jensen)

Transportation subsidies are not new – especially in the Islands.

“The Legislature of this Kingdom has just granted to the California, Oregon and Mexico Steamship Company the sum of $50,000, in consideration of running a steamer every twenty-one days between the port and San Francisco, at a stipulated price for freight and passage, carrying the mail free of charge to the Hawaiian Government.”

“Ben Halliday, Jr, has been here for several weeks piloting the bill through the House, and the skilful engineering displayed in the operation reflects credit on the business capacity of so young a man.”

“The subsidy question created, amongst all classes, a lively interest during its pendency.”

“The press was filled with animated discussion on the part of its enemies and partisans. The latter claimed vast benefit to the kingdom, in perspective, from steam communication with California, while the opposition argued that the Company would find it to their interest to run a steamer in any case …”

“… if not, some other Company would, and by appropriating the $50,000 to local improvements the country would derive a positive and visible benefit.”

“The members seemed to be equally divided, as the result of the vote will show, until the final passage of the bill by a majority of seven votes.” Following are some of the provisions of the steamer subsidy:

“Whereas, The maintenance of frequent and regular communication with San Francisco, by steam, is important to the welfare of this Kingdom; and, whereas, to establish such communication, an outlay is unavoidable at the outset, which cannot be fully remunerated from the business; therefore,”

“Be it enacted, by the King and the Legislative Assembly of the Hawaiian Islands in the Legislature of the Kingdom assembled:
Section 1. The Minister of the Interior, on behalf of the Government of this kingdom, is hereby authorized to contract with individuals or incorporated companies for running efficient and seaworthy vessels … between Honolulu and San Francisco …”

“… in consideration of which there shall be paid to said individuals or companies, a sum not exceeding twenty-five thousand dollars per year for the term of two years …”

“… provided that … trips shall be regularly run not less frequently than once in twenty one days from each end of the route, that the running the running time shall not be more than twelve days from port to port …”

“Sec 2. In order to carry the provisions of this act into full effect, the Minister of Finance, with the consent of His Majesty the King in Privy Council, is hereby authorized to issue from time to time the bonds of the government …” (Daily Alta California, June 30, 1868)

Back to the airline subsidies … the Airline Deregulation Act made communities receiving scheduled air service from a certificated carrier on October 24, 1978, eligible for EAS benefits.

At that time, there were 746 eligible communities, including 237 in Alaska and nine in Hawai‘i. According to a DOT estimate, fewer than 300 of these 746 communities received subsidized service under EAS at any time between 1979 and 2015. (Tang)

Starting October 1, 2012, no new communities can enter the program should they lose their unsubsidized service. Airports that were formerly eligible but did not receive subsidized service during the specified year are no longer eligible for subsidized service, and may not reenter the program. (Tang)

Communities in Alaska and Hawaii are generally exempt from almost all EAS eligibility requirements, except one measure that directs that no EAS funds “shall be used to enter into a new contract with a community located less than 40 miles from the nearest small hub airport before the Secretary has negotiated with the community over a local cost share.”

This requirement does not affect any Alaska EAS communities, since none is within 40 miles of the nearest small hub airport. However, one community in Hawai‘i, Kamuela, may be affected when its current service agreement expires in 2017, if the cost-sharing requirement for communities within 40 miles of a small hub is adopted in future legislation. (Tang) (Image shows SS California, a representative steam ship of the time)

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SS_California-WC

February 28, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Timeline Tuesday … 1880s

Today’s ‘Timeline Tuesday’ takes us through the 1880s – Kalākaua goes on his world tour, Matson acquires his first vessel, Pauahi dies, Bayonet Constitution and Pearl Harbor is leased by US Navy. We look at what was happening in Hawai‘i during this time period and what else was happening around the rest of the world.

A Comparative Timeline illustrates the events with images and short phrases. This helps us to get a better context on what was happening in Hawai‘i versus the rest of the world. I prepared these a few years ago for a planning project. (Ultimately, they never got used for the project, but I thought they might be on interest to others.)

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Timeline-1880s

February 27, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Hamaite

The first Hawaiian word written is ‘Hamaite’ – it was spoken to Captain Cook at the time he made contact with the Islands and he wrote it in his journal.

It was made in reference to iron. Some suggest it refers to Hematite (ferric oxide – a mineral form of iron oxide – that is Hematita in Spanish.) However, others suggest ‘Hamaite’ is actually a Hawaiian expression of He maita‘i – good. (Schutz) The following is Cook’s explanation:

“In the course of my several voyages, I never before met with the natives of any place so much astonished, as these people were, upon entering a ship.”

“Their eyes were continually flying from object to object; the wildness of their looks and gestures fully expressing their entire ignorance about every thing they saw, and strongly marking to us, that, till now, they had never been visited by Europeans …”

“… nor been acquainted with any of our commodities except iron; which, however, it was plain, they had only heard of, or had known it in some small quantity brought to them at some distant period.”

“They seemed, only to understand, that it was a substance much better adapted to the purposes of cutting, or of boring of holes, than any thing their own country produced.”

“They asked for it by the name of hamaite, probably referring to some instrument, in the making of which iron could be usefully employed …”

“… for they applied that name to the blade of a knife, though we could be certain that they had no idea of that particular instrument; nor could they at all handle it properly.”

“For the same reason, they frequently called iron by the name of ‘toe,’ which in their language signifies a hatchet, or rather a kind of adze.”

“On asking them what iron was, they immediately answered, ‘We do not know; you know what it is, and we only understand it as ‘toe,’ or ‘hamaite.’”

“The only iron tools, or rather bits of iron, seen amongst them, and which they had before our arrival, were a piece of iron hoop about two inches long, fitted into a wooden handle, and another edge tool, which our people guessed to be made of the point of a broadsword.”

“Their having the actual possession of these, and their so generally knowing the use of this metal, inclined some on board to think, that we had not been the first European visitors of these islands.”

“But, it seems to me, that the very great surprise expressed by them on seeing our ships, and their total ignorance of the use of fire-arms, cannot be reconciled with such a notion.”

“There are many ways by which such people may get pieces of iron, or acquire the knowledge of the existence of such a metal, without ever having had an immediate connection with nations that use it.”

“It can hardly be doubted that it was unknown to all the inhabitants of this sea, before Magellan led the way into it ; for no discoverer, immediately after his voyage, ever found any of this metal in their possession …”

“… though, in the course of our late voyages it has been observed, that the use of it was known at several islands, to which no former European ships had ever, as far as we know, found their way.”

“At all the places where Mendana touched in his two voyages, it must have been seen and left, and this would extend the knowledge of it, no doubt, to all the various islands with which those whom he had visited had any immediate intercourse.”

“It might even be carried farther; and where specimens of this article could not be procured, descriptions might, in some measure, serve to make it known when afterward seen.”

So, it appears evident, before Cook’s contact with the islands, the Hawaiian already had, used and wanted more iron – to make tools and weapons (principally to shape into knives.)

In answering the obvious follow-up question – Where did it come from? – we need simply recall our existing apprehension of the recent and coming debris from the Japan tsunami, as well as the ongoing volunteer activity by thousands across the State clearing our shorelines of marine debris.

As noted in historic records, examination of the flotsam on the windward beaches of the islands reveals principally logs from the north-west coast of America and floats from Japan.

After comparing and considering the possibilities in 1778, it is probable that floating pieces of shipwrecks and other marine debris, from Japan and elsewhere, were the more likely sources of the iron.

Or, maybe the Spanish made contact with the Islands centuries before Cook …

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Captain James Cook-1776

February 15, 2017 by Peter T Young 3 Comments

Cook’s Heart

“Thus fell our great and excellent Commander!”

“After a life of so much distinguished and successful enterprise, his death, as far as regards himself, can be reckoned premature; since he lived to finish the great work for which he seems to have been designed; and was rather removed from the enjoyment, than cut off from the acquisition of glory.”

About eight o’clock, it being very dark, a canoe was heard paddling toward the ship; and as soon as it was seen, both the sentinels on deck fired into it. … Luckily neither of them was hurt”.

“After lamenting, with abundance of tears, the loss of Orono, he told us that he had brought us a part of his body. He then presented to us a small bundle, wrapped up in cloth, which he brought under his arm …”

“… and it is impossible to describe the horror which seized us, on finding in it a piece of human flesh, about nine or ten pounds weight. This, he said, was all that remained of the body; that the rest was cut to pieces and burnt but that the head and all the bones, except what belonged to the trunk, were in the possession of Terreeoboo (Kalaniʻōpuʻu.”)

“This afforded an opportunity of informing ourselves, whether they were cannibals ; and we did not neglect it. We first tried, by many indirect questions, put to each of them apart, to learn in what manner the rest of the bodies had been disposed of …”

“… and finding them very constant in one story, that, after the flesh had been cut off, it was all burnt ; we at last put the direct question. Whether they had not ate some of it?”

“They immediately showed as much horror at the idea, as any European would have done and asked, very naturally, if that was the custom amongst us?” (Cook’s Journal)

“The bodies of Captain Cook and the four men who died with him were carried to Kalaniʻōpuʻu at Maunaloia, and the chief sorrowed over the death of the captain.”

“He dedicated the body of Captain Cook, that is, he offered it as sacrifice to the god with a prayer to grant life to the chief (himself) and to his dominion.”

“Then they stripped the flesh from the bones of Lono. The palms of the hands and the intestines were kept; the remains (pela) were consumed with fire.”

“The bones Kalaniʻōpuʻu was kind enough to give to the strangers on board the ship, but some were saved by the kahunas and worshiped.” (Kamakau)

“The bones were preserved in a small basket of wicker-work, completely covered over with red feathers; which in those days were considered to be the most valuable articles the natives possessed, as being sacred, and a necessary appendage to every idol, and almost every object of religious homage throughout the islands of the Pacific.” (Ellis)

“We learned from this person, that the flesh of all the bodies of our people, together with the bones of the trunks, had been burnt ; that the limb bones of the marines had been divided amongst the inferior chiefs …”

“… and that those of Captain Cook had been disposed of in the following manner the head to a great chief, called Kahoo-opeon ; the hair to Maia-maia ; and the legs, thighs, and arms to Terreeoboo.” (Cook’s Journa)

There are stories about Cook’s heart …

“The body of Captain Cook was carried into the interior of the island, the bones secured according to their custom, and the flesh burnt in the fire.”

“The heart, liver, &c., of Captain Cook, were stolen and eaten by some hungry children, who mistook them in the night for the inwards of a dog. The names of the children were Kupa, Moho‘ole, and Kaiwikoko‘ole.”

“These men are now all dead. The last of the number died two years since at the station of Lahaina. Some of the bones of Captain Cook were sent on board his ship, in compliance with the urgent demands of the officers; and some were kept by the priests as objects of worship.” (Dibble)

Another notes, “Kealakekua is an historical spot. l write this in sight of the very rock where the celebrated Captain Cook was killed, and l have seen the man who ate his heart.”

“He stole it from a tree, supposing it to be a swine’s heart hung there to dry, and was horrified when he discovered the truth.” (Judd)

“Eight days after the death of Captain Cook, friendly relations were resumed with those on board the ship.”

“On Monday, February 23 (1779,) the ship sailed and it anchored at Kauai on the 29th of that month to get water and food supplies, then sailed to Ni‘ihau and got a supply of yams, potatoes, and hogs.”

“On March 15, the ship sailed into the blue and disappeared. This was the end of Captain Cook’s voyages of exploration among these islands ….” (Kamakau)

“For several years after this melancholy event no ship visited the islands after Captain Cook.” (Dibble)

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Death of Cook

January 25, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Reading, ‘Riting & ‘Rithmetic

Sir William Curtis (born January 25, 1752,) son of a British baker, became Member of Parliament for the City of London in 1790, holding the seat for 28 years. He was also Lord Mayor of London 1795-6.

Among many other products, the family made ships’ biscuits. After inheriting the business, expanding it and making a whole pile of money, satirists came to call him Sir Billy Biscuit. Sir Billy was nearly illiterate. (BBC)

The famous expression – “the three Rs—reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic”- is credited to Curtis.

He proposed it as a toast at a dinner given by the Board of Education in the days when folks were pleading for increased educational advantages for the poor. It was received with great applause and drunk amid much merriment.

But, though recognized as a jest at the time, it was afterwards taken up in earnest by Curtis’s detractors, who have handed his name down to posterity as a blundering ignoramus. (Walsh, 1893)

He chose the phrase simply as a joke. (Walsh, 1893) However, for decades, the definition of literacy was limited to the acquisition of reading, writing and arithmetic, usually referred to as the 3Rs. (UNESCO)

“(T)he three R’s,’reading, ’riting, ’rithmetic,’… belong to universal culture. They are the foundation of all education. We are speaking of the superstructure.” (Christian Union, September 4, 1878)

Curtis was not just an unexpected forward thinking, yet jokester, toaster; part of his wealth came from operations linked to the quip about his sea biscuit name …

Curtis was one of the principal financiers for the ‘Butterworth Squadron,’ a British commercial fleet of three vessels, the Butterworth, the Jackal, and the Prince Lee Boo.

These ships sailed for the Pacific Ocean from London via Cape Horn in late 1791 on a sealing and whaling expedition, following the Nootka Sound Convention, opening the Pacific Northwest Coast to British traders.

The Butterworth squadron first wintered at the Hawaiian Islands in February 1793, when control of the Islands was divided between Kamehameha who controlled Hawai‘i and much of Maui, and Kahekili who controlled the islands west of Maui including O‘ahu and Kauai.

They traded in weapons with both Kamehameha and Kahekili, but strongly favored the latter. The ship’s captain entered into a contract with Kahekili giving him title to the island of O‘ahu together with four islands to windward in return for weapons and military assistance, suppressing a revolt on Kauai.

It was during this period of alliance with Kahekili that the Butterworth squadron became the first European vessels that entered the inner Honolulu Harbor. (The contract to title to the Islands would have ended upon Kahekili’s death in 1794.) (Payne)

The first European entry of Honolulu Harbor is credited to Captain Brown of the British schooner Jackal, accompanied by Captain Gordon in the sloop tender Prince Lee Boo.

They called the harbor “Fair Haven” which may be a rough translation of the Hawaiian name Honolulu (it was also sometimes called Brown’s Harbor.)

Sir Billy Biscuit was a generous and hospitable man and in later years he became known as the “Father of the City”. When he died on January 18, 1829 every shop in Ramsgate closed in his honour and an immense crowd followed his funeral cortege. He’d had quite an effect on the place. (BBC)

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