Images of Old Hawaiʻi

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Near Abdication

“In referring to the several journals of the day one is struck with the absence of any account of the occurrence at the time”. (Thrum)

While local papers appear to have had stories squashed by a “pocket veto” of the King, a couple mainland papers ran short stories on the tragic events and follow-up.

“No legal notice of the event was in any way taken; no person would have been foolhardy enough to propose it. It is not my purpose to defend the right of the king to this execution of summary vengeance …”

“… especially as it was done in a moment of anger; yet beyond the sadness of the act, it has a certain bearing on this sketch of my life as one of the descendants from the ruling families of Hawaii.” (Liliʻuokalani)

“On Sunday, September 11th, 1859, occurred a melancholy and tragical affair at Lahaina, which, as a matter of history, should not be omitted in these recollections.” (Thrum)

“The first news we received was that the king in a fit of passion had shot and mortally wounded one of the party, his own secretary, Mr. HA Neilson.”

“After the occurrence all that the tenderest of brothers could have done was proffered by the king to the wounded man; but after lingering for some months, Mr. Neilson died.“ (Liliʻuokalani)

“(T)he community was electrified by the intelligence, from Lahaina, that his Majesty had shot, and dangerously, if not fatally, wounded Henry A Neilson, formerly of New York, but since the accession of the King … his private secretary and constant attendant, confident and friend.” (New York Times)

“Much more might be said, were I disposed to report every flying rumor. Conjecture is alive to the motive of such an imprudent, impolitic act. The first supposition of all is that it was jealousy – whether well-founded or baseless.”

“But no breath of suspicion lights upon the young Queen. She is by every one acquitted of such a folly and dishonor as giving any cause of vengeance to her lord. She is above reproach.” (New York Times)

“I incline to the opinion that the act was committed under the influence of ungovernable passion, accompanied by more or less of temporary mental aberration brought on by brooding on his troubles.”

“There seemed to be a distinct intention to kill the man he shot. For this some assign as the cause jealousy, created by ill-disposed persons in his train; others anger at indiscretions of Neilson. All feel deeply for the Queen.” (New York Times)

The Honolulu Advertiser ventured an editorial on September 28 and actually mentioned the act (“the king shooting his secretary”) but with no details. They said the act was “an open contradiction to the laws of God and man, which can under no pretext be justified.” Yet, it concluded: “He has erred, so we are all liable to commit acts of error.” (Theroux)

On October 12 the king wrote a letter to Neilson in which he “regretted” this “great false act of my life … the act committed by me was premeditated, founded upon suspicions long harrowed up and extending for a length of time.” (Theroux)

King Kamehameha IV (Alexander Liholiho) announced that he would make a public proclamation, submit to a trial and abdicate the throne. A flurry of letters were exchanged between the king and his minister of foreign affairs, Robert Wylie.

The King listed his reasons for abdication, but Wylie begged him not to exaggerate the gravity of the affair and opposed the proclamation. He insisted that “no emergency has occurred,” that “abdication” would be “a shame on himself” and “annihilation on the sovereignty of the nation.” (Theroux)

The Privy Council and the House of Nobles, the legislatures of the day, advised against “abdication.” One of the few items that appeared in the papers was a notice from the Privy Council that, despite rumors, the king would not abdicate his throne.

“We are authorized to state, for the purpose of allaying any anxiety that may exist in the public mind, that the rumors in regard to his Majesty’s abdication are, we are happy to say, without foundation.” (New York Times)

By October 20, McKibbin reported to the king that Neilson was “feverish and in low spirits.” On November 20, he suffered a relapse and the wound opened “afresh.”

“There were causes which were apparent to any of our people for something very like righteous anger on the part of the king. His Majesty was trying to make us each and all happy; yet even during moments of relaxation, undue familiarity, absence of etiquette, rudeness, or any other form which implied …”

“… or suggested disrespect to royalty in any manner whatsoever, would never be tolerated by anyone of the native chiefs of the Hawaiian people.” (Liliʻuokalani)

“To allow any such breach of good manners to pass unnoticed would be looked upon by his own retainers as belittling to him, and they would be the first to demand the punishment of the offender.”

“It was in this case far too severe. No one realized that more than the king himself, who suffered much distress for his victim, and was with difficulty dissuaded from the abdication of his throne.” (Liliʻuokalani)

“If ever mortal man suffered the pangs of remorse it was Liholiho the king. From the first sober moment, if he was drunk, he never forgot the deed, and all that he could order done for the poor unfortunate sufferer was done to relieve him.” (Gorham D. Gilman, in Thrum)

“I used to visit Mr. Neilson and never a word did I hear him utter against the king. I believe that they were two friends until that fateful night. … In my recollection Kamehameha IV was the most of a gentleman in his manner of the five kings I was favored to be acquainted with. He was so from boyhood.” (Gorham D. Gilman, in Thrum)

“The (then) seaside cottage of the king, on the present site of the Enterprise Mill, was assigned to him for a residence. Subsequently he was moved to a cottage on Alakea street, just below the Wicke’s premises, and which he occupied to the time of his death, which occurred February 12th, 1862, as shown by the following notice in the Advertiser of the 13th:”

“‘Yesterday morning, Mr. Henry A. Neilson died in this city. In former years he was well known, but for two and a half years past has been confined to his room by the unfortunate occurrence which is familiar to all.’” (Thrum)

There was never an official investigation into the shooting of Henry Neilson.

On the 27th of August, 1862, Prince Albert, the four-year-old son of Alexander Liholiho and Emma died. “The king and queen had the sympathy of all parties in their bereavement; but Kamehameha IV completely lost his interest in public life, living in the utmost possible retirement until his death.” (Liliʻuokalani)

The king became a recluse, suffering from asthma and depression. He died on St. Andrew’s Day, November 30, 1863, two months’ short of his 30th birthday. Emma ran unsuccessfully for the throne in 1874, losing to David Kalākaua. She died in 1885 at the age of 50.

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by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Karsten Thot

An inventory of bridges on Oʻahu, published in 1983, listed 127 built before 1940 and still standing.

Oʻahu’s 127 historic bridges are composed of five different types: reinforced concrete arch bridges, steel bridges, timber bridges, reinforced concrete deck girder bridges and reinforced flat slab bridges.

The historic steel bridges are further divided into three separate types; warren truss, steel girder and metal flume. A bridge is considered historic if built before 1940 and is associated with people and events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of Hawaii’s history.

The Karsten Thot Bridge was identified as worthy of historic recognition.

It was built in Wahiawa over the north fork of the Kaukonahua stream in 1932, by the John L Young Construction and Engineering Company for a price of just over $65,500.

The bridge is named after Karsten Thot, who was a prominent community-minded citizen and it was built by a prominent Honolulu businessman, who was a prolific builder.

The bridge-building company merged with another construction company and upon completion of the Thot bridge called itself the Hawaiian-American Construction Co.

Built in the style of steel railway bridges throughout the continent, it is the only structure of its type in existence on Oʻahu; due to salt water erosion problems steel bridges were phased out on Oʻahu.

The structure is a Warren-type through-truss steel bridge, with a single span 210-feet in length and 40-feet wide, with a vertical clearance of the bridge is 13’5″.

Karsten Thot was born in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, on Feb. 12, 1889. He came to Hawaii in 1904. Thot worked as a field supervisor for Hawaiian Pineapple Co.

In addition, an announcement in the paper noted, ‘Karsten Thot, manager of the Hawaii Preserving Company, has opened a butcher shop at Castner Station, near Schofield Barracks.’ (Honolulu Star-bulletin, July 09, 1915)

Thot died in 1932, the year the bridge was under construction. He was survived by a wife and three children.

He “was very active in community affairs when the Honolulu Board of Supervisors under Charles Crane asked if they could name the bridge after him. This was not carried out until Fred Wright became mayor in 1937. In 1974 a memorial plaque was placed on the bridge by the family.” (Thompson)

When built, the bridge was said to be an important transportation link between the North Shore and Honolulu, contributing to the growth of Wahiawa.

That ultimately changed after the construction of the H-2 freeway, when Kamehameha Highway no longer was “the primary circum-island road.”

Critical emergency structural repairs have been made to the 80+-year-old steel bridge, including replacing rivets and repairing and replacing steel beams.

(Lots of information here from a report by Bethany Thompson, Honolulu-gov and Watanabe, Star-Bulletin.)

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by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Ice

Refrigeration first came to Hawai‘i in the middle of the nineteenth century.

“The first Boston ice brought to these islands, was received on the 14th inst. (September 14, 1850) by brig Fortunio, Hasty, via San Francisco.” (Polynesian, September 21, 1850)

Then, “(a) few tons of ice were brought to this port from San Francisco by the bark Harriet T Bartlet, Capt Heeren, and a part sold by our friend Thompson, at auction, on Tuesday.”

“This is the first importation of the kind, in any quantity, to this market, and but the beginning, it is to be hoped, of a regular supply of this luxury to the inhabitants of this city.” (Polynesian, June 26, 1852)

More came … “Ice! Ice! Ice! Just Received – 400 Tons Fresh Pond Boston Ice … have just been received by the (Mountain Wave) and are for sale by the Honolulu Ice Co. CH Lewers, Proprietor” (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, October 21, 1858)

Then, they started to make ice in the Islands.

“Ice Manufacture. The establishment on the Esplanade for the manufacture of ice by chemical process, has been in operation during several days past. “

“Like all new beginnings, difficulties have had to be met and overcome, but yesterday the machinery was in the full tide of successful experiment, and to-day we expect to be able to see home-made ice.”

“It is expected that enough will be manufactured to supply the demand for the city, and at such rates as will prevent the necessity of importing the luxury from California.” (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, September 2, 1871)

“Manufactured Ice – The ice machine has resumed work again and arrangements are now complete for a regular supply, which we understand will be furnished at about one-third less than the imported article has lately been sold.”

“The proprietor has not only been at a great expense in bringing this machine here, but in having it altered to suit the temperature of the water in this climate. A regular supply of ice at the reasonable price asked, will doubtless cause it to become an actual necessity.” (Hawaiian Gazette, October 4, 1871)

“Ice and Iced Drinks. We are glad to know that the Ice Manufactory is at length established as a permanency, and is capable of turning out about 3,000 pounds daily of a fine article of pure ice.”

“We approve of the enterprise for several reasons. First on the policy of encouraging all home enterprises that are laudable, and second, we believe that the general and moderate use of ice is healthy, and that iced drinks are social reformers.”

“A loss by perspiration, whether by heat or labor, or both combined, excites the feeling of thirst, and that thirst must be satisfied. How much better, on all accounts, a glass of iced lemonade, soda water, or ginger pop, slowly imbibed, than imported tipple of beer, stout, whiskey, or suicidal absinthe!”

“And what an improvement does the house-wife find in satisfactorily carrying on her culinary duties with a few pounds of ice in the chest. Thus our experience of the benefits of ice, even in this hot climate, is in favor of the opinion of the London Liberal Review, a late number of which says that …”

“… ‘the introduction on a large scale of iced-non-intoxicating drinks for the English hot weather would be a great advantage to a thirsty public, and we believe would tend to lessen the number of drunkards.’” (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, December 16, 1871)

Air conditioning first appeared in theaters. In 1912 or 1913, the Hawaiian Opera House experimented with electric fans blowing over large tubs filled with cakes of ice. Other theaters subsequently installed more sophisticated refrigerating equipment, although full-scale air conditioning did not appear in Island movie houses until the Hawai‘i Theater’s unveiling of a completely modern system in 1935.

Other early examples of air conditioning included the Metropolitan Market in 1917, McInerny’s store on Merchant Street in 1926 or 1927, and the Queen’s Hospital asthma ward in 1936. The first fully air conditioned home was built in 1938. (Schmitt)

By 1922, Hawaiian Electric had constructed lines to serve Wailupe and Kuliouou, Schofield and Pearl Harbor, Kahuku and Laie, Lualualei and Ewa. The following year, families in Kailua and Lanikai had electricity.

By 1924, the population of Honolulu exceeded 125,000 and the company reported selling 7,000 “cooking and heating” appliances. In 1927, Hawaiian Electric’s new King Street building opened for business. (HECO)

The first home electric refrigerators sold in Hawaii were reportedly Kelvinators, introduced by the Hawaiian Electric Company in 1922.

Newspaper advertisements for electric refrigerators did not appear until 1925, however, when Hawaiian Electric began running display ads for “Kelvinator, the Oldest Domestic Electric Refrigeration.” (Schmitt)

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by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Anuenue

It was created by the filling of the reef flats during incremental dredging of Honolulu harbor and Ke‘ehi lagoon. The village of Kou, inland of it, had a long history of settlement.

It originally consisted of marginal sandy lands on an elevated coral reef platform named Kahololoa. This reef was cut by stream channels on the west and east which were later developed into the Kalihi channel and the Honolulu harbor channel on the east.

In the 1840s, there were several islands or dryland areas on the off shore reef flats. In late-1868 a visiting ship unloaded passengers who were exposed to smallpox on Kahololoa reef.

A few months later, in early 1869, a small island on the reef, Kamoku‘akulikuli, was leased by Kamehameha III’s government and used as a quarantine station. By 1888 the island which had been enlarged was known as Quarantine Island.

In 1902 title to Quarantine Island was transferred to the US after the establishment of a marine hospital by the US Public Health Service. Over the next few years dredged materials from improvements to Honolulu harbor had enlarged the island again and by 1906 the island was encircled by a seawall.

In 1916, Sand Island Military Reservation was established on the reclaimed land of the quarantine station. Subsequent episodes of harbor improvements resulted in enlarging the island and, by 1925 the reef around Sand Island had been removed and the island was completely surrounded by water.

During the early 1940s, Sand Island became the headquarters of the Army Port and Service Command and in the early 1940s the island was further enlarged with fill materials from the dredging of the seaplane runway.

It is approximately 520 acres in area and shelters Honolulu Harbor from the open ocean. It is connected to the island of O’ahu by a bascule bridge at the western end of the island. (DLNR)

In 1959, by Executive Order 10833, the Department of the Army transferred the Island to the Territory of Hawaii. In 1963 ownership was transferred to the State of Hawaii (Star Bulletin, March 12, 1991). (Dye)

For a time it was called Anuenue Island. That changed in 1969 when a proclamation by memorandum of the Governor declared the Island shall be named Sand Island and that name is shall be used on all official state maps, documents and correspondence. (§6E-36)

One of the few lasting legacies of the Island’s former name is Anuenue Fisheries Research Center (AFRC,) a base yard, hatchery and culture center for DLNR’s Division of Aquatic Resources – it’s still operating on the Island.

The AFRC is involved in all aspects of our fisheries and aquaculture programs. Activity there involves the production of channel catfish and rainbow trout for stocking of public fishing areas at Nuʻuanu (Oʻahu) and Kokeʻe (Kauai.) Moi is also raised there and released at Waikīkī and elsewhere.

The physical facilities include: (1) an office complex; (2) a 7,000 square feet complex that houses a biological-chemical laboratory, freshwater fish hatchery, workshop and storage areas for fisheries survey gear, equipment and boats; (3) a 19,000 square feet thermos-controlled hatchery building; (4) the Chief Biologist’s residence; and (5) quarantine facility for aquatic animal disease studies. (DLNR)

The Anuenue Fisheries facility served to help battle the invasive seaweeds at Kāneʻohe Bay. Seaweed is threatening to smother coral patch reefs in the area; sea urchins eat seaweed.

AFRC reared 250,000-sea urchins that have been placed on selected reefs in the Bay. As a result of the urchins, “we are seeing a reduction of invasive alien seaweeds in the targeted areas.” (DLNR; KITV)

Alien invasive seaweed has plagued Kaneohe Bay for more than 30 years. While I was at DLNR, in 2005, DLNR, The Nature Conservancy and the University of Hawaiʻi developed a two-tier approach to the problem.

First they removed the algae, typically using the ‘Super Sucker’ (a mobile vacuum system that removes algae using suction generated from a pump system housed on a pontoon barge. Divers gently remove the invasive algae from reefs and feed it into a long hose attached to the pump.)

The pump sucks the algae back to the barge and onto a sorting table where it is bagged. Bags of algae are delivered to local farmers who use the nutrient rich algae as fertilizer on crops such as taro and sweet potatoes. Smothering Seaweed is high in potassium and is believed to repel insects from crops. (Super Sucker)

The Super Sucker has been working in the Bay since 2006. The pump system can remove hundreds of pounds of algae an hour, and in 2010 removed over 98,000 pounds of invasive algae.

Then, native sea urchins are placed on the cleared reef patches to eat and keep down the remaining seaweed as a biocontrol of invasive algae.

“These native, herbivorous urchins maintain the areas like ocean gardeners or little goats of the sea. They keep the seaweed in check and give the corals a chance to recover.” (David Cohen, DLNR; KITV)

Oh, some of the other names for what is now called Sand Island? … Anuenue; Akulikuli; Kahakaʻaulana; Kahololoa; Kamokuʻākulikuli ; Mauliola; Moku Akulikuli; Quarantine Island and Rainbow Island.

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by Peter T Young 3 Comments

Kazumura Cave

The ʻAilaʻau eruption is considered the longest memorable eruption of Kilauea.

(Before Pele, there was ʻAilaʻau (Ai means the ‘one who eats or devours.’ Laʻau means ‘tree’ or a ‘forest.’) ʻAilaʻau was, therefore, the fire-god devouring forests. When Pele came, she took over as fire goddess, ʻAilaʻau left.) (Westervelt)

The ʻAilaʻau eruption took place from a vent area just east of Kilauea Iki. The eruption built a broad shield. The eastern part of Kilauea Iki Crater slices through part of the shield, and red cinder and lava flows near the center of the shield can be seen on the northeastern wall of the crater.

The eruption probably lasted about 50-years, from about 1420 to 1470 AD. The large volume of lava covered a huge area, about 166 square miles (106,240-acres) – larger than the Island of Lanaʻi (140-square miles.)

Lava covered all, or most, of what are now Mauna Loa Estates, Royal Hawaiian Estates, Hawaiian Orchid Island Estates, Fern Forest Vacation Estates, Eden Rock Estates, Crescent Acres, Hawaiian Acres, Orchid Land Estates, ʻAinaloa, Hawaiian Paradise Park and Hawaiian Beaches.

The pahoehoe flows did leave rather large kipuka south of Keaʻau and in the forest southwest of ʻAinaloa, as well as small kipuka in Hawaiian Paradise Park and elsewhere.

This eruption and lava flow may be described in the Pele-Hiʻiaka chant. Hiʻiaka, late on returning to Kilauea from Kauai with Lohiau, sees that Pele has broken her promise and set afire Hiʻiaka’s treasured ʻohiʻa lehua forest in Puna.

Hiʻiaka is furious, and this leads to her love-making with Lohiau, his subsequent death at the hands of Pele, and Hiʻiaka’s frantic digging to recover the body.

The ʻAilaʻau flows seem to be the most likely candidate to have covered so much of Puna that they were worthy of commemoration in the chant.

The timing seems right, too – after the Pele clan arrived from Kahiki, before the caldera formed (Hiʻiaka’s frantic digging may record this), and before the encounters with Kamapuaʻa, some of which probably deal with explosive eruptions between about 1500 and 1790. (USGS)

Reminders of past eruptions are lava tubes. Lava tubes are natural conduits through which lava travels beneath the surface of a lava flow. Tubes form by the crusting over of lava channels and pāhoehoe flows.

When the supply of lava stops at the end of an eruption or lava is diverted elsewhere, lava in the tube system drains downslope and leaves partially empty conduits beneath the ground. (USGS)

One such, as a result of the ʻAilaʻau eruption, is Kazumura Cave – it has been called the longest (over 40-miles) and (to some) deepest lava tube in the world and the deepest cave in the US. (Cultural Surveys)

According the Hawaiian Government Surveyors in 1891 (related to ‘The New Puna Road:’) “An interesting feature of this locality is the large number of lava caverns and long subterranean passages abounding upon it, especially between the 9th and 11th miles, in fact this whole tract is so thoroughly penetrated by caverns that hollow sounds are often heard beneath ones footsteps when traversing the region.”

“These subterranean passages are generally entered through some opening made by the falling in of the roof and prove to be regular arched ways, ranging as much as 25 feet in width and 15 feet high and extending for long distances.”

“The floors have that corrugated ropy appearance such as are seen on any viscid mass if drawn out as it hardens. The roofs and sides are covered with stalactites, the whole producing a wonderful effect when lit up.”

“These caverns evidently served as burial places in ancient and comparatively modern times in view of the fact that the benches here and there were covered in human remains.” (Cultural Surveys)

“Its average inclination was found to be 1.75 degrees, less in its lower section and considerably more in the upper sections. Passage cross-sections also were found to be different in the different areas.”

“While considerable local variation exists, its lower end tends to be wide and comparatively low while the upper section tends to be high and narrow. Locally, slip slopes and cut banks were found at sharp bends. Lavafalls up to about 15 m are numerous, especially in the upper sections.” (Halliday)

I have asked everyone who I thought should know who Kazumura was (the apparent namesake of the cave/lava tube.) Any insight into who Kazumura was is appreciated.

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