Tag Archives: Iolani Palace

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James B. Pakele reports from San Francisco, 1894.

Behold California, a Land of Cold.¹

J. U. Kawainui,

Aloha oe,

Here I am in California in good health. This is a very cold land, but there is always something new, there is no night here; the nights are like days.

These past few days, I have almost travelled all around the town; I went to visit the sugar refinery of the Millionaire², the place where they build warships, the place where money is minted, and the place where the soldiers drill (the Pressido [Presidio]).

I was at the Cliff House this past Thursday, it is a place that many visitors travel to, I saw the animals of the sea, but that place was very cold. After that, I went to the New City Hall and I spent almost a day visiting the various offices; it is a large structure perhaps eight times the size of Iolani Palace.

There are many poor people here with no place to sleep, and there are also many rich people.

PERTAINING TO THE GREAT EXHIBITION.

I went into the different exhibition halls of the Fair, so astonishing to see; there were all kinds of beautiful things.

I was in Alameda County, a large building, and within it, there was every variety of fruit.

Arizona Indian Building is the exhibition hall of the Indians [Ilikini]. There I saw their way of dancing; their dress is fine, but their dancing isn’t great.

I went into the building of hand crafts and saw the making of the clothes that we wear and so forth, and the exhibition hall of all kinds of animals. This week, one of the handlers was killed, mauled by a lion; the reason for this was the the lights went out when the handler was sweeping inside, at which point it jumped and tore at him. I saw the blood and the suit which is placed out as a display in the pen; today there was a service over his dead body. All the people in the fair attended the funeral, the Hawaiian youths sang in Hawaiian, “In Jesus’ Hands” ["Ma ko Iesu mau lima."] .

The most highly attended thing is the display of Kilauea in Hawaii; the haole men and women are very taken by Hawaiian things, but above all is the hula kui; all the time is filled with hula kui.

There are two bands constantly playing in the Park, but they aren’t good like the Hawaiian boys; I am always being asked by many people if I will be attending the college that John Wilson³ is attending; I have a letter urging me to go there (Stanford University).

James B. Pakele.

San Francisco, February 17, 1894.

¹”Ike ia Kaleponi he Aina Anu” hearkens back to the mele “E Nihi ka Hele”.

²Spreckels Sugar Company of Claus Spreckels, known here as the Ona Miliona [Millionaire].

³See more on John Henry Wilson in Men of Hawaii.

[For related articles and information, see the previous posts, and the posts soon to come as well! Oh... and coincidentally, i noticed i recently posted James B. Pakele's death announcement from 1913. He died at Queen's Hospital on January 30.]

(Kuokoa, 3/3/1894, p. 1)

Ike ia Kaleponi he Aina Anu.

Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Buke XXXIII, Helu 9, Aoao 1. Maraki 3, 1894.

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Prince Kuhio’s 17th birthday celebration redux—a little clearer, but still… 1888.

[Found under: "This and That."]

A celebratory feast was held at Iolani Palace this past Monday; that was the 18th¹ birthday of Prince Kalanianaole.

[Compare this to the previous post. This  image was taken directly from the microfilm. At least the text, although barely, is legible. Many times even the microfilms are unclear. The Hawaiian-Language Newspapers deserve to be reshot clearly—the countless people who wrote in the Hawaiian-Language Newspapers deserve to have their words read and heard as they intended.]

The black to the left of the article is a shadow that was caused because the newspaper is bound tightly like a book, and when that page is shot, the left of the page curves down and falls in a valley. That is why although the binding of the issues allowed them to survive intact to today, it is not good for shooting images. The papers need to be first unbound and laid out flat so we can get as clear an image as possible.]

¹If Kuhio was born on March 26, 1871, he would have been 17 years old then.

(Kuokoa, 3/31/1888, p. 3)

He papaaina hoomanao ka i malama...

Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Buke XXVIII, Helu 13, Aoao 3. Maraki 31, 1888.

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And yet another on Liliu and the Red Cross, 1917.

Red Cross Flag, Gift of Queen, Flies From Hawaii’s Capitol

Governor Presents Emblem On Behalf of Liliuokalani

Governor Pinkham presenting Red Cross flag this morning. Col. Iaukea, the queen’s secretary, is seen holding the flag.

‘LET ALL WHO SEE IT BE REMINDED OF PATRIOTIC DUTY’ SAYS HER MAJESTY

FOR the first time in history a Red Cross flag was raised today over the territorial capitol, former palace of Hawaii. The flag is the gift of Queen Liliuokalani, and it was at her request that it was first displayed from the staff on the executive building.

In an impressive ceremony held at 10 o’clock this morning Governor Pinkham presented the flag on behalf of the Queen to the Allied War Relief Auxiliary and the Red Cross workers of Hawaii.

Mrs. Henry F. Damon, president of the auxiliary, received the flag and hoisted it to the breezes. The ceremony was held on the mauka steps of the capitol, fully 50 women and a number of men gathering for it. A generous clapping of hands greeted the banner as it opened against a clear background of blue sky and in the bright gleam of a morning sun.

After reading the queen’s letter, in which she presented the flag to the Red Cross workers, Governor Pinkham said:

“Women of the Red Cross:

“You are gathered here to receive from Her Majesty Ex-Queen Liliuokalani, her gift of the emblem of Universal Humanity, that you may raise it above your labors in behalf of those your countrymen and their allies, who with devotion to the very limit of suffering and death, offer themselves in this struggle for universal democracy.

“Your work of alleviation of suffering has touched the heart of Her Majesty and those in authority from the President of the United STates to those on her own island home and her friends, who now know of her deep personal interest, for it has been manifested in every way within her power.

“With the words she has personally caused to be recorded, I in her behalf, present you with the banner of the Red Cross, which you are to place high above the capitol, that all may recognize the place of your merciful and patriotic labors, and the deep heartfelt sympathy and practical assistance of Her Majesty, Liliuokalani.”

Col. C. P. Iaukea, secretary of the queen, then handed over the big banner to Mrs. Damon, who received it on behalf of her coworkers.

“It is a great honor to receive this flag on behalf of the Allied War Relief Auxiliary and the Red Cross workers of Hawaii,” said Mrs. Damon. We wish to thank you, Governor Pinkham, for letting it be displayed on the executive building as a symbol of loyalty and service to the cause of America.

“In 1864 fourteen governments and six societies acknowledged the Red Cross flag as an emblem to be used in the care of the sick and wounded, and the flag is now displayed by all nations and societies as token of this. The first Red Cross banner was raised in 1881 at Washington, District of Columbia, and in 1900 by congressional act was given official recognition.”

When Mrs. Damon had finished the flag was placed on the halyards and she raised it so that the breezes caught and unfolded it in the sunlight. After today it will be taken down and kept in the throne room as a token of Queen Liliuokalani’s generous heartedness.

Beginning today the throne room in the capitol building will be kept open on Friday afternoons to give opportunity for service to those women who cannot come for Red Cross work in the mornings.

Mrs. Henry F. Damon of the Allied War Relief Auxiliary said today that this is in the nature of an experiment and will be kept up only if the attendance on Friday afternoons warrants it. There have been a number of requests to keep the rooms open during some afternoons, and Friday has accordingly been selected.

THE QUEEN’S LETTER

Hon. Lucius E. Pinkham,

Governor of Hawaii.

Dear Sir: It affords me much pleasure in handing you a Red Cross flag, with the request that it be presented to the ladies of the Allied War Relief Auxiliary of the Honolulu, Hawaii, Chapter of the American Red Cross, as an expression of my warm and hearty sympathy with the cause of humanity and an abiding faith in the work of the patriotic women of Hawaii.

In presenting this emblem of the Red Cross, may I suggest that it be first displayed over the executive building so that all who may see it may be reminded of their patriotic duty and know that beneath its folds, in the throne room of Iolani palace, sit a group of silent workers giving of their time and untiring effort in the work of alleviation and mercy?

Very sincerely,

(Signed) LILIUOKALANI.

(Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 9/14/1917, p. 3)

Red Cross Flag, Gift of Queen, Flies From Hawaii's Capitol

Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Volume XXV, Number 7932, Page 3. September 14, 1917.

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In response to gas illumination at the opening of Iolani Palace, 1913.

Palace Never Had Gas–First Electric Light

There was no “local gas plant” to illuminate the palace in Kalakaua’s reign. Kerosene was the illuminant there until 1886, when the late D. P. Smith, representing the Houston-Thompson company, installed the first electric lighting plant in Honolulu, especially for the Iolani palace. It was in the legislative session of that year that a noble, who is still living, opposed the palace electric lighting appropriation, saying that the electric light was then “merely a toy” in the States. A local paper put him right with the information that for several years past steamships in Atlantic coast docks had been working cargo all night by the electric ray, and that some cities in the states had for some time been lighted by electricity. It was funnier what the premier said, though, defending the appropriation. “The electric light is a great improvement,” he naively remarked. “All you have to do is to strike a match, and you have your light.”

(Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 1/11/1913, p. 8)

Palace Never Had Gas--First Electric Light

Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Volume XX, Number 6482, Page 8. January 11, 1913.

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More on the Palace mirrors, 1913.

THOSE KALAKAUA MIRRORS.

Editor Honolulu Star-Bulletin,

Sir:—The readers of the daily Advertiser of the 10th inst. were treated to one of the most unmitigated pieces of newspaper rot that I have ever been privileged to read. The crowning feature of the article is in the fact that it is false from the first to the last sentence.

While attending to my work I observed employees of the public works department removing two defective mirrors which needed slight repairing. He asked me if I knew of any other defected mirror frames. We investigated, and finding none, Mr. Cole then left the building. On returning to my work I saw a stranger approaching, who made some inquiries about the building, which I answered to the best of my ability.

This is the true story of the “Curio Seekers” trying to rifle the capitol building.

R. JAY GREENE.

[Here is an interesting response from the "Roland Green" of the previous articles.]

(Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 1/11/1913, p. 4)

THOSE KALAKAUA MIRRORS.

Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Volume XX, Number 6482, Page 4. January 11, 1913.

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Mahalo to Zita Cup Choy for pointing out this related article in the Pacific Commercial Advertiser, 1913.

CURIO SEEKERS TRY TO RIFLE CAPITOL

King Kalakaua’s Mirrors the Pet Object of Souvenir Hunters—Kamehameha Knocked.

Daring souvenir collectors, willing to run the risk of a term in prison to gratify their desires, made a bold attempt to carry off a number of mirrors and bronze frames from the Capitol Building some time Wednesday night. It is believed that the collectors were frightened while at work and for that reason did not accomplish their purpose.

Roland Green, keeper of the Capitol, yesterday morning discovered the work of the would-be souvenir owners on the first terrace of the Ewa side of the building. They had succeeded in partially breaking two of the mirrors from their fastenings on the wall. A board holding one of the glasses in place was broken in two in tearing it from its lodgment. Green had the glasses and bronze frames removed to the basement of the Capitol where they will be repaired, resilvered and returned to their positions on the Capitol wall.

During the past few years several of these mirrors have been torn from their fastenings and carried away. Though malihinis, sightseeing and treasure hunting on the island, have been accused of the depredations it is said that kamaainas have had knowledge of at least one or two of them.

Kamehameha’s statue has not escaped the destructive onslaughts of the vandals. Several heads of the little bronze images at the base of the statue have been knocked off and carried away by the curio-seekers.

The mirrors, however, seem to have the most attraction. These mirrors are set in elaborate circular bronze frames surmounted by the coat of arms of King Kalakaua, bearing the initials of that monarch supported by two perfectly carved cherubs. It is stated that these frames originally cost $250 each and many were installed around the terraces of each floor of the palace. The idea of putting them in place is said to have originated with the King and were designed for the purpose of aiding in illuminating the palace grounds.

This was in 1883. Gas was then the modern method of illumination in Honolulu as well as on the mainland. Gas fixtures were arranged in front of each of the glasses. When these were lighted the mirrors were intended to cast the reflection to the surrounding grounds. It is said that this innovation cost the monarchy about $20,000.

For a year after the completion of the new palace it is said that King Kalakaua had one of the best illuminated palaces in the world, though practically the full capacity of the local gas plant was required to accomplish this purpose. By that time the good King learned that, after all, his bright mirrors were not the success they should be. Soon afterward the electric lights came and the gas fixtures were removed. Since then the mirrors have not only been sought after by curio hunters but have been the object of much speculation on the part of tourists.

Many of these strangers have figured that the mirrors were installed on the palace walls by the King with a view of aweing visiting native subjects, many of whom, according to fiction, had never gazed into a looking-glass.

It remained for Keeper Green to give the true version of their cause of their installation.

“It is strange how some people look upon this Capitol Building as a curio pile,” said a territorial official yesterday. “The fact that the former palace of the King is being used as the seat of a democratic government seems to appeal to them strongly and but for the vigilance used by the watchman and others the entire building would be carried off by souvenir hunters within a few years.”

[This is most likely the basis of the Hawaiian-Language article in the Kuokoa, 1/17/1913, p. 6.]

(Pacific Commercial Advertiser, 1/10/1913, p. 6)

CURIO SEEKERS TRY TO RIFLE CAPITOL

Pacific Commercial Advertiser, Volume LVII, Number 9494, Page 6. January 10, 1913.

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Attempted theft from Iolani Palace, 1913.

SOME MIRRORS REMOVED FROM THE PALACE.

Flagrant was the actions of some vandals who went and removed some mirrors from the wall of the palace the other night of this past Wednesday; however, [as the saying goes,] “Learn to be a warrior; learn also to run away.” And perhaps it was as if due to their being full of fear, that the ones who went to take the mirrors, left them on the lanai without them succeeding in taking them.

When Roland Green, the palace guard, arrived the next Thursday morning, the mirrors were left on the Ewa-side lanai, and he immediately surmised that the people who carried out the vandalism were people who sought out antiquities to sell them.  These mirrors were hung on the wall of the palace and they were there for many years. They were taken by Mr. Green to his place to fix, and to reapply the mercury behind the mirrors.

In many years past, there were numerous mirrors removed from the walls and taken. The statue of Kamehameha standing on the grounds of the court house was also vandalized. One of the heads of a brass image below Kamehameha was severed.

According to what is said, the cost of one of the mirrors and related expenses is $250 each; and there are many of those mirrors that are hung around the first floor walls of the lanai surrounding the palace. The idea for the hanging of these mirrors on the walls was devised by King Kalakaua himself; the intent it is said was to brighten the grounds of the palace.

(Kuokoa, 1/17/1913, p. 6)

WEHEIA HE MAU ANIANI NANA MAI KA HALEALII MAI

Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Buke XLIX, Helu 3, Aoao 6. Ianuari 17, 1913.

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Remembering, 2012.

Passed by yesterday and stopped to remember…