Cruising Among the Polynesian Atolls

Cruising Among the Polynesian Atolls

PACIFIC MOTOR BOAT

SEATTLE, U.S.A., OCTOBER, 1925

By Lorin Tarr Gill

“KAIMILOA”--the long search. That is the literal translation of the liquid syllables which, linked in the soft cadences of the Hawaiian tongue, are interpreted to mean “explorer.”

Laden with south sea loot--strange and curious tapa, carved tortoise shell head ornaments, gourds, shark-skin drums, weird war clubs, shell leis, ancient boat bailers, porpoise-tooth head dresses, devil-fish skins for scraping the perfume from sandalwood, pearls, in shells of rainbow hue and hundreds of other evidences of a protracted voyage “below the line” Medford R. Kellum’s four masted schooner-yacht Kaimiloa dropped anchor in Honolulu Harbor on April 5 after a five months’ cruise of exploration which is unprecedented in the annuals of Pacific yachting.

And even though she was not even now , receiving stores for another voyage which is expected to last a year and which , her owner plans to visit other island groups of Polynesia, the Kaimiloa has, it is generally agreed, more than justified her name.

In these modern days when the ......that lies dormant in the civilized breast, it is hard , in the retelling of a cruise among those romance-hallowed islands, to deal only with the facts, just as it was hard for those who kept logs and diaries, and “line-a-day” books of the voyage to make no compromise with the actual truth.

Yet facts in such a case assume paramount importance not only withthose who realize that, within the surf-fringed coral circles of those atolls to the south will eventually be found the life history of the Polynesians, but by the yacht owner himself, who, in the execution of his project, must attain that perfection of plan, performance of equipment, and the assurance of bodily well-being which are so necessary after his vessel has sailed beyond the actual outposts of civilization.

Until she was purchased by Mr. Kellum in 1924, the Kaimiloa, formerly the Luzon, had been laid up at Oakland for three years.

Built at Hay and Right........the San Francisco “Chronicle” on the occasion of her rebuilding ---”common only in the sense that she carried , well and true, anything her owners asked of her. She ran in the copra trade in the islands and carried lumber up and down the coast.

After 24 years of service, it was said, the Luzon had joined thoseother pale old craft that swung in Richardson’s Bay---a bay of silent ships. Proud steamers that drove her and her kind off the roomy ocean would have rusted and fallen to pieces had they been subjected to her kind of treatment, yet every thump of their noisy engines had been a taunt and a gibe in her face.

For several weeks in the summer of 1924 the schooner lay at the Arqus dock at Sausalito while workmen from the Madden shipyards swarmed over her decks and rigging. Oregon pine went into her reconstruction as stout old Oregon pine went into her 24 years ago and her foremast, main, mizzen and spanker, each standing 130 feet in the blue, were made as staunch as pines of the forest.

The Kaimiloa is 180 feet long with a 36-foot beam and a 600-ton displacement . She carries two 110-h.p. Atlas Imperial Diesel engines, together with two 1500-gallon tanks ---one for oil and one for water. A speed of six m.p.h. is guaranteed. There is also a 40 h.p. Atlas Imperial Diesel to take charge of electric lights and it operates a 25 kW dynamo. Westinghouse motors are employed. For auxiliary electric light power the yacht has one 10 kW dynamo belted to the flywheel of the port engine and one 12 ½ kw generator belted to the starboard engine. All three dynamos lead to the switchboard and any one can run any outfit aboard the boat and anyone or all can be used at the same time. Any one or all can supply electricity to the storage batteries, giving sufficient power to run every electrical contrivance on board for a period of eight hours with a dynamo at work. This gives four sources of power and if any three should breakdown the Kaimiloa could still go on.

An automatic refrigeration plant enables the Kaimiloa to carry enough meat for 30 persons for 90 days and the plant can make 200 pounds of ice every 24 hours. A complete radio plant made it possible for the members of the expedition to keep in touch with the civilized world at all times.

The dinning-saloon, 20 by 28 feet, is placed at about the center of the vessel and is fitted with four tables with six seats to a table.

Running aft from the dinning-saloon is a long passageway leading to the companionway which goes to the deck. On the port side of the passage are four staterooms and two bathrooms; on the starboard side there are two staterooms and the owners stateroom, another room and two bathrooms.

Forward of the dinning-saloon is a companionway leading to the hatch and on the port side of that there is a pantry, a galley, officers mess-room, cook and steward’s rooms, laundry and crew’s mess, also lavatories, lockers and shower baths.

On the starboard side is the captains stateroom. There are also lockers, lavatories, a shower bath a mates room, radio room, the crew’s quarters, crew’s lavatories and engine house. All the rooms and quarters are commodious with up-to-date plumbing and electric lights.

A laboratory for the use of the scientist is 50 feet long running the full width of the boat in the hold from just of the hatch to her bow, with 8 feet of head room. There are hatches underneath the laboratory floor for all kinds of stores. The darkroom is completely furnished and provisions have been made for the taking of moving pictures.

Skippered by Captain A. E. Carter, the Kaimiloa arrived from San Francisco on September 30, 1924.

She sailed out of Honolulu Harbor bound for Christmas Island via Hilo, Hawaii on November 9 and carried in addition to the captain, first mate, a crew of 16 men and Ralph and Agnes Daniels, cook and nurse, Mr. and Mrs. Kellum, Miss Ida Kellum, Medford R. Kellum, Jr., James Kellum, “Pinkie” Kellum, Mr. and Mrs. Dale Miller of Florida, Miss Gladys Laughlin, L.V. Steck and Joseph Shaw, University of California men who acted as tutors during the trip, and Dr. Stanley C. Ball, Mr. and Mrs. Gerrit P. Wilder, Kenneth P. Emory, A.M. Armstrong Sperry, and Dewyey Roger of the Bernice P. Bishop Museum of Honolulu. Dr. C.E. Wells was the attending physician.

KAIMILOA RETURNS TO HAWAII LADEN WITH SOUTH SEA TREASURES

Pleasure Yacht, Out of Honolulu Since November, Returns After Eventful Voyage; Copra Plantation Bought at Moorea

Like a trader argosy of half a century ago returning to a New England port, from a cruise of the South Seas was the return to Honolulu yesterday morning of the schooner-yacht Kaimiloa from the southern seas after a five month’s cruise among isolated islands that, while touched with civilization, still yield a haunting memory of older days when Polynesia was inhabited and ruled by its own peoples, for the

Kaimiloa was stored with strange tapas, carved tortoise shell head ornaments, gourds, shark skin drums, weirdly-carved war clubs, shell leis, ancient boat bailers, porpoise tooth head-dresses, devil-fish skins for scraping perfume from sandalwood and other odd prizes.

One of the cabins is chocka-block with curios and souvenirs of the visit obtained from practically all the small islands in the south except Samoa, which was not visited this trip.

For the second time in history a Kaimiloa returned from the South Seas. In 1887 the Kaimiloa, warship of the Hawaiian Majesties navy, the only Hawaiian warship to ever sail the sea sent by King Kalakaua to Samoa to carry his proposed plan for a primacy of the Pacific with himself as head, returned from Apia, the mission a failure. The original Kaimiloa was sold, and eventually her timbers were burned on a mud-flat in Honolulu harbor.

IS REMODELED INTO A YACHT

The Kaimiloa which returned yesterday, is owned by Medford R. Kellum, of Florida and Hawaii, his present residence being in Honolulu. She was the schooner Luzon until last summer, when the millionaire bought, remodeled, and refitted her, changed the name to Kaimiloa, which is the Hawaiian equivalent of “explorer,” made her a floating home, painted her white, and rendered her a yacht in every sense of the word. Her mission was one of pleasure for himself and family, and in the cause of education, for several scientists of the Bishop Museum were accommodated aboard as the owners guests to enable the members to fulfill their desires on the strange and sparsely settled islands of the South Seas. As a result the scientist obtained much knowledge and sent back to Honolulu many things that will be of value for research. A great canoe of the South Seas is aboard, billed to the museum. The scientist left the vessel at Tahiti to return home by devious routes, two of them, Emory and Sperry remaining in Tahiti to carry on further research.

To the Kellums, who include Mr. and Mrs. Kellum, M. R Kellum, Jr., Miss Ida Kellum, “Jim” Kellum, “Pinkie” Kellum, and Miss Laughlin, it was a cruise of real pleasure, a cruise among the islands off the line of travel, meeting with the natives, showing them their ship, and attempting to show them that an American vessel in the South Seas can go there without endeavoring to barter or make harsh deals.

NATIVES SEE MOVIES

Astonishment was writ upon the countenances of the natives of many islands. For the first time in their lives they saw motion pictures. Never before except possibly in stray papers or photographs, have they had opportunity to know anything of the life of the people beyond their insular homes. But every night when the Kaimiloa was anchored off an island, near an atoll, or in a little harbor, the motion picture machine was rigged. The inhabitants were invited to come out to the vessel and spread themselves out on deck.

The screen was up. The natives often in scant attire, saw shafts of light strike the white canvas before them, and then saw people in comedies, feasted on educational pictures and reveled in regular photo plays. They marveled at the antics of Charlie Chaplin and the many other comedies. They saw red blooded Tom Mix in western cowboy pictures. They saw the sidewalks of New York and the great cities of the powers abroad. The natives were visibly astonished.

Then, say, down at Ua Po, in the Marquesas, there was flashed upon the screen, motion pictures taken by those aboard, of dances presentedat Fanning Island by new recruits for labor fresh from the Gilberts.

What a murmuring and buzzing arose among the spectators as they saw natives of islands in their own Polynesia, but perhaps a thousand miles away, giving their version of the dance.

PHONOGRAPH ASTOUNDS

Then the big phonograph was turned on. Astonishment again. Many had never heard or even seen a phonograph. It was strange to hear the voiced and the music come out of a box! And the Kellums, to use a modern phrase, got a kick out of it.

When the Kaimiloa left Honolulu on November 9, 1924, Mrs. Kellum had laid in a store of nearly 2500 things that could be used as Christmas presents and for other occasions. On Christmas eve the Kaimiloa slipped into an anchorage at Tongareva, or Penrhyn island. The following day a Christmas tree, obtained ashore, was erected on the ship and it was a gala day. The natives ashore were not forgotten and Kris Kringle visited many of them. All the day down the line the gifts showered out of the Kaimiloa but even then many are still aboard.

And speaking of what is aboard, the ice plant was a great success. Meats that were taken aboard and stored in the ice chest at San Francisco are still fresh, frozen and ready for the deft hand of Ralph, the chef. A few nights ago a chicken dinner was made up of chicken which was sent aboard at San Francisco.

The Kaimiloa left Honolulu November 9 and stopped at Maui and Hilo. At the latter port a new captain took command. He is Captain Bahr, formerly a captain in the Inter-Island company service. His officers comprise First Mate Semmell, Second Mate George, Chief Engineer Harry Donlin, and Dr. C. E. Wells.

The yacht sailed south and called at Fanning, where the party was given a cordial greeting and witnessed dances staged by the Gilbert Island labor recruits, the most savage looking men the Kellums saw on their entire cruise; then the party sailed over to Christmas Island, the Mid-Pacific realm Father Rougier, the French priest, who arrived in Honolulu Saturday from San Francisco to spend a few weeks here: then on to Malden island the most desolate of all southern isles, a phosphate station where only a handful of men were living.

The Kaimiloa was the first vessel which had called there in nine months and another was not due for six months. Despite the meagre fare, a luau was given, and as the island hosts only two coconut trees and little vegetation the effort to have a Polynesian imu for cooking was ingenious. Kerosene cans took the place of greens.

Then on to Tongareva or Penryhn island where a native was taken aboard for medical treatment by the surgeon. His leg had been badly bitten by a shark. The natives do a great of pearl diving and it was on one of those diving expeditions the native was assaulted.

BUYS PLANTATION

Tahiti was next visited, modern and yet old Polynesian, where the scientist took their leave. Below Tahiti is Moorea, a small island which caught the fancy of M. R. Kellum, Jr. There was an auction sale of a copra plantation, an old German estate. Young Kellum at last found the opportunity to engage in business and bought the 2000 acre plantation for a mere song, and will leave again May 20 on the Kaimiloa for Moorea, where he will go ashore and take up his duties as owner of the plantation and will devote his energies to producing copra. When he returns he expects to have delivered to him a power boat which will be his means of transportation between Papeete and Moorea.

The Kellums went on to the Tuamotus, to Rahirahiva. They sailed close to Ahi, barren without a soul living on the island. They called at Makalini, and Taihoi Bay, which sounded similar to Kawaiahne Bay, island of Hawaii. Then on to Hiwaoa, and Tauata, then back to Taipi Bay on Makaini. From the later bay the course was marked for Honolulu.

The weather seemed to have been made for an ideal cruise. No storms, no typhoons, no hurricanes, and only occasional light squalls.

They found the natives everywhere an agreeable lot of Polynesians, hospitable to a fault. In return it was the effort of the owner to extend to them hospitality and to give them something they has not known before.

NATIVES ARE CIVILIZED

Everywhere the natives have been more or less in touch with civilization. They are clothed often as the people of the Hawaiian Islands. In a few places there was scant clothing, but not as a rule. Civilized apparel is fast becoming the vogue in the South Seas.

So successful was the cruise that after a rest in Honolulu at their home in Kahalawai, the Kellums with the Kaimiloa entirely refitted will sail south May 20 for the Marshal Islands, New Zealand and other places not yet visited.

The French charts of some of the islands in the South Pacific were not as good as the American charts, Mr. Kellum learned. The latter were more complete. No shipwrecked people were seen and no new shipwrecks. At Christmas Island they saw the remains of the old Aeon wreck.

In the ship are a large number of plants shipped back by Gerrit P. Wilder, who was commissioned by the Bishop Museum for research work and was accompanied by Mrs. Wilder. They remained at Tahiti.

At one of the islands they bought grass skirts and among the “best” according to the natives were those made of dry grass and embellished with bright bits of paper. Examination showed that these papers had been peeled off salmon cans, and those skirts so embellished were considered the rarest and most expensive.

The Kaimiloa was sighted yesterday about 10 a.m. and was alongside pier 3 at 11:30, having come into port under her own power.