Firsts and Almost Firsts in Hawaii 9780824843816

Table of contents :
Contents
Alphabetical List of "Firsts"
Reference Abbreviations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Island Residents
Birds and Beasts
Insects and Arthropods
Vegetation and Crops
Weather and Geology
Energy Sources
Communication
Transportation
Buildings and Amenities
Currency and Banking
Commerce
Office Aids
Government and Social Services
Crime and Justice
Medicine and Health
Religion
Amusements and Diversions
Art and Music
Sports
Special Foods and Drin
References
Articles by Robert C. Schmitt
About the Authors

Citation preview

Almost

FIRSTS^ fltSvS Compiled by Robert C . Schmitt Edited by Ronn Ronck

®

A Kolowalu Book University of Hawai'i Press Honolulu

© 1995 University of Hawai'i Press All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publicarion Data Schmitt, Robert C . Firsts and almost firsts in Hawai'i / Robert C . Schmitt, Ronn Ronck. p.

cm.

( A Kolowalu book)

Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0 - 8 2 4 8 - 1 2 8 2 - 4 (acid-free paper) 1. Hawaii—Miscellanea. DU623.S36

1. Ronck, Ronn.

11. Title.

1995

996.9-dc20

95-24713 C1P

University of Hawai'i Press books are printed on acid-free paper and meet the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Council on Library Resources Publishing coordination and book production by Laing Communications Inc., Redmond, Washington, and Edmonton, Alberta Design, illustration and Production:

Sandra J. Harner

Editorial Coordination/Copyediting:

Susan B. Bureau and Lori Ljubicich

Original scratch board art © 1995 Laing Communications Inc.

Contents Alphabetical List of "Firsts" Reference Abbreviations Acknowledgments Introduction Island Residents Anthropology

and Archaeology

Chinese

• Contract

Labor

Koreans

• Portuguese

• Beachboys

• Blacks

• Filipinos • Hawaiians

• Puerto Ricans • Samoans

•

Japanese

* Whites

Birds and Beasts Alligators

• Birds • Cattle

Frogs • Goats

• Deer • Dog Shows •

Donkeys

• Horses and Horse Racing • Mongooses

Sheep • Snakes

• Toads

Insects and Arthropods Bees • Butterflies

• Centipedes

Fruit Flies ' Mosquitoes

• Cockroaches

• Scorpions

• Fleas

• Termites

Firsts

and

Alinosi

Firsts

in

Hawai'i

Vegetation and Crops AIgaroba Trees • Anthuriums Carnations honwood

• Cofjee

16 • Avocados

• Eucalyptuses

Trees • Macadamia

• Bananas

• Guavas

• Hibiscus

Nuts • Mangos •

Marijuana

Monkeypod

Trees • Oranges • Papayas • Passion

Pineapples

• Poinciana Trees • Royal Palm Trees

Fruit

Shower Trees * Tobacco

Weather and Geology Hurricanes

24

• Maps • Meteorological

Seismographs

Observations

• Tide Gauges and Tables • Volcanic

Activity

Energy Sources Electricity

29

• Electric Utility Companies

Geothermal

• Gas

Power • Ocean Thermal Energy • Oil

Oil Spills • Solar Energy • Steam Engines •

Refineries

Windmills

Communication

35

Ballpoint Pens • Interisland and Transpacific

Communication

Magazines • Mail • Mail Chutes • Newspaper Newspapers

Radio Audience

Surveys • Radios • Satellites • Stamps

Telegraph • Telephone Directories Televisions

Advertisements

• Postal Service • Postmarks • Radar • Telephones

• Teletype

• Writing

Transportation Airplanes

50

and Air Service • Automobiles

Bicycles • Bridges • Freeways Hydrofoils

• Motorcycles

• Gliders

• Balloon •

• Parking Meters • Public

Railroads • Road over the Pali and around Ships and Shipping • Shipwrecks

Transit

O'ahu

• Space Travel •

Taxicabs • Traffic Laws • Traffic Lights • Tunnels

vi

Flights

Helicopters

Submarines

C

O N T !•: N T S

Buildings and Amenities A i r Conditioning • Architects Bathhouses

• Bathrooms

• Astronomical

• Bathtubs

Cooperative

and Condominium

Electric-Eye

Doors

Fire Escapes

• Fire Hydrants

Fountains Neon

• Electric

• Geodesic Subdivisions

Street Pavement Water Supply

Housing

•

• Dumb

• Hotels •

Housing

Waiters Escalators

• Forts

Lighthouses

• Public

•

Cemeteries

•

• Fire Sprinklers

• Seiners

Housing

Sidewalks

• Time and Timepieces

• Wells •

Observatories

• Buildings

Lights • Elevators

Domes

Signs • Prefabricated

Residential

72

• Toilets •

Wallpaper

Wharves

Currency and Banking Banks

• Billionaires

Industrial

• Credit

Loan Companies

96 Cards

•

• Credit

Unions

Money

Savings and Loan Associations

•

Stockbrokers

Commerce Advertising

101 Agencies

Billboards Celluloid

Holoku

• Furniture

and Muumuu

Insurance Microwave Printing

Ovens

• Industrial

Sugar Production Unions

• Whaling

•

•

Dairies

Firearms

Areas

• Market

• Nylon

• Refrigeration Machines

Shavers

Registration

Stores • Grocery

• Launderettes

Stores and

Parks

Research

•

Matches

Hose • Perfumes

•

Plumbers

• Restaurants

• Shopping

Centers

• Tourism

Promotion

Ships •

• Bars

• Business

• Conventions

Stores • Electric

Fish Canning

Shirts • Barbers

• Bookstores

• City Directories

Department

Sewing

• Aloha

• Bottles

• Retail •

Business

Strikes •

Undertakers

Zippers

Office Aids Abacuses Computers Microfilm

122

• Adding

Machines

• Calculators

• Cash

• Copy

Machines

• Facsimile

Transmissions

• Mimeography

Slide Rules • Typewriters

• Punch Card and Word

vii

Machines

Processors

Registers

Firsts

and

A l m o s t Firsts

in

Hawai'i

130

Government and Social Services Archives

• Army Posts • Censorship

Chief Executives County

• Civil Service

Governments

Elections

• Censuses

• Constitutions

• Delegates

to Congress

• Fee Simple Land Ownership

Generals,

Three-Star

Legislatures Passports

• Government

•

Education

• Fire

Departments

Planning •

• Marriage and Divorce

• Mayors

Kindergartens

• Palaces

• Patents • Political Polls • Presidential

Presidential

Visits • Social Insurance

Social Welfare

• Social

• State Flag • State Nature

State Seal • State Song • Taxation

•

U.S. Senators

• War

and Representatives

Residences

Surveys Symbols

Thrones Veterans

154

Crime and Justice Crime Statistics • Fingerprinting Laws and Lawyers Robberies

• Judiciary

• Police • Prisons •

(Train and

Reformatories

Bank)

159

Medicine and Health Abortion

• AIDS

Birth Control Eyeglasses Leprosy

• Ambulances

Medical Schools

Disease)

• Medical

• Insane

• Medical

Test-Tube

Autopsies

Societies

Surgery • Opium Babies

• Medicare

• Penicillin

• Tranquilizers

• Veterinarians

•

Epidemics

Asylums

Books

Pure Food and Drug Laws • Psychiatrists Vaccinations

•

• Blood Banks • Dentists • Doctors

• Fetal Surgery • Hospitals

(Hansen's

Open-Heart

• Anesthesia

•

• Nurses Pharmacies

•

Quadruplets

• Transplants

and

Replants

• X-Rays

178 Bibles • Punchbowl

Sunrise Prayer Services

vili

• Religions

CONTENTS

181

Amusements and Diversions

Almanacs • Aquariums • Automobile Floral Parades Beauty Contests • Board Games • Books • Bowling Alleys Bungee Jumping • Burlesque • Card Games • Cockfighting Comic Strips • Crossword Puzzles • Dictionaries • Fiction Film Festivals • Fireworks • First Night • Guidebooks • Lei Day Libraries Lantern Shows • Milk Caps • Motion Pictures Museums • Parks • Phonographs and Records • Roller Coasters Scouts • Slot Machines • Swimming Pools • Theaters and Plays Toys • VCRs and Video Games ' YMCA and YVC'CA • Zoos

• Magic

202

Art and Music

Art Exhibitions • Artists • Bands

• Broadway Hit Dance and Ballet • Musical Societies • Music Printing Operas • Photography • Pianos • Symphony Orchestras Ukuleles

212

Sports Baseball • Baseball Players • Baseball Reporting • Basketball Bikinis • Boardsailing • Boxing • Football • Golf Hang Gliding • Marathons • Polo • Roller Skating Skateboarding • Skiing • Skin Diving and Scuba Equipment Sports Stadiums • Sumo Wrestling • Surfing Swimming the Moloka'i Channel * Tennis Transpac Yacht Race • Triathlons

Special Foods and Drinks Alcoholic Beverages • Beer • Huli-Huli Chicken Marshmallows • Sake • Wine

References Articles by Robert C. Schmitt About the Authors

ix

226 • Ice

Cream

231 239 241

A l p h a b e t i c a l List of " F i r s t s " The following is an alphabetical listing of all the "firsts" covered in this book. Abacuses 122 Abortion 159 Adding Machines 122 Advertising Agencies 101 AIDS 160 Air Conditioning 72 Airplanes and Air Service 50 Alcoholic Beverages 226 Algaroba Trees 16 Alligators 7 Almanacs 181 Aloha Shirts 101 Ambulances 160 Anesthesia 160 Anthropology and Archaeology 1 An thuriutns 16 Aquariums 181 Architects 73 Archives 130 Army Posts 131 Art Exhibitions 202 Artists 202 Astronomical Observatories 74 Automobile Floral Parades 182 Automobiles 55 Autopsies 161 Avocados 17

Balloon Rights 57 Ballpoint Pens 35 Bananas 17 Bands 204 Banks 96 Barbers 102 Bars 102 Baseball 212 Baseball Players 213 Baseball Reporting 214 Basketball 215 Bathhouses 74 Bathrooms 75 Bathtubs 76 Beachboys 2 Beauty Contests 183 Beer 227 Bees 12 Bibles 178 Bicycles 59 Bikinis 216 Billboards 103 Billionaires 97 Birds 7 Birth Control 161 Blacks 2 Blood Banks 162

XI

Firsts

and

Almost

Firsts

Board Qames 184 Boardsailing 216 Books 184 Bookstores 104 Bottles 104 Bowling Alleys 185 Boxing 217 Bridges 59 Broadway Hit 205 Buildings 77 Bungee Jumping 186 Burlesque 186 Business Registration 105 Butterflies 13

in

Hawai'i

Dairies 107 Dance and Ballet 205 Deer 9 Delegates to Congress 136 Dentists 163 Department Stores 107 Dictionaries 188 Doctors 164 Dog SIrotvs 9 Donkeys 9 Dumb Waiters 82 Education 137 Elections 139 Electric-Eye Doors 82 Electricity 29 Electric Lights 82 Electric Shavers 107 Electric Utility Companies Elevators 83 Epidemics 164 Escalators 84 Eucalyptuses 18 Eyeglasses 165

Calculators 123 Card Qames 187 Carnations 17 Cash Registers 124 Cattle 8 Celluloid 105 Cemeteries 79 Censorship 132 Censuses 132 Centipedes 13 Chief Executives 133 Chinese 2 City Directories 106 Civil Service 13 5 Cockfighting 187 Cockroaches 14 Coffee 17 Comic Strips 187 Computers 124 Constitutions 135 Contract Labor 3 Conventions 106 Cooperative and Condominium Housing 80 Copy Machines 126 County Qovernments 136 Credit Cards 97 Credit Unions 97 Crime Statistics 154 Crossword Puzzles 188

29

Facsimile Transmissions 126 Fee Simple Land Ownership 140 Fetal Surgery 166 Fiction 188 Filipinos 4 Film Festivals 189 Fingerprinting 154 Firearms 108 Fire Departments 140 Fire Escapes 84 Fire Hydrants 84 Fire Sprinklers 85 Fireworks 189 First Night 189 Fish Canning 108 Fleas 14 Football 2 1 7 Forts 85 Fountains 86 Freeways 60 Frogs 9

xii

A l p h a b e t i c a l

Fruit Flies 14 Furniture Stores

List

Ice Cream 228 Industrial Areas and Parks 110 Industrial Loan Companies 98 Insane Asylums 168 Insurance 110 Interisland and Transpacific Communication 35 Ironwood Trees 18 4 156

168

Neon Signs 89 Newspaper Advertisements Newspapers 39 Nurses 170 Nylon Hose 112

142

Launderettes 111 Laws and Lawyers Legislatures 143 Lei Day 190

Disease)

Macadamia Nuts 18 Magazines 38 Magic Lantern Shows 192 Mail 38 Mail Chutes 38 Mangos 19 Maps 2 5 Marathons 219 Marijuana 20 Market Research 111 Marriage and Divorce 143 Marshmallows 229 Matches 112 Mayors 144 Medical Books 169 Medical Schools 169 Medical Societies 170 Medicare 170 Meteorological Observations Microfilm 127 Microwave Ovens 112 Milk Caps 192 Mimeography 127 Money 9 8 Mongooses 10 Monkeypod Trees 20 Mosquitoes 15 Motion Pictures 193 Motorcycles 61 Museums 194 Musical Societies 206 Music Printing 207

Hang Qliding 219 llawaiians 4 Helicopters 60 Hibiscus 18 Holoku and Muumuu 109 Horses and Horse Racing lu Hospitals 166 Hotels 86 Huli-Huli Chicken 228 Hurricanes 24 Hydrofoils 61

Kindergartens Koreans 5

"Firsts"

Leprosy (Hansen's Libraries 191 Lighthouses 89

108

Qas 30 Qenerals, Three-Star 141 Qeodesic Domes 86 Qeothermal Power 31 Qliders 60 Qoats 9 Qolf 218 Qovernment Planning 142 Qrocery Stores 109 Quavas 18 Quidebooks 190

Japanese Judiciary

of

156

Ocean Thermal Oil Refineries Oil Spills 32

xiii

Energy 32

25

38

31

Firsts

Open-Heart Surgery Operas 207 Opium 171 20 Oranges

a n d A l m o s t Firsts

171

Radar 40 Radio Audience Radios 41

Sake 229 Samoans 6 Satellites 43 Savings and Loan Associations 100 Scorpions 15 Scouts 197 Seismographs 27 Sewers 91 Sewing Machines 116 Sheep 11 Ships and Shipping 64 Shipwrecks 67 Shopping Centers 116 Shower Trees 22 Sidewalks 91 Skateboarding 220 Skiing 220 Skin Diving and Scuba Equipment 221 Slide Rules 128 Slot Machines 197 Snakes 11 Social Insurance 148 Social Surveys 149 Social Welfare 149 Solar Energy 33 Space Travel 68 Sports Stadiums 222 Stamps 44 State Flag 150 State Nature Symbols 150

173

Surveys

Hawai'i

Railroads 63 Reformatories 158 Refrigeration 114 Religions 179 Residential Subdivisions 90 Restaurants 115 Retail Business 116 Road over the Pali and around O'ahu 64 Robberies (Train and Bank) 158 Roller Coasters 196 Roller Skating 220 Royal Palm Trees 22

Palaces 145 Papayas 21 Parking Meters 61 Parks 195 Passion Fruit 21 Passports 146 Patents 146 Penicillin 172 Perfumes 113 Pharmacies 172 Phonographs and Records 196 Photography 208 Pianos 210 Pineapples 21 Plumbers 113 Poinciana Trees 22 Police 157 Political Polls 146 Polo 219 Portuguese 5 Postal Service 40 Postmarks 40 Prefabricated Housing 89 Presidential Residences 147 Presidential Visits 147 Printing 113 Prisons 157 Psychiatrists 172 Public Housing 8 9 Public Transit 61 Puerto Ricans 6 Punchbowl Sunrise Prayer Services 178 Punch Card Machines 127 Pure Food and Drug Laws 173 Quadruplets

in

41

xiv

Alphabetical

LIST

State Seal 150 State Song 151 Steam Engines 33 Stockbrokers 100 Street Pavement 91 Strikes 11 7 Submarines 69 Sugar Production 118 Sumo Wrestling 222 Surfing 223 Swimming Pools 197 Swimming the Moloku'i Channel 224 Symphony Orchestras

"FIRSTS"

Tranquilizers 174 Transpac Yacht Race 225 Transplants and Replants 174 Triathlons 225 Tunnels 71 Typewriters and Word Processors 129 Ukuleles 211 Undertakers 119 Unions 120 U.S. Senators and Representatives

152

210 Vaccinations 175 VCR s and Video Qames Veterinarians 176 Volcanic Activity 27

Taxation 151 Taxicabs 70 Telegraph 44 Telephone Directories 45 Telephones 45 Teletype 47 Televisions 48 Tennis 224 Termites 15 Test-Tube Babies 1 74 Theaters and Plays 198 Thrones 152

Wallpaper 93 War Veterans 152 94 Water Supply Wells 94 Whaling Ships 120 Wharves 95 Whites 6 Windmills 34 Wine 229 Writing 49

Tide Qauges and Tables 27 Time and Timepieces 92 Toads 11 Tobacco 23 Toilets 93 Tourism Promotion Toys 199 Traffic Laws 70 Traffic Lights 71

of

X-Rays

176

Y M C A and YWCA

119

Zippers 121 Zoos 201

XV

200

200

Reference A b b r e v i a t i o n s The following each "first"

A ABCFM AH DB EB F H HA HAA HD HQ HHN HHR HHS HJH HMCS HMJ MRS HS HSB MH P PBN PCA PP RLH

abbreviations are used in the notes at the end of entry. For information on additional resources, see References on page 231.

Aloha American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions State Archives of Hawaii Daily Bulletin The Evening Bulletin The Friend Honolulu The Honolulu Advertiser Hawaiian Almanac and Annual (Thrum's Almanac) Hawaiian Digest The Hawaiian Qazette News Historic Hawaii Hawaii Historical Review Hawaiian Historical Society Hawaiian Journal of History Hawaiian Mission Children's Society Hawaii Medical Journal Hawaii Revised Statutes The Hawaiian Star Honolulu Star-Bulletin Missionary Herald The Polynesian Pacific Business News Pacific Commercial Advertiser Paradise of the Pacific Revised Laws of Hawaii

xvii

Firsts

SHDB SIQ SIM SIN SLH SSB&A

and

Almost

Firsts

The State of Hawaii Data Sandwich Island Qazelte Sandwich Sandtvich

Island Island

in

Hawai'i

Book

Mirror and Commercial News

Session Laws of Hawaii Sunday Star-Bulletin and

xviii

Advertiser

Qazette

Acknowledgments T h e authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to those who have made important contributions to Firsts and Firsts in Hawai'i.

Almost

A t the top of the list is the staff of the University

of Hawai'i Press—especially William Hamilton and Iris W i l e y — w h o encouraged and supported this project from beginning to end. Cindy Cordes typed the original manuscript, helped shape the material, and provided valuable insight. B o b Krauss of The Honolulu

Adver-

tiser generously shared discoveries from his own historical research and introduced us to many new "firsts." T h e staffs of the Hawaii State Archives and Hawaii State Library also helped with documentation. Special thanks are extended to the Hawaiian Historical Society and its tlawaiian

Journal

of History, where much of the in-

formation in these pages first appeared.

xix

Introduction T h e 1909 issue of T h o m a s G e o r g e Thrum's H a w a i i a n A l m a nac and A n n u a l carried an unsigned article titled, " A C h a p t e r of Firstlings.'' T h e piece was likely authored by T h r u m himself, who had first published his periodical (popularly called " T h r u m ' s A l m a n a c " ) in 1875 and continued doing so until his d e a t h in 1932. In the article's thirteen pages, T h r u m listed 136 important H a w a i ' i i n t r o d u c t i o n s , r a n g i n g from agricultural i m p l e m e n t s to whaling ships. H e also included the first centipede, first elephant, first Pali road, first fire engine, first sewing m a c h i n e , and first smallpox e p i d e m i c , a m o n g other items. U n f o r t u n a t e l y , T h r u m ' s article can no longer be viewed as definitive. M a n y introductions h a v e taken place since it was written in 1908, and many earlier "firsts," u n m e n t i o n e d by T h r u m , are worth recording. Furthermore, several of the dates he cited were up to n i n e years off the mark. In 1962, Katherine D. M c D o l e privately printed a little known update of Thrum's work, lamu I Hiki Ai (It h a p p e n e d here in H a waii). It included 185 references, but seventeen c o n t a i n e d inaccuracies. N e i t h e r T h r u m ' s nor M c D o l e ' s efforts included

any

d o c u m e n t a t i o n for the dates and events listed. Consequently, we felt t h a t a revised, updated, and properly d o c u m e n t e d book of firsts was in order. S u c h a n u n d e r t a k i n g inevitably generates s o m e difficulties.

XXI

Firsts

and

A l m o s t Firsts

in Hawai

i

Comprehensiveness is an unattainable ideal. Some events of unquestioned significance in Island history seem to have gone unrecorded, while others, interesting only to the most devoted trivia buffs, are available in profusion. M a n y firsts, too, can be infinitely subdivided. W h e r e should one stop? T h e n there is the question of conflicting dates. Standard reference w o r k s — e v e n the most reputable—are strewn with inaccuracies. Firsts and Almost Firsts in Haivai'i

is by necessity highly selec-

tive. S o m e subjects, fully and accurately treated in the T h r u m and M c D o l e lists, are mentioned only briefly or not at all. O t h e r subjects, omitted by earlier authors or misdated in the past, h a v e been covered in greater detail. Introductions to Hawai'i, of course, will never end, and the process of documenting them will continue after Firsts and Firsts in Haivai'i

Almost

is in the hands of readers. We encourage readers to

bring to our attention any additions for possible inclusion in subsequent editions.

xxii

Island Residents

Anthropology and Archaeology T h e officers and crew of Captain James Cook's third voyage recorded the earliest anthropological observations of Hawaiians in 1778 and 1779. In 1841, the Wilkes Expedition visited the A h u o 'Umi. T h e expedition's plan of this ancient heiau is probably the earliest scientific map of a Hawaiian archaeological site. John F. G. Stokes, curator of ethnology for the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, has been called the first Hawaiian archaeologist. In 1913, he became the first to conduct a systematic subsurface e x c a v a t i o n at a p r e h i s t o r i c H a w a i i a n site, o n t h e island of Kaho'olawe. T h e first radiocarbon date for any island in the Pacific was A.D. 1004, plus or minus about 180 years. Kenneth Emory and his students excavated the sample of charcoal used in the calculation from

l

Firsts

and

A l m o s t Firsts

in

Hawai'i

the lowest level of a fireplace in a rock shelter in Kuli'ou'ou, O'ahu, in May 1950. Kirch ( 1 9 8 5 ) : 9 - 1 1 , 1 5 - 1 6 ; Krauss ( 1 9 8 8 ) : 3 2 2 - 3 2 4 , 3 i 8 .

Beachboys Early in 1897, a group of native canoe owners in WaikikT formed an organization, the Hui Pakaka Nalu, to offer outrigger canoe rides through the surf to tourists for one dollar per person per hour. As many as eight canoes were reported in operation at peak periods. T h e hui was the first formal organization of beachhoys. PCA, 10 May 1897, 2; P C A , 18 May 1897, 7; PCA, 25 May 1897, 7; PGA, 31 May 1897, 6; HA, 14 Dec. 1989, A13.

Blacks Blacks first sailed to the Islands as crew members of merchant ships in the early nineteenth century. Some remained behind and settled in the Islands. O n e of the earliest businessmen in Hawai'i was Anthony D. Allen, a black man from New York, who was an Island resident by 1810. T h e first black contract laborers arrived January 2, 1901, most of them destined for work on Maui plantations. By 1990, there were 27,195 blacks living in Hawai'i. Almost 65 percent were members of the armed forces or military dependents. H/H ( 1 9 8 8 ) : 2 4 1 - 2 5 5 ; U . S . House Committee on Immigration and Naturalization, Labor Problems in Hawaii,

Hearings

Cong., 1st sess. ( 1 9 2 1 ) : 539; SHDB

on H. J. Res.

158 . . . and H. ]. Res. 171.

. . , 67th

1992: 44; Hawaii State Dept. of Business, Economic

Development & Tourism, Statistical Report 227, Dec. 1993, table 5.

Chinese T h e first Chinese known to have visited Hawai'i were members of the crew of the Felice, under Captain John Meares. Outfitted in China and crewed by fifty Chinese, the ship berthed in Hawai'i

2

I S L A N D

R E S I D E N T S

for eight days in 1788 on its way back to China from the Pacific Northwest. Chinese became Island residents soon afterward. Edward Bell, who arrived with Captain George Vancouver in 1794, observed C h i n e s e among t h e foreigners in K a m e h a m e h a ' s retinue at Kealakekua Bay. T h e Chinese community remained small until 1852, when the first Chinese contract laborers arrived. Thereafter, their members grew rapidly, from 3 6 4 in 1853 to 25,767 in 1900 and 68,804 (including some but not all persons of part-Chinese blood) in 1990. Lum ( 1 9 8 8 ) : 10-11; Report of the President of the Bureau of Immigration to the Legislative Assembly of 1886: 2 6 6 - 2 7 7 ; Schmitt ( 1 9 7 7 ) : 2 5 - 2 6 , 9 7 - 9 8 , 1 0 0 - 1 0 3 ; S H D B 1992: 44.

Contract Labor "An Act for the Government of Masters and Servants," passed by the legislature in 1850, provided the legal basis for the contract labor system that existed in Hawai'i throughout the second half of the nineteenth century and brought many thousands of workers to toil on the major plantations. T h e act made it lawful for any person over twenty years of age to bind himself "by written contract to serve another in any . . . employment" for up to five years. T h e first contract laborers brought to Hawai'i were 195 Chinese men who arrived from Hong Kong aboard the Thetis on January 3, 1852. Later groups who came to work in the sugar and pineapple plantations included South Sea Islanders (initially in 1859 and 1865), Japanese (first in 1868), Portuguese ( 1 8 7 8 ) , Norwegians ( 1 8 8 1 ) , Germans (1881), Puerto Ricans (1900), Koreans (1903), Filipinos (1906), and Spaniards (1907). Although the Masters and Servants A c t expired after Hawai'i was annexed to the United States, the importation of plantation labor continued until 1946. Kuykendall ( 1 9 3 8 ) : 330; Report of the President of the Bureau of immigration to the Legislative Assembly

of ¡886:

2 6 6 - 2 7 7 ; U . S . House Committee on Immigration and Natu-

ralization, Labor Problems in Hawaii,

Hearings on H. J. Res. ¡ 5 8 . . . and H. J. Res. 171. .

67th Cong., 1st sess. ( 1 9 2 1 ) : 5 3 3 - 5 4 5 ; Nordyke ( 1 9 8 9 ) : 30, 3 2 - 3 3 , 35, 41, 45, 47.

3

Firsts

and

Almost

Firsts

in

Hawai'i

Filipinos It is not known when the first Filipinos came to Hawai'i. T h e earliest statistical record appeared in the 1853 census, which reported five persons from the Philippines living in Hawai'i. T h e first Filipino contract workers—fifteen men—arrived on the S S Doric on December 20, 1906. T h e i r numbers increased rapidly during the following quarter of a century, from 2 , 3 6 1 in 1 9 1 0 to 6 3 , 0 5 2 in 1 9 3 0 and 1 6 8 , 6 8 2 (many of mixed blood) in 1990. Schmitt (1977): 2 5 - 2 6 , 9 0 - 9 1 ; Dorita (1975): 7; SHDB /992: 44.

Hawaiian s T h e first Hawaiians are thought to have been Polynesians from the Marquesas Islands who reached Hawai'i sometime between A.n. 3 0 0 and 6 0 0 . T h e i r population slowly increased over the centuries; by the time of Captain James Cook's visit in 1778, it probably exceeded a quarter of a million. O t h e r authorities have proposed pre-contact figures ranging from 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 to more than 8 0 0 , 0 0 0 . W h a t e v e r the 1 7 7 8 population, it rapidly declined, and by 1910, only 2 6 , 0 4 1 Hawaiians and 1 2 , 5 0 6 part-Hawaiians lived on the Islands. Official estimates for 1989, based on a survey by the Department of Health, reported 8 , 8 4 3 Hawaiians and 1 9 8 , 1 4 7 part-Hawaiians. T h e 1 9 9 0 census count of 1 3 8 , 7 4 2 "Hawaiians" included some but not all part-Hawaiians. Kirch (1985): 286, 298, 302, 304; Schmitt (1977): 7, 2 5 - 2 6 ; Stannard (1989); SHDB 1992: 42, 44; New Zealand ]. Archaeology 14 (1992): 1 1 3 - 1 2 8 .

Japanese T h e first Japanese to visit Hawai'i were drifting or shipwrecked seamen. Although some historians claim visits going back to the thirteenth century, the earliest documented arrival occurred in 1804,

4

I S L A N D

R E S I D E N T S

when a Russian vessel picked up four survivors and put them ashore in Hawai'i. T h e first Japanese contract workers were 142 men and six women who arrived aboard the Scioto in 1868. T h e Japanese population rose from 116 in 1884 to 61,111 in 1900, 184,598 in 1950, and 247,486 (some of mixed blood) in 1990. United Japanese Society of Hawaii ( 1 9 7 1 ) : 5 - 8 ; Report of the President of the Bureau of Immigration to the Legislative Assembly of 1886: 2 6 6 - 2 7 7 ; Schmitt ( 1 9 7 7 ) : 2 5 - 2 6 ; SHDB 1992: 44.

Koreans T h e first Koreans to establish residence in Hawai'i were two ginseng merchants who arrived in 1896. T h e first Korean contract laborers consisted of fifty-six men (two of them interpreters), twenty-one women, thirteen children, and twelve infants, who came to Honolulu aboard the Gaelic

on

January 13, 1903. T h e Korean population reached 4,533 in 1910, 7,030 in 1950, and 24,454 (many of mixed blood) in 1990. Patterson ( 1 9 8 8 ) : 9 - 1 1 , 4 9 - 5 1 ; Schmitt ( 1 9 7 7 ) : 2 5 - 2 6 ; SHDB

1992: 44.

Portuguese Hawai'i's pioneer Portuguese settlers arrived early in the nineteenth century, appearing in census tabulations as early as 1853. Portuguese contract workers first arrived aboard the Priscilla, from Madeira, Portugal, on September 30, 1878. This group included eighty men, forty women, and sixty children. T h e Portuguese population rose from ninety in 1866 to 18,272 in 1900 and 27,588 in 1930. In 1990, the census reported 57,125 persons of Portuguese ancestry living in the state. Schmitt ( 1 9 7 7 ) : 2 5 - 2 6 , 9 0 - 9 1 ; Report of the President of the Bureau of Immigration to the Legislative Assembly of 1886: 2 6 6 - 2 7 7 ; U . S . House Committee on Immigration and Naturalization, Labor Problems in Hawaii, Hearings on H. ]. Res. 158 . . . and H. ]. Res. 17 . . . , 67th Cong., 1st sess. (1921): 538; SHDB 1992: 45.

5

Firsts

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A l m o s t Firsts

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Hawai'i

Puerto Ricans Hawai'i's earliest Puerto Rican residents were fifty-six contract laborers who arrived on the S S City of Rio de Janeiro on December 23, 1900. T h e Puerto Rican population grew to 4,890 in 1910 and 9,551 in 1950. By 1990, 16,432 residents of Hawai'i claimed Puerto Rican ancestry. Carr (1980): 9; Schmitt (1977): 2 5 - 2 6 ; SHDB 1992- 45.

Samoans Hawai'i's earliest Samoan residents were apparently Mormons who settled at Là'ie, on O'ahu, after the Mormon Temple was completed there in 1919. By 1990, there were 14,073 Samoans in Hawai'i. HHR, July 1968, 4 5 5 - 4 5 9 ; SHDB ¡ 9 9 2 ; 44.

Whites T h e first white resident of Hawai'i was John Mackay (or McKey), who arrived on the Imperial Eagle in May 1787. Frances Hornsby Trevor Barkley was probably the first European woman to visit Hawai'i. She also arrived aboard the Imperial Eagle in 1787. T h e ship took away the first Hawaiian known to sail for foreign lands—a woman hired to be Barkley's maid. Her name was listed as "Wynee," which may have been an attempt to spell the Hawaiian word wahine, or woman. T h e 1990 white population was 369,616, of whom 20.9 percent were either military personnel or their dependents; many persons classified as white in the decennial census were racially mixed. Day (1984): 8, 91; SHDB 1992: 44; Hawaii State Dept. of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, Statistical Report 227, Dec. 1993, table 5.

6

Birds and Beasts

Alligators The Islands' first resident alligator—a female named Arabella— accompanied Brother Matthias Newell when he came from New Orleans in 1886 to join the Brothers of Mary at St. Louis College, then located on College Walk. Only seven inches long when she arrived (in a cigar box), Arabella eventually reached a length of more than six feet. She remained at St. Louis for more than twenty years and, after her death, was stuffed and put on exhibition. HSB, 23 Sept. 1983, Bl.

Birds One of the earliest birds deliberately introduced to the Islands was the spotted, lace-neclced, or Chinese dove, although the exact year is unknown.

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In 1 8 6 5 , Dr. W i l l i a m H i l l e b r a n d brought t h e c o m m o n m y n a h from India to c o m b a t t h e army worms ravaging Island pasture lands. Hillebrand also brought t h e spotted munia, or ricebird. Imported from N e w Zealand, t h e house sparrow (or English sparrow) was released in H o n o l u l u in 1 8 7 1 . T h e rock dove, a variety o f t h e c o m m o n pigeon and a descendant o f t h e European rock dove, was introduced to Hawai'i in 1 8 9 6 . T h e first barred doves c a m e to t h e Islands from Malaysia sometime after 1 9 2 2 . T h e red-crested (or Brazilian) cardinal was first released on O ' a h u in 1 9 2 8 . T h e K e n t u c k y (or Virginia) cardinal was released b e t w e e n 1 9 2 9 and 1 9 3 1 . T h e Territorial Board of Agriculture and Forestry brought the Japanese white-eye from J a p a n in 1 9 2 9 and subsequently released it on O ' a h u . T h e c a t t l e egret was imported from Florida to help c o n t r o l house flies, h o r n flies, and o t h e r flies t h a t damaged hides and reduced weight gain in c a t t l e . M o r e t h a n o n e hundred c a t t l e egrets were released o n five islands b e t w e e n July 17 and August 24, 1 9 5 9 . Berger ( 1 9 8 1 ) : 175, 178, 179, 1 9 8 , 2 0 3 , 2 1 0 , 2 1 4 , 2 1 6 , 2 1 9 .

Cattle During his second voyage, in 1 7 9 3 , C a p t a i n G e o r g e Vancouver brought t h e first c a t t l e to Hawai'i. Five cows, two o f t h e m in calf, were brought ashore in K a m e h a m e h a ' s c a n o e s at K e a l a k e k u a Bay o n February 2 2 . T h e s e animals, acquired by V a n c o u v e r at Mission S a n Carlos, n e a r M o n t e r e y , C a l i f o r n i a , were later j o i n e d by addit i o n a l c a t t l e transported aboard his third voyage, in 1 7 9 4 . A l l of t h e c a t t l e thrived in t h e Islands. Tomich (1986): 141-142.

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Deer Eight axis deer were released on Moloka'i in January 1868. T h e descendants of this herd still live on the island. Tomich ( 1 9 8 6 ) : 1 2 6 - 1 2 7 .

Dog Shows T h e Hawaiian Kennel C l u b held the first dog show in the Islands on September 6, 7, and 8, 1906, in a building at Q u e e n and Edinburgh Streets in Honolulu. J. L. Fleming's pointer, Tess, won first prize over 104 other entries. />/>, Sept. 1906, 8.

Donkeys Richard Charlton, the first British consul to Hawai'i, imported four donkeys in 1825 and later sold them at auction in Honolulu. Tomich ( 1 9 8 6 ) : 1 1 4 - 1 1 5 .

Frogs T h e Royal Agricultural Society brought the first frogs to Hawai'i sometime before 1867. T h e earliest recorded shipment, however, occurred in 1867, when "frogs were liberated at Pawaa" in Honolulu. Bryan ( 1 9 1 5 ) : 297.

Goats O n February 2, 1778, Captain James C o o k left behind Hawai'i's first three goats—a ram and two ewes—during his visit to Ni'ihau. Tomich ( 1 9 8 6 ) : 151.

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Horses and Horse Racing Horses were first brought to Hawai'i in 1803, aboard a merc h a n t ship under the command of Captain William Shaler. Shaler and his partner, R . J. Cleveland, brought ashore a mare at "Tooagah" Bay and a mare and a stallion on Maui. T h e horses "excited great astonishment among the natives," Cleveland reported. But horses soon became c o m m o n , and in 1832, the first of the M e x i c a n cowboys, or paniolos,

arrived at Waimea, on the Big Island.

Horse racing was initially quite informal, involving only two animals at a time on courses in open areas or along public roads. During the 1840s, horseback riding became popular, and horse racing was c o m m o n along Wilder Avenue. In the 1850s, Sunday afternoon contests were held, pitting fast studs from California against wiry, grass-fed O ' a h u mustangs. Bets ranged from " o n e bit" to fifty dollars. Regularly scheduled racing eventually took place on perman e n t oval tracks. K a m e h a m e h a Day, first celebrated on J u n e 11, 1 8 7 2 , was m a r k e d by r a c i n g o n " T h e P l a i n s . " In 1 8 7 7 ,

the

K a m e h a m e h a Day races were moved to the one-mile circular course at the newly opened Kapi'olani Park, where they became a regular attraction for many years. T o m i c h ( 1 9 8 6 ) : 1 1 0 - 1 1 1 ; H A A 1939: 105; S c o t t ( 1 9 6 8 ) : 59, 6 9 , 6 5 0 ; PP, J u n e 1 9 0 3 , 1 1 - 1 2 ; Hibbard and Franzen ( 1 9 8 6 ) : 4 2 - 4 3 .

Mongooses T h e small Indian mongoose was introduced to Hawai'i in the 1860s. In 1883, seventy-two mongooses were brought to the Islands and released on the Hilo and Hamakua coasts. Tomich (1986): 9 5 - 9 6 .

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B I R D S

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Sheep Domestic sheep were introduced by Captain James Colnett of the Argonaut, a merchant ship en route from the Pacific coast of North America. Colnett brought a ram and two ewes to Kaua'i in April 1791. Captain George Vancouver put a ram, two ewes, and a lamb ashore at Kawaihae on the Big Island, on February 14, 1793. Tomich (1986): 158.

Snakes The only land snake to be found in the wild in Hawai'i is the tiny Hawaiian blind snake. This wormlike creature is thought to have arrived in soil surrounding plants brought from the Philippines in 1929 to landscape the Kamehameha School grounds. McKeown (1978): 9, 59.

Toads In April 1932, at the request of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association, C. E. Pemberton introduced 147 or 148 giant neotropical toads to O'ahu to control sugarcane beetles. The toads were from Puerto Rico, where they had successfully battled cane field pests. Lacking natural predators in Hawai'i, they numbered more than a million only two and a half years after their arrival. (See also Frogs.) McKeown ( 1 9 7 8 ) : 6, 2 0 - 2 1 ; HSB, 6 Oct. 1934, sec. 3, p. 1.

11

Insects and Arthropods

Bees A 1931 study n o t e d t h a t m o r e t h a n sixty species of bees lived in t h e H a w a i i a n Islands, at least three-quarters of w h i c h could be f o u n d n o w h e r e else in t h e world. In 1848, a newspaper editor reported: " A b u m b l e - b e e visited our office a few days since. T h e y m a d e their a p p e a r a n c e in L a h a i n a about two years since, but we h a v e n e v e r heard of t h e i r being seen in this island [O'ahu] before." H o n e y bees were imported in b o t h 1853 and 1857. O n A u gust 1, 1853, t h e bark Matanzas arrived in H o n o l u l u w i t h a h i v e of bees from Boston. O n l y a few bees were still alive, however, a n d these survived only a short time. Four years later, a s h i p m e n t of h o n e y bees arrived f r o m S a n Jose, C a l i f o r n i a , a n d survived.

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I N S E C T S

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T h e commercial production of honey and beeswax dates from 1893. In that year, St. John Gilbert and his brother captured a stray swarm of bees in their Honolulu garden and began the Sandwich Island Honey Company. In 1894, they shipped eight gallons of honey to the United States. Production increased rapidly after this modest start and by World War II reached 1,000,000 pounds of extracted or liquid honey, 10,000 pounds of wax, and 5,000 pounds of comb honey. W i l l i a m s ( 1 9 3 1 ) : 228; P, 14 O c t . 1848, 87; P, 14 M a y 1853, 2; P, 6 A u g . 1853, 50; H A , 21 Oct. 1978, A 3 ; W. D. A l e x a n d e r ( 1 8 9 9 ) : 335; H e f n e r ( 1 9 4 6 ) : sheer 169a; Eckert ( 1 9 5 1 ) : 1; PP. Dec. 1942, 1 7 - 2 1 ; P h i l i p p ( 1 9 5 3 ) : 50.

Butterflies Butterflies and moths arrived soon after Captain James Cook's visits. T h e first species of Lepidoptera recorded in Hawai'i was King Kamehameha's butterfly, which was described in 1821 from specimens collected from 1815 to 1818. T h e first moths were collected from 1825 to 1828. Z i m m e r m a n ( 1 9 5 8 ) : 23.

Centipedes Large centipedes (six or more inches in length) were introduced in either 1829 or 1836. A t least one smaller species has been brought in since that time. Bryan ( 1 9 1 5 ) : 4 0 7 ; W i l l i a m s ( 1 9 3 1 ) : 313, 317; Barrot ( 1 9 7 8 ) : 72. T h e 1829 dare is Barret's; Bryan's was 1836.

Centipedes, Scolopendra subspinipes, were first recorded

in Hawai'i in 1829 or 1836.

—

Sketch from David T. Fullaway and Noel L. H . (Crauss, C o m m o n Insects of H a w a i i (1945).

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Firsts

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Cockroaches T h e first cockroach recorded by species n a m e was the burrowing, Surinam, or bicolored cockroach in 1822. T h e Madera cockroach, the largest cockroach currently found in the Islands (up to fifty millimeters long), was initially observed in 1896 or 1897. T h e A m e r i c a n c o c k r o a c h was first noted in 1 8 8 2 , the G e r m a n and Australian cockroaches in 1899, and the brown-handed cockroach in 1921. By 1948, eighteen species in fifteen genera were found in the Islands, all of them introduced since 1778. Zimmerman ( 1 9 4 8 ) : 77, 84. 88, 9 1 - 9 4 .

Fleas Fleas ('uku) were probably brought to Hawai'i by the early settlers. O n e flea is known to be a parasite of the Polynesian rat. More aggressive varieties of fleas were introduced by European or A m e r i c a n ships sometime before 1809. Called 'ukulele

(leaping

flea) by the Hawaiians, they soon infested huts, caves, and interisland schooners. Hardy ( 1 9 6 0 ) : 17; HJH

(1971): 59-74.

Fruit Flies In 1895, the melon fly was accidentally introduced from the Orient and was soon regarded the most destructive pest of vegetable crops in the Islands. T h e Mediterranean fruit fly reached Hawai'i from Australia about 1907 and quickly became a notorious hazard to soft-pulped fruits. Late in World War II, the Oriental fruit fly arrived, apparently from Saipan, and replaced the Mediterranean, fruit fly in lowland areas. T h e Oriental fruit fly attacks almost a l l kinds of fruits and vegetables. Hardy ( 1 9 6 0 ) : 2 3 - 2 4 .

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A R T H R O P O D S

Mosquitoes N i g h t - b i t i n g mosquitoes were imported in water casks o n ships f r o m M e x i c o b e t w e e n 1826 and 1830. Two types of d a y - b i t i n g mosquitoes arrived later and were c o m m o n by t h e 1890s. H a r d y ( 1 9 6 0 ) : 1 8 - 2 0 . B a r r o t ( 1 9 7 8 ) : 7 2 . B a r r o t d a r e d t h e f i r s t m o s q u i t o in

1822.

Scorpions Scorpions were first recorded in Hawai'i in 1829. Barrot (1978): 72.

Termites All four of t h e termites found in t h e Islands are immigrants. Hawai'i's earliest arrival, evidently before 1869, was t h e dry-wood termite. T h e lowland-tree termite and forest-tree termite were first recorded in 1883. A subterranean termite was discovered in 1907 or earlier. Z i m m e r m a n ( 1 9 4 8 ) : 159, 165, 169.

171-172.

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