NEWS FROM HAWAII.

Hokitika Guardian, 15 December 1925, Page 1

NEWS FROM HAWAII.

JEWELS FROM KING’S CROWN. THE “GREATEST” EXTINCT VOLCANO. HONOLULU, November G. After resting in the vaults of the archives of Hawaii since 1905 in more or less of a battered condition, the crown of Hawaii, last worn by King Kalakaua, lias been restored to beauty. Last January the commissioners of the archives broke the seals on the leather ease containing the royal headpiece and examined the contents. They found that the crown was badly battered and twisted, and that several of its beautiful gems had been removed. Tracing back records it was found that, in 1893, after the overthrow of the monarchy, a man named Ryan, a regular in the enlisted forces of the new Government, had discovered the leather ease in a room attached to that of the former royal chamberlain. He broke the lock and stripped the. crown of many of its gems. According to the history of the ease the largest diamond was sent b.v Ryan to a woman friend in Missouri. It was later recovered by the Attorney-Gen-eral of Hawaii, through the Attorney'Gcneral of Missouri. The theft remained a mystery for some time, until detectives found a paper containing 2500 dollars worth of diamonds in Ryan’s room. A story was afterwards current that Ryan had used some of the jewels as stakes in “seven-comc-eleven.” Ryan was arrested, tried and convicted. Ho later escaped from prison, but, was recaptured and deported.

The 1925 territorial legislature appropriated 350 dollars for the restoration of the crown. This has been done with “synthetic” gems, but nevertheless the former beauty and glory of it seems to have returned. After a public exhibition of the crown in a Honolulu jeweller’s window, it was again placed in the archives building on the eapitol grounds. GREAT EXTINCT VOLCANO. Surveys to determine the right-of-way for a road which will extend to the summit of Haleakala. the world’s largest extinct volcano, located on the island of Maui, have begun under (lie supervision of Federal engineers.' The highway will he constructed entirely with federal money and will he a feature of the general plans for the improvement of the road system through Hawaii National Park, of which llaleakala crater is a. part. Superintendent Thomas Boles, of the Hawaii National Park, recently made a trip to the- great, crater with Government engineers for the purpose of establishing lookout posts. Haleakala is one of Hawaii’s scenic masterpieces. It towers 10,032 feet above the sea and possesses a crater 19 miles in circumference. It is filled with smaller ones, some of which rise to a height of 1000 feet, formed long ago by great lava fountains. Clouds, which continually hang over the crater, are responsible lor startling phenomena at sunrise and sunset, and it is the spectacles so caused that have thrilled thousands of visitors, and which are responsible for the Federal Government establishing the great highway.

The east Maui mountain has been characterised as having three distinct climates. At the bottom it is typically Hawaiian, where rolling surf lashes warm beaches. Halfway up the climate is cooler and has been referred to as “ Arizona climate,” while at the summit the atmosphere is known as

■ Rocky Mountain climate.” as it is generally between 30 and 38 degrees, while sometimes snow falls there.

Residents of Hawaii have hailed with delight the beginning of the Haleakala highway construction, as it is bringing about a development which has long been asked for.

UNDESIRABLE” ALIENS. Type-setters in Honolulu are report oil to be in a bad humour.

Following the receipt of the news that the Assistant-Secretary of Labour had found Lcicusszuieuszesszcs AVillihiminiixzissteizziteizzi, of Folsom, California, to be an undesirable alien, there came the news of the birth of a Hawaiian babv in one of the districts of Honolulu, whose parents saw fit to name Ruth Kepilihalenkclninnnlii Mika Hopeni Hoomanawanui.

Tourists who recently returned from a trip to the crater of Maleaknla, brought back reports of seeing the famous Brocken spectacle two days in succession. The phenomenon is considered a rare one, and the fact that it was seen twice in a short period of time adds to the story’s interest.

While standing on the rim of the. crater, the tourist saw their own images surrounded by brilliant colours, reflected in gigantic proportions ill the cloud banks.

The Hawaiian crater is one of the few places in the world where the spectacle occurs.