Transport by Ship (1878-1920)
Transporting sugar and people to and from Hakalau Landing was very dangerous.
The Landing:
Photo captured from movie dated 1924 from the Ford Educational Library, available through the National Archives, courtesy of Emi Uemura
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The Ships:
Photo courtesy of Wayne Subica, Hawaii Plantation Museum
The business risks associated with transporting sugar by ship were significant.
Loading and Unloading Sugar and People:
The Hawaiian Gazette, March 22, 1895, page 8, accessed via Newspapers.com
The Honolulu Advertiser, July 25, 1906, page 3, accessed via Newspapers.com
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Hoisting a passenger using a breeches buoy at Hakalau Landing. Photo PP28-11-004 from the Hawaii State Archives, date unknown.
Hilo Tribune Herald, September 4, 1919, accessed via Newspapers.com.
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In a 1989 letter written to the former Ramona Ross*, the transport of both people and cargo is described:
"Breeches buoy" is a a term I haven't heard before. I've gotten different descriptions of the mechanism that was used to transport people to and from that [Hakalau] landing. Aunty Kate and Aunty Caryrie Patten (when she was pregnant with Eleanor) both have described being in a kind of cage or box. Erling Hedemann has a marvelous picture of a crane-like arrangement hoisting cargo from boat (not sure whether it was large steamer or small boat) to landing, with a Hawaiian riding on top of the netted cargo, as it's suspended in mid-air. But I think the cranes is different from what people rode.
*Ramona, called Mona, was the daughter of William Ross, Hakalau Store manager from 1902-1935(?). Ramona was probably about 18-20 years old in 1935 when her family moved away from Hakalau.
Transport by Rail (1920-1946)
The transition from transport by ship to transport by rail required building two new reinforced concrete warehouses in a different location from the previous warehouse near the Hakalau Landing. Transporting sugar by rail began October 1, 1920.
Hakalau Plantation's reinforced concrete warehouses. Photos courtesy of the University of Hawaii-Manoa Hamilton Library, Hawaiian Collection, Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association Plantation Archives.
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, March 27, 1920, page 4, accessed via Newspapers.com
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Honolulu Star-Bulletin, November 13, 1920, page 1, accessed via Newspapers.com
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The Hawaii Consolidated Railway also provided passenger service to Hakalau.
Hilo Tribune Herald, October 22, 1919, accessed via Newspapers.com.
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Hilo Tribune Herald, October 24, 1919, accessed via Newspapers.com.
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Transport by Truck (1946-1974 when the mill closed)
The Tsunami of 1946 ended the era of transport by railroad. Building roads and purchasing trucks became the priority for the plantation. Within a few days of the tsunami, an article appeared in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin explaining the impact on the transportation and storage systems:
