These are excepts from newspaper articles at the time of Daca’s arrival in Hawaii.
The British bark, Daca, which arrived in this port Jan. 19, 1885 on Monday, 114 days from Madeira, there was received 313 Portuguese immigrants, men, women and children. Immediately upon her arrival, she was boarded by the Health Office, and all her people were found to be in good health and spirits. There were 46 stowaways on board, and during the passage from Madeira, there had been 5 births and only 1 death. Chief Clerk Hassinger, Mr. Atwater and Mr. Marcos perfected their arrangements during the day for the landing of the immigrants and the work will commence this morning.
The Hon. A.S. Cleghorn, Inspector General of immigrants, visited the vessel and inspected the immigrants and quarters. He expressed himself as highly pleased with the cleanliness of the vessel and he was of the opinion that it reflected credit upon the captain and officers. The Minister of the Interior has advertised for bids for the transportation of these people from the vessel to the Depot, and also for the food for them while under the Gov’t care. There are but 64 contract people in the lot. The Portuguese immigrants who arrived on the Daca on Monday were all transported to the Immigration Depot by 11:30 a.m. These people are a fine, healthy looking set, and as they almost all came as volunteer immigrants, their accestion (sic) to the population of the Island will be a beneficial one. The work was done under the personal supervision of M.E.C. Fishbourne, to whom the contract for their transportation and maintenance at the Depot was awarded.
The Royal Hawaiian Band played at the Immigration Depot Jan. 19, 1885, for the amusement of the newly arrived Portuguese immigrants that came on the steamship Daca. What with bustle attendant upon their settling into their quarters, the registration of individuals, and the music, the Depot was full of life. The presence of Senhor Conovarro, Portuguese Commissioner to the Immigration Depot daily, does much towards facilitating the work of shipping the people and provided for their numerous wants.
The contract forms for the use of the newly arrived immigrants of the ship Daca have been prepaid and great pains had been taken that the translation shall be exact and literal. This literalness was led to the use of a little odd, by no means ambiguous English in the Documents referred to. Four (4) laborers of the Portuguese immigrants that came on the Daca and accompanied with their families, making 15 souls all told were sent to Waiakea Mill Company from the Immigration Depot, January 22, 1885. They left on the Inter-island Lehua on January 27, 1887; the balance of the Portuguese immigrants per Daca were sent to their respective destinations via Onomea Sugar Co., 7 families (28 persons in all); Honokaa Sugar Co., 8 families, 34 persons total; Koloa Sugar Co., 14 families, 63 persons total, and 2 stowaways; Ookala Sugar Co., 10 families, 50 persons total; Olowalu Sugar Co., 5 families, 19 persons total; whole number shipped: 186 persons.
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The above are excerpts from the ships log as the Portuguese made their journey to the Sandwich Isles, Terra Nova, Hawaii. Taken from the Pacific Commercial Advertiser. On microfilm at the Hawaii State Library.
Thank you to Sandy Sakai for this contribution.
© 2003-2021 Melody Lassalle