The Hawaii’n Corner
EHRENFELS / ST.GEORG / ENTERPRISE 1882
The first EHRENFELS (the company owned six ships with this name at different times), was a 2,315 gross
ton ship, length 303.6ft x beam 35.8ft,single screw and rigged for sail. Built by Wigham Richardson &
Co,Newcastle-on-Tyne, she was launched in March 1882 for the Hansa Line of Bremen. In 1892 she was
lengthened by AG Weser, Bremen to 322.8ft, 2,593 gross tons. Sold to ampsch.Act.Ges. Albis, Hamburg in
1898, she was renamed ST.GEORG. In 1900 she was sold to Heinrich Diederichsen, Kiel and in July 1901
was resold to the Matson Navigation Co (USA) and renamed ENTERPRISE. Laid up at Antioch, Calif. in
1926, she eventually left San Francisco on 21st Apr.1937 for Osaka for breaking up. Put back to S.F.with
engine trouble and finally left for Osaka, Japan on 24th April. 31st May 1937 arrived Osaka for scrapping.
[Deutsche Dampschifffahrts-Gesellschaft "HANSA" by Leonard Grey, World Ship Society 1967]
In
1901
(Captain
William)
Matson
realized
his
dream
of
owning
a
steamer
by
purchasing
the
2,675
(sic)
ton,
coal
fired
ST.
GEORGE
(built
in
England
in
1882
as
the
EHRENFELS)
and
renaming
her
the
ENTERPRISE.
He
did
not
spell
out
his
reasons
for
converting
her
to
the
Pacific's
first
oil-burning
steamer,
but
he
did
so
after
talking
with
Captain
John
Barneson,
a
Scottish
clipper
ship
captain
and
natural
proselytist.
Barneson
had
sailed
the
South
Pacific
and
had
come
ashore
to
drool
over
the
California
supplies
of
fuel
oil
that
had
been
known
since
Indians
used
the
crude
in
basketry.
The
state
production
in
1900
was
about
9,000
barrels
a
year.
As
skipper
of
the
transport
ARIZONA
and
superintendent
of
transports
for
the
U.S.
government
at
San
Francisco
during
the
Spanish-American
War,
Barneson
had
tried
unsuccessfully
to
convince
both
the
U.S.
Navy
and
civilian
shipowners
of
the
advantages
of
oil
for
fuel
at
sea.
His
theory:
'Three
and
a
half
barrels
of
petroleum
can
do
the
work
of
one
ton
of
coal.
You
can
buy
oil
from
thirty
to
sixty
cents
a
barrel
while
coal
costs
an
average
off
seven
dollars
a
ton.
It
is
high
time
to
make
a
change.'
Matson
agreed.
Fuel
tanks
and
oil
burners
under
the
boilers
were
simple
to
install
and
created
invaluable
advantages
in
deadweight,
space,
cleanliness,
and
reduced
manpower
needs.
The
ENTERPRISE,
used
on
a
Panama-California
run
before
joining
the
Hilo
bound
fleet,
trailed
oil
fumes
instead
of
coal
smoke;
and
a
new
age
in
Pacific
shipping
had
begun.
Official
recognition
of
the
revolution,
however,
was
slow
to
come.
The
ENTERPRISE
had
to
make
three
trips
to
the
islands
before
Matson
could
obtain
a
change
in
government
requirements
that
every
steamship
must
have
a
crew
of
coal
passers.
During those trips the coal passers rode but had no coal to pass."
Cargoes - Matson's First Century in the Pacific, William L. Worden, Univ. ( Press of Hawaii, 1981)
Henri William Bissen
born Sept 18 in 1856 Brachtenbach ? (Lux) died April 22 1911 ( Honolulu)
1 Married Kaeha Pa’akaula Lilia
Kids - Henry - Bertha Virginia - Joseph - Lucy
2 Married Luaehu Victoriy Kaleialoha July 31 1897
Kids - William John - Thomas Francis - John Jack - Anne Marie
John Louis - Matha Kim
GERMANS ( and Luxemburgers ) IN HAWAII
Source: Hörmann, Bernard Lothar. Germans in Hawaii. [Honolulu] : German Benevolent Society, c1989
"The Germans who came to Hawaii were nearly all from Northern Germany." The Northern
Germans were known for such characteristics as being Protestant, restrained, intellectual and a
wage earner. Southern Germans were known for such characteristics as being Catholic,
enthusiastic, emotional and peasants. "Probably less than a hundred altogether came from
Southern Germany." This was mainly because Northwestern Germany has the largest seaports.
"A number of the laborers who came to Hawaii had worked in the fertilizer and cigar factories in
Nienburg, Verden, and other Hanoverian cities. Nienburg, almost as much as Bremen, should be
considered the headquarters of the movement to Hawaii... A large number of Germans in Hawaii
claim it or some village in its immediate vicinity as their home."
Henri William Bissen came on a Steamboat ( Ehrenfels ) to Maui .
Records shows that a “Henri Bissen” was on the Ship “FRANCE” from Bremerhafen via Liverpool to
New York where he arrived in June 13 1871 , at the age of 15 , than he arrived in Maui on the “Ehrenfels”
. He use to work for the Water Company of Maui , than he moved to Honolulu . He was for many years a
Resident of Wailujku having been employed on the Kahulu Railway as a Motorman . He was by trade an
engine driver and been so employed by the Contractors Chamber on the YMCA Building.
On April. 22 1911 at 8 o’clock in the morning , he fell to the ground and passed the way in the Patrol
Wagon
( born 1856 an Death 1911 at 65 years )
