The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1871-11-25

but the two wounded men were safely removed.
The pipe was again seized, and then it was found
that the few minutes lost by this accident had
enabled the fire to spread, 50 that the destruction
of the whole block was imminent.
Meanwhile the engine thar had been working
on the original fire, had been moved down Mauna-
kea street tits place being taken by the Hose
Company through Hotel street and Smiths lane
into a yard in which stood a Roman Catholic
school house. From this point they, being rein
forced by the Household troops, (who were Or
dered out as soon as the fire assumed serious pro-
~portione) played steadily upon the blazing build
ings, but in spite of all their efforts the flames
crept down the Maunakea ,ont, until the whole
row was a mass of flames. 1t was astonishing
to see how quickly the fire ran from one light
structure to another, fed by the wind. and the
numberless little structures that spread like a
lace work over the whole square. Soon the posi-
ton of those at work near the school house
spoken of became one of real peril as behind
them the lane was ablaze on both sides and the
hall, now one mass of fire, seemed to threaten to
fall momentarily. Preparing for a dash through
the narrow space left next the hall, the ropes
were seized, and with a rush they started. AS
the leading men passed into Hotel street, the
half consumed hall fell with a terrific crash, and
as the fremen recoiled from beneath the falling
timbers, one side of the building came down
upon the engine. In a moment a hose that had
been playing on the buildings opposite, was
directed upon the burning mass, and the Hook Il
Ladder men with the soldiers quickly released
the machine. Then, though the ropes were
found to be burnt off, the heavy machine was
forcibly dragged over the smoking debris into
Hotel street, where. upon examination, one OF
the brakes was found to be broken, and the
machine rendered almost powerless. Ordering it
to be dragged away to where it could be re-
paired, the Chief Engineer turned his attention to
the buildings on the east side of Nuuanu street.
The Marshal, who was early on the ground, had
distributed the police force and citizens wherever
their assistance seemed to be most needed, and
they had been hard at work removing valuables,
helping at the engines, dragging hose, and in
fact, doing all and everything to check the con-
hagration, that now threatened not only to de-
stroy the two blocks IN which it was raging, but
to extend to the opposite side of Nuuanu street.
From the very commencement of the fire,
buckets had been called for, and lines formed
from different points to the burning buildings.
Liz ulIICultJ ttlcHuhut uIOh SClIliS d ulHClcuL
supply of buckets was very great but few of the
buildings were supplied with the required num-
Der, and of those on hand many were found to
have become 80 dry, or rusted as to almost fall to
pieces upon being handled. And at the last
moment it was discovered that we had no supply
of water available save that obtained by opening
the small taps attached to houses. and that there
ran but a small stream in consequence Of the
drawing off OF the water through the fire plugs.
As there were no hydrants, it was found imprac-
ticable to fill the buckets, and so, when the supply
was exhausted from a large tank that was located
near the corner of Hotel and Nuuanu streets,
the buckets were thrown one side as useless and
people gazed almost ~helplessly upon the rapidly
increasing torrent of flames, in which the
streams from the engines and hose fell without
any visible effect. The whole of the square in
which the fire had originated was one sea of fame,
the next block contained a few buildings that
were not yet ignited, and on the east side of
Maunakea street the buildings (mostly stores)
were rapidly yielding to the fierce heat, and
bursting into flames. All this while the gale
continued to rage from the north and west, and
soon it became evident that unless a gap could
be made somewhere in the track of the fire, suff-
NlOh"J WIN " sup = LuitLhCI PIOSICco, Oiltbb IL
would sweep to the wharves. Accordingly the
Marshal headed one party and the Governor
another, and they all, with might and main,
began to demolish the buildings lying to leeward
of the general line of fire. In this work they
were able to render great assistance to the Hook
& Ladder Company. As day had begun to dawn,
the light enabled men to look into each others
haggard faces, and read there, a determination to
do all that lay in their power to restrain the
raging fend that, aided by the wind, swept on
with headlong speed. But alas, the efforts Of
those engaged in destroying buildings were rem
dered futile by the combustible nature of the
material used in their construction for, though
they might tear down the houses, still, unless the
heaped up piles of timber were removed, the
flames seized on them with almost as much
avidity as on the buildings still left standing.
And now, the fire having burnt through all the
houses to King street on the east side of Nuuanu,
a determined effort was made to prevent it from
leaping over to the wooden Station House oppo-
s;ac BY bringing all the hose to bear, they sue
ceeded, and the fire burnt itself out in this direc-
ton without crossing the street. The whole
force was then directed to a point near the north
east corner of Hotel and Nuuanu, where a fire.
proof store checked the progress of the flames
through Hotel street. On the southeast corner.
however, a large building 1.-TWO story used as a
saloon and BOWL alley. was seized upon, and
the fire quickly communicated to the range of
stores and sheds adjoining, and finally ignited
the roof of the g international, . a large building
standing rather alone in the yard behind the
saloon. By this time e o'clock A. N.Y. the
entire male population of the city had assembled
to render what assistance they could, and many
thoughtful ones anne loaded down with refresh
ments for the exhausted fremen.
cannot attempt, my dear friend, to describe to
you the terrible feelings of anxiety with which we
watched the devastating course of the apparently
Unsuitable fire nor how earnestly we prayed for