The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1872-10-19

The illustrated papers have conveyed some idea
Of the appearance add terrific grandeur Of The IRE
AZ Hunters Point. late il July last, when some oil
works we're burned with other property. besides
wharvcz. oil ships and canal boats. The whole at
fair resulted from the carelessne-- % a man on a
canal boat. loaded with oil. IN lighting bis pipe IN
q confined space where OF was stored. The gas
ignited and an explosion ensued- The occupants
q the boat barely escaped When the whole boat
Was puy-lOped ia flames a dense black cloud arose,
and a- ;Le fire increased aud grew hotter. spread
Gk- a vast curtain over the sea The fire literally
l-aped from point 10 point. driving al opposition
before d.. and within q half hour Of th- start the
whole works were Is boiling mass Of fame and
smoke. Between twenty and thirty vessels Of all
characters were h~uTriediy cut adrit and h0ated into
iLe stream. when the tugs seized upon them and
were conveyed 10 places Of safety bus several c.
nal bOats briggs ard "A sbip were enyr.Oped before
aid arrived, and 20 were lost.
The Fire Department 81 Long Island city and As
toria were promptly on hand. but long before they
could be- Of service the region Was a raging vol
canO. Tanks Of oil and uaphtha we've surrounded
and exploded. every new one sending up long
tongues Of fire aud curling twisting suils OF dense
black smoke. The sight was one Of most impress
i've grandeur, and almost indescribable. a sea Of
fire rolled angrily inland, threatening destruction
to the network u OIL and other manu-
factories along the shore. together with the rail-
road depots and similar places, bat fortunately was
opposed By a ledge Of rocks which turned the cur
rent, so that il boiled and tossed back, covering the
wharyss. falling into the river. aud spreading a
carpet Of fame lar out on the water passing yes
sells shrunk away, and passed up and down the New
York side Of BiackWelis Island, but the steam tugs
and boat Seneca with fre engines on board. pushed
boldly into the midst Of the fire. sending torrents Of
water into burning vessels, but utterly without
eject. except to cause the oil 10 surge over the side
into the water.
Al last the canal boat whence the fire started
broke away and was carried by the rushing tide, up
the river and out through He'll Gate into the Sound.
where il finally WAS broken in pieces, after having
threatened with destruction two villages and many
vessels. IL had on board sixteen hundred barrels Of
crude oil, 90 that il can be seen that 1t was q volcano
aaOat- All efforts TO subdue the IRE were utterly
fruitless, but a good providence finally raised q wind
which turned away the clouds Of embers which had
fallen thick and fast into surrounding oil works.
Repeated offers Of assistance we're sent up by the
FIRE departments Of Brooklyn and New York, but
we're obs. inately refused. The reason being that the
Long Island City department - a volunteer one on
the old plan, and as inefficient as could be wished,
but finally as the fire seemed spreading, an order
was given by the New York Fire Marshal for a
steamer 70 20 over. Ii went, and on is arrival was
met by discharges Of stones and threats from the
brave fremen Of Hunters Point, 50 1t turned round
and went back with an injured fireman and en-
gineer. The vast cloud Of smoke gradually spread
over the whole city. the suns rays shining Though
dim and l1Tid. At night the scene was more grand
than ever. but the FIRE was subdued, or rather had
burned all the available material but still it burned
htfully for several days until "A day Of rain finally
killed the live embers and stayed the clouds of
smoke which had rolled upward increasingly for four
days.
Politics is the absorbing topic Of conversation, but
the position j., 10 say the least, peculiar. The Liberal
Republican party with Greedy for its candidate
seems to be gaining strength, but very likely the
election in November will prove much Of their ex-
pected strength is but shadowy, but the fact is that
the regular Republican party has ruled so long that
IL has become tyrannical, and a change would not be
at all injurious for the country. The great curse Of
the country is the present civil service system, and
il is not saying more than the truth TO say, that all
Of the strength Of the Government through the
thousands Of officers over the land was never so
strongly exerted as now, 10 ensure the reelection Of
Grant. But in another letter the political situation
will be more carefully reviewed, and some notice
taken OF the standing Of various papers, till then
adieu. o.. X.