The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-10-23
HALF A MILLION
Goes Up in Flames in the
Bush-Street COnfagration.
Total Destruction of II. S.
Crocker 81 Co.'S Stock.
How Firemen Healey and Hannah Net
Their Death-List OF the In
jured-The Insurance.

liable service as they were at an early
hour yesterday morning, when the alarm
sounded from station 81 at 2:1O o'clock
The fire laddie5 responded with alacrity,
but little did they anticipate the amount
of labor they were called upon to perform.
Engine Company No. ? and the patrol
wagon were the first to arrive upon the
scene of the conhegration, in the five
story brick building, Nos 2I5 to PIG Bush
street, occupied By Ii. S. Croker & Co.
importing Stationers, book binders lltho
graphers and printers. The glare could
be seen in an area which separated the
burning structure from the business
houses fronting on SansOme street. There
was no Waterman on the premises. nor
was there any one who could exactly To-
cate the flames. The t1remen commenced
their work by bringing the PatterinR ram
Of truck No. in contact with the front
door which soon gave way before their
concentrated efforts. A thick volume of
smoke poured out upon them, but they
rushed in and fought their way to the
the basement. where it had become appar-
emit that the flames were raging tiercely.
They CROPPED their way through flame and
smoke into the basement beioW and under
Thomas Sands managed to play a stream
upon the blazing mass. It was soon evi:
dent, however, that there was earnest and
dangerous work before them. and at the
tnstigation of Chief Scannen second and
general alarm was turned in by Captain
Russell White Of the Fire Petrol. In the
mean time streams were INTRODUCED into
the burning building from various points
Of vantage. A hose was brought through
the waiting room and billiard-hall of the
Occidental Hotel and carried to the rear
OF the burning building.
TWO FIREMEN's FATE.
The lines of hose of Engines and 10
opened 8 way to the fire from the hat
importing establishment Of Friedlander s.
Koch, at Nos. q and % Sansome street,
and fought the raging element with two
the basement, where Engineer Sands,
searching for the nucleus of the fire. OBJ
served that the timbers supporting the
floor above were being rapidly consumed
saw that there was danger ahead, and
Quickly notified the Chief. The latter, in
6tentorian tones, warned the mon OF the
S SSSRg ts sn1 orer but u eae too ate
The floor at the rear end OF the store,
whore Q large, heavy safe was located,
suddenly gave way. Precipltating two
dron below. The victims of the ter
rible disaster were Martin Hannah
and Peter Healey, the former Fore.
man and the latter an extraman OF
Engine No. 4. Shortly before they were
called in to relieve two men at the hose,
and were not in the building more
than two minutes when their CHIEF gave
the signal to retreat. An EXAMINER re,
porter who was present at the time heard
them distinctly cry for help as they disap-
peared in the flame and smoke that shot
up from below when the burning floor fell
with q crash. Thenames OF the victims were
published exclusively in yesterday morn
fnR's EXAMINER, notwithstanding the fact
that it was after A. NJ. when the brave
men met their doom. The news OF their
and many Of them rushed to the scene,
despite the suffooating flame and smoke,
TO lend assistance, with the hope of saving
their unfortunate comrades. Ladders and
ropes we're lowed into the basement, but
it was impossible to rescue them, as they
must have been burned into cinders
within very short time. at the time OF
the frightful disaster they were standing
in the rear of the building. over the
enginerooms, whore it is supposed the fire
originated, and when the floor sank pc
meath them they must have fell headlohg
into the basement. The scene which FOL
lowed this catastrophe was one CT intense
excitement, and many others escaped
similar fate only with the assistance OF
their companions, who nObly risked their
own lives to save them.
THE TWO VICTIMS.
The two men that persisted in tho flames
were highly popular among their com
rades and the entire department, but par
ticularly the members OF Engine Com
pany No. deeply mourn their loss. Peter
Healey was unmarried, but as his father
and mother were dead, family OF seven
children depended upon him for their sup.
port. Martin Hannah leaves wife and
one child. His fate is peculiarly pathetic
from the condition of his wife-another
child is expected to-day. He was harness
maker by trade, and Healey was can,
maker. A fireman states that he heard
Healey cry for an axe to cut his way OUT,
and it is supposed that he was crushed be
meath the heavy safe that fell with the
floor.
AS the fire progressed. each of the FIVE
ehoF IN 10
came down successfully, making up
massive pile of debris, consisting OF stock,
presses and machinery. When the mass
of goods stored on the second MOOR was
added as fresh fuel to the fire, the heat be-
came so intense that it was almost impos-
sible to remain near the building. Inc
flames rushed upward, oonVertlng the
four walls of the doomed structure
into q huge furnace. The powerful ele-
ment burst through windows ana doors,
making rapid Roadway to the upper
stories, finally licking their way through
the roof and ascending high into the ar
ribbing the horizon with bars ehulgent.
1t was about this time thai the guests
rooming in the rear portion OF the Occl-
dental Hotel began to think {hat some
unusually kind porter was turning on the
heating apparatus in their rooms In an
ticipation of u cold morning
SAVING THE OCCIDENTAL.
In fact it was becoming so warm that
some of them actually arose from theIr
warm DeQ Tor the PURPOSE VI AS4NOSLlhB
the porter to retire to the antipodes. But
their astonishm ent can scarcely be pictured
when they discovered the Dlaze pursuing
into the heavens. But their peItuoatioh
was greater when they attempted to raise
the windows and burned their fingers In
doing so. All the guests in the hotel were
soon astir and there was great danger OF
peare6 ia the Railways. and By their pres
enoe Of mind subdued the momentary sx
element. J. A. Irwin, one OF the
night clerks; deserted his customary Gus nary
appeared in the role OF a daring fire
laddie. He led number OF porters TO the
rear of the hotel, where the names were
beginninR to consume the outer wall di
reotly over the kitchen. Several buckets
of water and a stream from the hotel hose
did effective work, and the blaze was soon
under control.
frightened up all the surrounding thor
ou9hfares, and attracted an immense
crowd of people to the scene. Several
streams were directed upon the ire from
the Bush-street side, while an equal mum.
Der poured In from the rear and from the
stores fronting on Sansome street. 1t WA
not long before the roof gave way and fell
with Tremendous crash. Chief ScanneL
then ordered the streams to be turned on
the blazing ruins, which was done
throughout the day aud night.
WISE Law.
II eysr IL has been doubted that the
Buildings s6rroundlng the burnt structure
were fre-proof. that doubt has surely been
diSsipatAd since the condagration. The
new Eureka Building, belonging to 9. w.
SoEenstock, and Immediately adjoining
the scene Of the catastrophe, was practical
arated from the fire by single wall. Il
was so slightly affected by the heat that
the plasterers resumed their work at the
usual hour in the morning. The same
NAV he said of the surrounding buildings.
They were not injured in the least BY
the IRE, and the only damage sus-
tanned by the. occupants was from
the water that flooded their Easements
windows, This IL an excellent argument
In favor OF the municipal ordinance. that
provides for the erection of IRE proof
me surrounding walls were FIRE proof, il
Ennld- haEa haan utterly imnassihla 70