The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-02-20
FIRE

Quite a serious fire took place in Homo
lulu yesterday morning, by which two
dwellings were destroyed, and two others
injured.
few minutes after o'clock in the morn
ing the alarm was sounded from the Station
house, followed by the ringing of the bell on
the Fire Tower. At the same time thick,
black smoke was seen rising into the air
from somewhere near the Y. NJ. C. A. Build
ing. The engines were quickly on the spot,
and at work. The fire was in the second
story of new dwelling-house that was but
just finished, and hardly occupied. 1t was
owned by Mr.. Vale, who also occupied the
adjoining building. Both stood on Alakea
street, short distance below Hotel street.
By the time the fre-engines reached the
spot the upper story of the building in
which the fire originated was burning
fiercely, and at first it seemed as though
nothing could prevent the total destruction
of it, as well as the houses on each side.
Engine Company No. 2 was the first to get
a stream on, they attaching their hose to
a hydrant while getting up steam. No.
was on the ground as soon as any, and got
up steam, and had a stream on the fire next.
No. 2 also had steam in a very few minutes,
and China Company No. was also quickly
at work The sc Hooks - were on hand
very promptly, and, while the Department
was doing their best to subdue the flames, u
crowd of volunteers were hard at work car
rying articles from the burning buildings.
We say 1" buildings for in very minutes
after the first fire was discovered, the house
standing next to the one where the fire
started was also on fire in the second story.
The two buildings stood very close to each
other, and were both used as lodging
/ houses.
! Adjoining the first house, on the upper
] side, is a small cottage occupied by Mr..
| Sorrenson. The roof of this cottage was on
! fire dozen times, but as the fire boys had
mounted the roof with pipe, they kept the
building from being DIES troyed.
At first the same fearless men had
climbe on TO the front veranda of the house
where the fire started, and though they
were driven away by the heat they stuck
to their work there long enough to keep the
fire from working down on to the first floor.
It was the same with the adjoining house.
The fire destroyed the upper story, but
could do no more. The powerful streams
that were kept turned upon the buildings
soon mastered the flames, and in twenty
minutes from the time the first alarm was
sounded the fire was we'll under control,
and in few minutes more was completely
extinguished.
During the progress of the fire, the pretty
cottage near the second house that was
burnt, was in great danger. But Messrs.
Henry Warehouse, John Lucas and Willie
Foster got on to the roof, and by means Of
buckets of water, which were passed up to
them, they kept the roof from being burnt
On the upper side of the burning buildings
the premises known as the Brown" estate
was in equal danger. The dry shingles Of
the roof were on fire several times, but were
wet down by a stream from the roof of the
cottage of Mr.. Sorrenson. Quite a quantity
of furniture was rescued from the rooms OF
the ground floor of the burned houses, and
all that was in Mr.. Sorrensons cottage
, The cabinet shop of Mr.. Wicke, on the op
posite side of the street from the fire. was
, scorched, but was kept from burning by tbs
= stream from garden hose.
/ The fire must have originated from the
e fire in cook stove that was in use in the
second story of the first building burned
: Mr.. and Mrs. Vale were in the garden il
front of the house when smoke was seen
issuing from the upper windows. Upor
running up the stairs, the whole room
; seemed to be in a blaze. Both the burned
! dwellings were new, the one in which the
fire originated being, in fact, barely finished