The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-09-15
A DANGEROUS FIRE.
BLAZING GASOLINE IN A WOODEN
BUILT QUARTER.

About 11.2O O. clock this forenoon
commotion started on Queen street,
and in the EXPLANATIONS of q run
ming crowd could be heard the word
"fire!" From the door of this
office could be seen flames issuing
from Geo. w. Macfarlane & Co.'s
storage yard, corner of Queen and
Richards streets, opposite Mrs.
Singers bakery. The fire bells
were soon changing, followed speedi-
ly by the ding-dong of hose reels
and engines fastening to the spot.
Engine Co. No. 1 were on the ground
with their machine in about five
minutes, and, taking their station at
the plug on Richards, near Mer-
chant street, got first water on the
flames, so far as the department was
concerned. Pacific Hose Company
was quickly at the scene on Queen
street, attaching their hose to the
plug, corner of Alakea street. That
Anticipated device was possessed of
the stubbornness of it's kind, how
ever, and for full fifteen minutes
resisted the most strenuous Juggling,
jerking and twisting of the hose
men, some of whose hands and arms
were bruised and bleeding before
the recalcitrant screw was started.
China and Mechanic Engine Com
panies also came by way of Queen
street, but happily their services
were not required. Before any
water from the brigade reached the
flames, Mrs. Singer had rushed
across the street and heroically piled
bucket, and with good effect, as
sisted by three or four native work.
men employed in the yard. The
men might have done better service,
had they not been in panic, by
making use of garden hose and
faucet at hand.
The food of the flames was gaso-
line, large quantity of which was
stored in the yard. A small shed,
some boxes, and piece of fence
were thoroughly charred, and few
trees had their foliage withered.
Something like one hundred gallons
of the intiammable fluid was de-
stroyed. The fire originated in this
wise: Workmen were filling - gal
lon cans with the gasoline from large
tanks holding 120 gallons. Mr..
James Mott was engaged in sealing
the filled cans with solder. His
small soldering furnace was at the
foot of declivity, at the summit
of which was the tank being pumped.
BY some means a can was upset
and, rolling down the incline, shed
its contents on the fire. Instantly
the tinsmith found himself in the
midst of deluge of flames, and it
is astonishing that he escaped with
whole skin and garments. In few
moments everything iniammable on
the spot was blazing, and flames
from half-a-doZen unsealed cans of
the fluid united in broad sheets Of
fire, that leaped skyward and threat
ened to involve the neighboring
buildings in a conaagration. The
gathering crowd, being aware of the
dangerous nature of the combusti-
bles in the yard, stood at more res
pcctful distance from the fire than is
usual on such occasions. They re-
treated still further, not standing
upon the order of their going, when
a furious burst of flame went roar
ing higher than the topmost branches
of the trees. This squirt was occa-
stoned by the fire catching the rem
nant of gasoline in the large tank,
causing it to 60 off in a flash and
hurl the pump from the bunghole
high into the air. Besides this, the
contents of six of the IL gallon cans
were consumed, some of them going
off with a good deal of force.
There were stored in the yard, al
the time the fire started, fourteen
large tanks of 1870 gallons, and fifty
cans of IL gallons. Usually NJ
more than ten tanks are in tina
place, but consignment of four
teen tanks arrived by the brig w
G.. Irwin yesterday. They were il
a leaking condition, and hence it wa
decided to transfer their contents Il
the smaller reccptacles-the opera
ton that resulted so disastrously.