The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-12-10
THE FIRE BELL.

An alarm of fire rung out from
the Bell tower u few minutes after
nine o'clock, last evening, and was
repeated until the whole brigade
was out. Engine Co. No. 2, the
Volunteer boys and Pacific Hose
Company had been out for drill dur
ing the evening. So close was the
call for active service upon the re-
turn from practice that the horses
had just been unhitched from the
engine when the clang of the bell
overhead caused an immediate hitch
ing up again, and the bell had
scarcely done giving the alarm when
the engine was being towed at full
gallop down the street towards the
Pacific Navigation Company's build
ing on Queen street. A volume of
smoke oozing out at the end of the
ridge between the roof and the small
pediment on the front of the build
ing was the only visible sign of fire,
but was sufficient to indicate that it
was located somewhere in the upper
stories. The Volunteer boys were
the first to have hose out, but the
Pacific Hose Company got first wa
ter, at the Old Corner, and was
quickly followed by Engines No. 2,
No. l taking water from the ocean,
and No. 4, at the corner of Nunanu
and Merchant streets.
The building being effectually
closed with iron shutters and doors,
the grand difficulty, at the outset,
was to decide where to begin opera
tons. The smoke indicated fire in
the attic. The third floor is reached
by an outside stairway, on the land
ing of which body of hose men
and Hook & Ladder men
took up their position. From this
balcony, the roof was reached, and
axes were Immediately in requisi-
ton cutting hole in the roof which
was after time effected. Mean
while, another gang of ope-
rators attacked the iron door on
the landing, and after great deal
of difficulty, succeeded in wrench
ing it off, and thus gaining access
to the third floor. The hose having
been got in through the roof and
the door, the drenching ont of the
flames was only matter of few
minutes. The engines had all the
while been playing water on the
roof and at every point where it
seemed to be needed. An eXamina-
ton of the premises this morning,
leads to the belief that the fire origi-
mated pretty close under the caves
on the fourth or attic floor, spread
up over the timbers of the roof, and,
a hole being burned through the
floor, falling Goals ignited the fourth
floor below. On both floors, the
principal damage is done on the
Eva side, but the timbers under
the corrugated iron of the roof are
pretty generally charred, some of
them being burned through. Work
men were engaged yesterday in re-
pairing sails on the third floor, and,
on leaving, took away the key,
which accounted for the necessity
of wrenphing off the door.
1t is impossible to estimate the
damage correctly, as it probably
lies about half and half between the
fire and the water. The ground
floor was occupied by the COM
pany's Office, the editorial office of
the Kuohoo, Rev. IL. IL. Parker S
paper, and a large wareroom in
which was stored Q lot of grain,
etc. On the second floor was q
considerable variety OF goods, shir
chandlery, potatoes, calabashes,
oars, etc. On the third floor was
piled, on the Waikiki side, couple