The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1888-06-12
FIRE DEPARTMENT ELECTION,
The TIckes CrOssed-WiIsOn. A CHI
and Norton Elected.

Monday night week, the election Of
Engineers OF the Honolulu Fire Depart
ment took place at the house OF Mechanic
Engine Co. No. 2. A string of colored
lanterns across Union street adorned
while needlessly marking the poll. Off
GERS of election were: Mr.. Henry
Smith, Chairman; Mr. NJ N Kennedy,
Clerk; Messrs. H. w. Aud and Lau
Chong, Tellers.
Under an article adopted by the Board
of Representatives last year, only fifty
members from each Of the six companies
in the Department were allowed to vote.
Several members OF different companies,
including some of the oldest veterans of
the Department, were thus deprived OF
the franchise The quota from their
companies had voted before they came
to the poll, and an artist would have
found subjects for his pencil in the dis
gust or resignation on their faces as they
walked away. China Engine Co. No. 5
and Pacific Hose Co. No. were in that
order the first companies fully polled
HOOK and Ladder Co. shortly afterward
had their fftieth man recorded. About
half an hour before the closing of the
poll Engine Co. No. completed its tale,
and in another quarter of an hour the
last man of No. 2 cast his ballot. At
four minutes to the close, four men of
Engine No. were entitled to vote, but
the minutes passed without the men ap-
pearing, and at nine o'clock the Chair
man declared the poll closed.
All through the election the street in
front OF the poll was crowded, the soi-
darity of the many grouped throng being
only broken by the arrival of carriages
with voters. Although there was much
enthusiasm and orderly excitement
among the electioneerers, it would be hard
to say what parties or tickets were defn-
itely opposed to each other. That could
not be ascertained from the prediction
reports in the papers, for the companies
were holding special meetings almost to
the very eve OF the election, at which
tickets were shuffied and companies
divided not little over rival candidates.
Taking the two candidates for Chief
Engineer as q starting point, however, a
tolerably accurate view OF the field may
be obtained.
G. B. Wilson's original ticket had
associated with him for ret lection Frank
Hustace and Jas. F. Morgan, First and
Second Assistant Engineers respect
lively. Pacific Hose Co., leading the
opposition TO Wilson, nominated John
Mott against him, and at two successive
meetings different candidates for Assist
ants. Hook & Ladder Co. adopted Mott
for Chief at first, but changed to Julius
Asch. The latter declined to run when
he saw that it would put three candi-
dates for Chief in the field, and then the
Hooks swung round to Wilson. Then
Pacific Hose, standing by Mott, finally
chose Hustace and Morgan with him as
the best ticket to beat Wilson. Engine
Co. No. also metamorphoesd its ticket
variously, but held by Wilson as the
head throughout China Engine Co.
was 8 doubtful factor in calculations
until late hour.
There was concerted movement of
Wilson's opponents to give combined
nomination for Chief to Hustaee, but
the mass meeting at which this was to
be done, although success in point OF
numbers, ended in izzle with an UNI
completed ballot. Hustace and Morgan
stood almost with heroic loyalty by the
head of last years ticket, when, at the
declaration of their election as Assist
ants with Monsarrat as Chief, they an
nounced that the only man they would
serve under was Wilson with whom they
had run. That election proving abortive
they were gratifed by being again re-
turned, Wilson being this time in with
them. Their Joint career has been on
the surface harmonious, and until very
recently NOBODY would have dreamt but
that they would stand or fall together,
at this wears election, if all three chose
to come forward for reelection. But it
transpired to the iremen generally that
Morgan was considerably out of accord
with the Chief, and rightly or wrongly,
the impression got abroad that the Sec
ond Assistant would not be disinclined
to receive nomination for either
Chief or First Assistant. The re-
suit was that Engine Co. No. /
as A BODY and large minority Of No. 2
opposed him, while the China, Hawaii
No. and Hook and Ladder Companies
were supporting Norton in his place
with Wilson. Then, as TO Hustace.
His name. had been so freely mentioned,
as a possibly available candidate against
Wilson, besides being on the Mott ticket
Of Pacific Hose, that the Wilson party
generally were inclined to put him down
as an opponent.
The foregoing sketch viii make it
clear why the really contending tickets
of this election were: G. B. Wilson,
Julius Asch, Geo. Norton; and John
Mott, Frank Hustace, James +. Morgan.
There were many ballots cast for VIII
son, Hustace and Morgan-probably the
majority vote Of No. 2-others crossed
candidates in every style, while few
scratched name without substituting
another. At about 9 :45 the count was
finished, and Chairman Smith immedi-
ately declared the result as follows;
FOR CHIEF ENGINEER.
C. B. Wilson 49,. ............ 1856
John Mott -....- -.--....-.-. -.,..... "
Majority for Wilson. ............- 80