The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1889-05-14
OFFICE OF FIRE MARSHAL & S. Z.

OFFICE OF FIRE MARSHAL & S. E. |
Honolulu, April %, 1889.
G. B. WILSON, ESQ.,, Chief Engineer
Honolulu Fire Department.
Dear .Sir:-According to your
instructions I now present you with
a statement of the workings and ex-
penditures of the various divisions
of the Honolulu Fire Department,
from April 1, 1888, to March 81,
1889.
On Nov. l, 1888, you appointed
me with the approval of His Elk. l..
A. Thurston to the dual office of
Fire Marshal and Survey Engineer.
Since then l have made thorough
examinations of all the stores and
dwelling houses in Honolulu, from
Liliha street to Alapai street, and
from School street to the water front
with regard to kerosene oil, cook
stoves and fire places. The law with
regard to kerosene oil is very poor.
Some stores in Maunakea street,
Smith street, and Hotel street, are
wooden buildings 8x10, SKIP and in
one or two cases 6x12, each carrying
and entitled to carry 10 cases. One
place L noticed in particular in
Maunakea street. Within a space of
AZ feet front there were stores,
each one of them carrying 10 cases,
and in sheds in the back yards, 80
more cases were slowed, in different
lots. Some of the cook stoves and
fire places l found in very danger
GUS condition, they are in much
better condition now. To facilitate
matters employed an interpreter
for few days; by so doing a great
deal of good was accomplished there
was no misunderstanding the China
men knew at once what they had to
do and made the alteration at once.
Accompanying this is fire chart
for the year trem April l, 1888, to
March 81, 1889, giving the number
fad location of all the fires iI tabu-
lated form, with losses, insurance
amounts paid, names of Insurance
Co.'s and the agents. There have
been SO fires all told, as you will see
by chart, 21 have been still alarms,
and out of the So fires 81 have been
incendiary.
You will also see by the chart the
number of drills held by each Com
pany and their volunteers.
In the report you will find state
ment of how the appropriation has
been used and divided amongst the
various divisions of the Depart
ment.
Three engine houses have been
repaired, viz: Nos. l, 2 and 4, each
of the four steam fire engines have
been fitted with new copper swive
stand pipe for the ground hydrants
which will be great saving on thu
"a suction hose. They have like
wise been supplied with IA feet eacl
of new % suction hose to fit copper
stand pipes. The tubes in No.
boiler are bad and will be replaced
with new ones when they arrive.
have had to plug four of them up, mo-
having enough work to do and stand
ing so long in the house the watel
acts on them very severely and pits
them very much between steam anC
water.
| have instructed the engineers o
the various engines to blow off thei
boilers every week and keep th
water at different levels.
The tubes for No. A, relief valve
for Nos. and 5, torches, ETC., ar
now on the way and will be her
shortly. The Department has
good supply of hose, couplings
suction and discharge valves, etc.
enough To carry through the balanc
of the term.
Since Nov. /, 1888, have onl
been notified of two complaints, viz
one of a defective stove pipe at
poi factory on King street nea
South street, l interviewed tn
Chinaman on the matter and lie ha
it fixed at once. The other was burr
ing rubbish in back yard of hous