The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1889-01-29
A BIG BLAZE.
One Building Destroyed and Others
Damaged.
Chinatown Saved from Second Devas-
tation-A Chinaman Persisted
in the Flames.


a block or two on each side from Kin,
street, and runs parallel with Maunake;
street next above it. Before there wa
time to get an alarm rung, the flame.
were bursting through the roof. Al
though the brigade was quick in res
ponding to the alarm, before any appar
atus reached the spot the fire had com
plete possession OF the building
The Volunteer Boys OF Mechanic En-
CINE Company No. we're first to lay OIL
a stream, having attached their hose tt
the hydrant at the corner OF Hotel anG
Maunakea streets. Engine No . wa:
the first to get water on by steam, play
ing two strong streams under 100 pound:
pressure. An attempt was made by this
company TO get water from the cisterr
gate in King street at the crossing Of
Maunakea, but, after the ground had
been laboriously excavated, the thing had
to be abandoned on account of the rusty
gate screw wrenching off when the key
was turned. Resort was then made
to the hydrant close by. Honolulu
Engine Company No. l got on a
stream from hydrant on Nuuanu
street. Hawaii Engine Company
No. operated from the hydrant
given up to its machine by No. Volun.
teers. China Engine Company's steamer
pumped from the corner OF Hotel and
kekaulike streets.
/ During the few minutes elapsing before
the engines got fairly to work the aspect
OF the fire threatened an extensive con-
fiagration. Wooden buildings stood in
every direction from the burning fabric,
now enveloped in flames and sending out
! fiery tongues, with constant eruption
OF sparks flying high. Before some OF
| the hose lines got water, indeed, the
! flames had attacked the buildings adj
| joining the corner one on both streets.
/ The tlremen working on the upper YER
anda OF the next building on kekaulike
/ street, failing 10 get water enough even
/ to keep their clothes from catching fire,
| bundled the hose unceremoniously over
/ the rail TO the ground. The essential
element shortly after coming in fair
/ volume the hose was lugged up the
/ ladder again and made to do good service.
In the meantime Fire Marshal White
had broken into the next building on
King street and, finding the right place
to meet the advancing flames, led one OF
No. rs streams to 4 rear upper window,
( whence both = flank and rear attack was
made with it, having a telling effect al
most Immediately. The other stream
on that side was played from the ground
into the heart OF the fire, while the re-
manning lines were doing good service
from the kekaulike street side and the
rear. Within half an hour the fire was
under control, but 1t was nearly an hour
after the alarm before the flames
were thoroughly subdued. That the
brigade did good work is shown in the
condition of the ruins The charreG
frame Of the corner building is left for
the most part standing. While the
upper story OF the adjoining building on
King street is a wreck, the fire only
scorched the walls on the lower story.
The next building on kekaulike street is
saved with q burned gable end and some
damage on the second fiat. These re- !
suits are much less disastrous than was
to be feared from the bad supply OF water
during the first half Of the battle For,
besides the long delay in getting the
hose filed On the kekaulike street side,
the pressure on King street was for many
minutes faint and irregular
The totally destroyed building on the
corner was owned by All Sing, cook on
the steamer kinau, who also owned the
building next to 1t on Kekaulike street.
He had the buildings insured for 50 800 !
in the Sun Fire Office, for which Messrs.
Geo. W. Macfarlane K Co. are the agents. |
The corner division Of the burned build
ing was occupied as q fruit store by An |
Wong hee, who lost the greater part OF
his stock, On the other side OF parti- /
ton and hall were four apartments with |
partitions parallel to King street. In the |
room furthest back an aged Chinaman |
lay sick and there was nobody to rescue |
him. His partially cremated body was |
found lying on the mat that constituted |
his bed. There were no tenants in the |
remaining three rooms, but in one OF |
them q brake was burned The upper /
story was cut up into seven apartments,
FIVE of them occupied by Chinese and |
is owner of the building partly destroyed
on King street, and he had 1t insured for |
5000 in the Sun Office.
Inc origin OF the IRE Is not pOSlllN6lN
known. All evidence is that it started
near the middle of the building on the
front. Deputy Marshal Hopkins was
near the place when the vocal alarm was
raised. He went TO the building and,
breaking in a shutter and inserting his
head, found kerosene oil dropping from
above. The Chinese say the fire was
caused by the bursting OF lamp in an
upstairs room tenanted by natives.
From information received by the Deputy
he had native named Agkai
and his wife arrested They had occu-
pied one Of the rooms only two or three
days, and, having the reputation OF be-
ing a quarrelsome couple, the theory
upon which they have been detained is
that in a cennubial row one Of them
threw a lighted lamp at the other
4 c0rOner's inquest was held on Sun
day by Deputy Marshal Hopkins and a
Jury consisting OF Aessrs. 81. /. Blaneh-
ard, George Barker, g. Curtis, Joseph
Clark, Elvert Olsen and James Gregory,
on the death of Lohiau, the aged China
man who lost his life in the fire. The
witnesses were Kananui Alma, the mar
ned daughter, and AIahoe Lohiau, son
1f the unfortunate man, and zee Moon,
steward Of China Engine Company. The
,hildren's testimony showed that their
loo Il afhar had bneY1 very old and very