The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1891-07-20
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.
The Warehouse Of the KahuIul
Railroad Destroyed.
Goods Ia Transit LOSt---Tutal Loss
Oyer $40 900.
( From our Kahului Correspondent. |

ness of the peaceful little port was
suddenly and rudely disturbed on
Wednesday, 10Th inst, by the vio-
lent ringing of the bells on the ware
house of the kahului Railroad Co,
about 8 O'Clock, when the freight
warehouses belonging to the com
pany were discovered to be in full
blaze by the watchman who was GO
ing his usual round. He promptly
sounded the alarm, which in few
moments brought Mr.. Wilder with all
the employees aud nearly all the in
habitants of tue Town upon the scene,
and energetic measures were ilnme-
diately adopted to prevent the
spreading of the fiery element to the
adjoining large warehouse, which
contained nearly LOO tons of sugar
belonging to the Hawaiian CONNER
cial & Sugar Co., besides the offices of
the steamship and RAILROAD company,
ships and RAILROAD stores, etc
The freight warehouses could not
be saved, as the fire when first dis
covered had already encompassed
the buildings, and il did its destruc-
tive work with terrible rapidty.
Fortunately the evening was very
calm, but light breeze stirring the
atmosphere otherwise, the whole
complex of wooden shanties compos-
ing Chinatown would have been laid
in ashes.
The Custom House was at one
time seriously threatened, as the
flames and sparks bore right down
upon it, and the window panes in the
upper story, which is occupied by
Aloha Lodge, X of p, burst in the
window nearest the fire, the heavy
iron shutters not being closed on the
windows. But the brick building
wilhstood the attack bravely and
was undoubtedly the only thing that
saved the adjoining wooden buildings
aad all Chinatown from complete an
Initiation.
The freight warehouse was full of
goods landed from the steamer Like
like that same day, most of which
was loaded on cars, ready for ship
ping the next morning TO various
places of destination, and all of which
with a number of freight cars were,
of course, consumed.
Among the goods was box of
dynamite which caused quite strong
explosion, that was very distinctly
heard in Waikiki; several minor ex-
blossoms also occurred of kerosene,
liquor and other explosive and highly
combustible articles.
All the locomotives and passenger
cars, excepting one lately built open
car, were fortunately saved, being
run out on the track before the fire
could reach them AT $3.50 all
danger for adjacent buildings was
over, and the fire virtually subdued
but 1t kept on burning all night and
most of the next day, and a watch
was kept all night.
A fire inquest was held the next
day, but nothing was brought out to
reveal the origin of the fire. Verdict
of jury was, cause unknown.
The supposition is that it originated
10y spontaneous combustion.
Ii is difficult to estimate even the
approximate pecuniary loss involved,
but it will hardly be less than $780,
600 to $25 900, as there was a large
cargo of steamer-freight besides Il
valuable stock of hardware, sashes,
blinds, corrugated iron, paints, etc,
owned by the Railroad Co., in the
buildings. One Chinese merchant
in Paia is said to have sustained a
loss of about $4,000 on merchandise
bought in Honolulu.
This unfortunate occurrence en-
phasizes the necessity of a water
supply for kahului, for with little
stronger breeze the place would nave
been entirely at the mercy of the
flames with no means of combating
them successfully. The sea is toler-
ably near at hand, but it was slow,
laborious and rather ineffective task
to pass buckets from the beach to the
scene of the fire, and the place at
least ought to have piece Of water
hose and a pump to work the water
quickly and effectively in case of
fire.
Another Account.
from our Waihee Correspondent
Wednesday evensng about 1880
o'clock fire was discovered in the re-
ceiving freight house of the Wilder
Steamship Co. at KahuIui, and made
RI h.. Il, h,t n off