The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1893-07-06
Sailors Home Building.
EDITOR Bulletin

EDITOR Bulletin
In regard to the Sailors Home
building. Increase the thickness of
the walls if you do not wish to see
the building collapse from the
slightest cause. 1t is not my intent
to attack anyone in particular con-
nected with the erection of this dan
gerous building, but simply to warn
those responsible for disaster should
such occur. The second story Sin.
walls of the Sailors Home are alto
gether too weak and would not be
allowed in any city having proper
fire ordinance or building law, and
should not be allowed to go up. No
doubt the contractor might be able
to build them by snoring or prop
ping them from the ground and
from the joists on the inside, but
the chances are. they could not Sc
cure mechanics to put the roof on.
Why, the slightest push of a mason's
knee while leaning over to strike the
joists of the brickwork would bring
that portion of the wall and himself
to the ground; and should they sue
ceed in getting the brickwork up,
the vibrations caused by motions of
the mechanics on the roof, such as
walking, saving or pushing timbers
about would be most likely to throw
some of those Sin. walls. Few men
can recognize the swaying of walls
even II in. thick who have not
climbed on roofs. But the greatest
danger lies in visit from one of our
southern konas; those twisting
squalls would have a picnic with
your outlandish projecting roof of
4 #. 6 in. 1t would just raise the
dickens with poor Jacks domicile
of flimsy proportions, and the
place that knew it would know it no
more. Who would be responsible
for the disaster7 Suppose gentle
tremblor earthquake shock should
visit us, where would your S-inch
walls be found?
l understand the former plans
made for that building we're con-
demned by the late Harry Mcintosh,
Superintendent of Public Works at
the time, on account of Sin. brick
walls, and l hope the present incum-
bent will have pluck enough to do
the same with these. l would say
to you gentlemen of the building
committee, don't be controlled by
false economy. Should you wake up
some fine morning and find the
Sailors Home had fallen you would
pay out of your own pockets ten
times the sum required to make
these walls what they ought to have
been, and free your conscience of the
responsibility. You are not ignorant
of the consequences, and as men
should act, righting this wrong in
time. In conclusion, l would say in
crease those walls if you have to beg
the money. 1t would be the best
$1,000 spent on the building and save
you many painful thought of fear
You cannot build too strongly or too
well. We have had one disaster OF
the kind some years ago on the
Father Larkin school, flimsily con-
structed frame building, plastered
inside. When he offered the job to
the late Geo. Lucas, | said it would
fall or collapse if it was not stronger
built, and Mr.. Lucas refused to
build it. 1t stood few months and
came down, killing a native boy and
wounding several others; and had il
stood few hours longer would have
killed and mutilated scores, as fire
mans ball was to be held there il
the evening, and the first dance
would have been the dance of death
If the Sailors Home is built as pro
posed it will collapse as surely al
did Father Larkin's school.
ISAAC MOORE.
Honolulu, July 3, 1893.