The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-07-12
A DISASTER.

The best efforts of mankind for his
protection seemed to be doomed to
failure at times. New York is supplied
not only with a land fire department
second TO none in any city of the old
OF the new world, but with its enor-
NOUS shipping interests It has supplied
itself with fire tugs which can throw
an almost inexhaustible supply of wa
ter upon burning vessels. 1t was only
n few months ago that these floating
fire engines were described at length in
one OF the popular magazines. The
force OF water from some OF their
pumps was described as being sufiici-
ent to smash through the walls of an
ordinary wooden building.
The somewhat lurid story which has
been telegraphed across the continent
IL not very clear. The graphic writer
has turned himself loose and has piled
adjectives upon adjectives to describe
what was probably indescribable. 1t
Is evident that the fire must have
spread with indescribable rapidity. The
explosion Of an immense pile of whisky
simply sent wave of living fire to
wharves. and to actually make the wa
tiers Of the bay a mass of flames.
To this latter is to be attributed the
fact that the wretched victims did not
Jump overheard and choose death by
drowning, rather than by roasting. The
volatile spirit covered the surface Of
the North river and one might as
well plunge into seething and bubbling
lava as into it. It is no new pheno-
menon. In the later fifties some chem
zeal works at Gateshead on Tyne, took
fire, and finally exploded, the chemicals
were hurled across the river and set
fire to the Offices and public buildings
on the Newcastle SIDE while a stream
of burning stuff flowed on to the sur
face Of the water and turned the Tyne
into veritabIe river Of fire which roll
ed toward the sea setting fire to ship
after ship, lying along side the wharves
which skirt that busy river.
II Is a curious fact that one of the
greatest wharf fires that London ever
experienced occurred at about the same
time IN the afternoon az did this one i'm
New York. That was in 1861, at Cot
tons wharf near Tooley street 1t
started at p. IN. in the afternoon Of
June day. The nAammable material
there was chiefly oil. That fire burned
for a month and the loss amounted to
over 100000 900. A great many lives
were lost, among them James Braid
wood, the Superintendent Of the Lon
don Fire Brigade.
The New York fire started at shortly
after three IN the afternoon. Therefore
both these fires got under way when
men were busy with their ordinary
aYocatiOns, and could be called upon
for assistance in extlnguishing any in
cipient blaze at once. The fact that in !
each case II woe To- possible to do any
thing from the start shows that the !
atmospheric conditions led to an ex-
ploslon and sudden ignition Just SUCH !
as takes place on coal ships. The eX-
ploslon Of the whisky, which followed
was only a detail though a very terri
BILE one.
The air was very dry, the time OF
year and the hour Of the day are OIL
most luentlcdl III DOtn LONDON ana
New York cases, there must have been
an enormous amount of fine dust float
ing about, and we know that the fine
dust Of many substances will readily
ignite. The fact Is that the unfor-
tunate longshore men and others who
were on Tho ships lying at those piers
on the North river, were working in
what was practically powder maya
zine. The very air was charged with
fire, and when once II started It simply
became sheeted flame. No human
effort could save IT, Under different
climatic conditions 80 swift fire could
never have occurred. There can be no
other explanation OF one OF the most
appalling disasters Of modern times.