The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-12-31
MADE DESTITUTE BY FIRE
FOUR STORES DESTROYED THIS
MORNING
Chinese and Japanese Tenents Were,
Forced to Fly for Their Lives-Cause
Fire Not Known.

A fire early this morning on KING
street opposite the ne ~ water works,
made five or six Chinese and Japanese
families homeless and destroyed the
entire possessions of some of them.
-Four stores and contents three OF
which We're owned by Chinese and one
by japanese Were burned to the
ground. The buildings We're owned by
Pam of the tramway company. Thirty
people who occupied the building as
dwellings barely escaped with their
lives. The loss will be in the neighbor-
hood of $1,000 on which there is com
partively little insurance.
The row of places was occupied by
Now ChOng Leung, Wing Gong and
Wal Chu, as separate grocery and
coffee stores. A Japanese named h.
Abara occupied a fourth store room as
a soda water stand while a fifth was
unoccupied. Back of the front stores
several additions had been built one
Of which was occupied aa living apart
ments by Mr.. and Mrs. Yet Sing and
their brother The balance of the peo-
pie lived in the main building back Of
their stores, either in the main building
or in the additions.
The fire started at about 1:15 o'clock
this morning but there is a dispute as
to the exact location. The watChman
of Pains COrrals which is within few
yards of the buildings, claims that he
first saw the flames coming from the
addition occupied by Yet Sing and Now
Chong Leung but Yet Sing is positive
that the fire started in the kitchen of
Wing Gong. The brother of the latter
says that their cook first detected the
smoke in their place and thinks that
the fire started underneath the kitchen.
No one seems to know the cause of the
fire but it is claimed by the white men
that Chinese smoking opium originated
the blaze.
In any event. the flames spread very
rapidly and few if any of the inhabt-
tants were able to save their personal
effects. The neighbors responded to
the alarm and helped rescue the women
and children from the fire. An alarm
was turned into the fire department
which responded promptly. The flames
had spread so rapidly however that
nothing could be done to save the burn
ing property so the tiremen directed
their efforts to saving adjoining houses.
The grocery of Wo Chung on the oppo-
site side of the street was threatened
but the wind veered around and the
firemen were able to save the store. A
three story lodging house Waikiki
of the fire was in danger but the lire
men kept the water playing on the
house at intervals and prevented the
flames from being communicated. Part
of the barns of Pains corral were also
I
any other buildings We're attacked.
The loss on the building will be in
the neighborhood of $1,000. The losses
! of the store owners are Wal Chu, $IO0,
no insurance; Wing Gong, $70O, small
| insurance; Now Chong Leung, $500,
no insurance, Abara, $1,000, no insur-
ance. There were smaller losses by the
| tenents and these will aggregates about
| 5000 more.
The circumstances of the fire are very
pathetic for it leaves several or the
sufferers entirely destitute. The stocks
| of goods which the various people hau'
represented the savings of years ana 10
have them carried away within a few
hours. is heart breaking. In the family
of Wal Chu are nine children, most
! of them very young. These ana others
were thrown upon the charity OF the
neighbors. A subscription should ne
taken up for the relief of the sufferers
and food and clothing should be donat-
ed as well.