The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-12-03
Flames Disclosed
Cornerstone
Relics.
FROM OLD CHINA
ENGINE HOUSE
Buried in 1889 and Contained
Coins. Papers and a
Memorial.
WEEK ago Saturday, Chief Hunt

~ of the Honolulu Fire Depart
ment accompanied by j. t.
Batchelder of the High Sheriff's office
and Hang Same, formerly the Chinese
foreman of the old China Engine Com
pany No. 5. made an investigation of
the ruins of the China engine house
which was burned to the ground on
January goth during the great lire
which swept Chinatown from Kaun1a-
kapili church to the waterfront.
They were armed with picks and
shovels and the object of their search
was the recovery Of the tin box watch
had been sealed up in the corner stone
on April 13, 1889. when the engine house
was dedicated to its purpose of shell
tering the fire engine which had oeen
assigned to the Chinese quarter. They
first attacked the makai corner of the
building fronting on Maunakee street
but found no trace of the box. The
mauka corner nearest the remains of
the once stately flag pole was next at
tackled and fourteen feet beneath the
pile of debris of bricks and mortar the
tin box. containing the documents
stored in it on the day when the cere-
mony of laying the corner stone took
place, was found.
1t was rusted, covered with mortar
and the pick penetrated the yielding
cover, ripping 1t open. aAt the office Of
Chief Hunt the cover was removed,
disclosing a motley array of monetary
and literary treasures which had been
designed for the eyes of future gerer-
ations. The Memorial of the City of
Honolulu" which was carefully writ
ten, showed by it's opening lines that
such catastrophe as the burning of a
fire engine house in eleven years from
that time was not dreamed of. Chief
Hunt says it seems like a sacrilege to
have the contents opened after sucl a
short lapse of time, but fate had
hand in It's short entombment
In the top of the box was a hand
some Chinese banner of gold-colored
silk on which was painted the five
clawed dragon in blue and green, while
before its gaping jaws was the red sun
disc. OF coins there was a-plenty.
One dollar and eighty-five cents in Ha-
waiian silver coins showed the various
denominations coined for use in Ha-
wall. There was $1s5in American sill
yer, a piece of a Mexican silver dol
| lar such as Chinese used in the En-
pire, and 25 Chinese coins. The silver
was considerably tarnished. Then
came documents relating to the fire oe
partment, which was then composed
almost entirely of volunteers. All were
musty. The printed Constitution AMI
| IBy-laws of various engine companies: !:
Fire and Police Regulations and other
pamphlets bearing on the workings CT
the department were found. A pam
phlet printed in 1885 showed that john
Mott, Esq, was chief engineer; Chas.
/ b. Wilson was first assistant engineer,
and NJ. d. Monsarrat was second as
lsistant engineer of the department.
| Then there were the daily puplica-
| tions of Honolulu--the Pacific CONNER
cial Advertiser. the Hawaiian Gazette
and the Bulletin. Copies of all three
lpapers contained the news of the disas-
ter to the American and German war
vessels at Apia, Samoa, the news of
(which was brought to Honolulu April
Is by the steamer Alameda.
j The Pacific Commercial Advertiser of
saturday. April 13, 1889, the day on
which the tin box was closed, has an
account OF the memorial services held
in St. Andrews church upon the naval
disaster at Apia. the opening pa ra-
graph of which is as follows:
Il "St. Andrews Anglican Cathedral
was completely filled with represen-
tative congregation at o'clock Wed
!, nesday afternoon on the occasion of a
: service in memory of the late Capt
Schoonmaker, commander of the y. 8
J s. Vandalia, Mr.. F. II. Arms, paymas-
: ter of the same ship. and other victims
lof the naval disaster at Samoa.
!, Among those present were Princess
Kaiulani, attended by her father. Hon
: A s. Cleghorn; Prince David haWa-
5 nanakoa, accompanied by Mr.. James
) Robertson, II. Ms, Acting Chamber
t lain: Hon. A. F. Judd, Chancellor ano
t Chief Justice. with Mrs Judd: His Ex'
; lcellency. Jonathan Austin. Minister OF
) foreign Affairs: His Excellency George
> Iw. Merrill. u S. Minister, resident, anc
Mrs. Merrill: Major j. II. Wodehouse
H 3. Ms. Commissioner and Consul
i lGeneral; Mr.. d'Anglade, French Com
!. missioner: Mr.. Canavarro, Po-tugues'
e commissioner: Mr.. II. F. Glade. &c,
' man Consul: Mr.. F. A. Schaefer. Ital
Iian Consul. and Mrs. Schaefer; MI. II
s W. Schmidt. Consul-General eol
;. !Sweden and Norway; Mr.. T. r. Walk
; or British vice-Consul; Captain C-eeI