The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-08-06
HANDSOME NEW BUILDING is
DESTROYED.
Flames Discovered at 3:45 This Morn
ing-Buildings and Contents Burned.
Adjoining Buildin-s in Danger.

The handsome new building os e. o.
Hall & Son, with It's contents, was
destroyed by fire at an early hour this
morning. At 1O:30 last evening O.. c
Swain, bookkeeper for Levers & Cooke,
LEFT 81 is Office to go home. In passing
the corner he looked through the win
dows of the Hall store and everything
was in order. Between 3 and 4 o'clock
newspaper carriers reported to the po-
lice that there was smoke and fire in
side of the building. An alarm was
sent in and engines 1, 2, 8, and the
chemical responded promptly.
On arriving upon the scene Chief
Thurstcl discovered that most of the
lower floor and cellar were afiame. In
dications were that the blaze had start
ed in the Waikiki end of the building
next to the 290 hack stand. Before
the engines could be placed for work
the fire burst through the windows on
King street, giving plain evidence that
the building was doomed. All the while
a dense cloud of smoke hung over the
top of the store. The roof soon took
fire. The sight was then something
grand. Punchbowl hill loomed up in
the red glare and there was a strong
glow on the heavens. Thousands of
people, attracted into the streets by
the fire whistle witnessed this specta-
Gle.
Six streams of water were at first
turned into the Hall building in the
hope reducing the flames. Tie heat
was tremendous and work was diff
cult. A constant danger was the ex.
plosions taking place in the building
There was a steady rattle of cartridges
for ten or fifteen minutes, and also
two loud and powerful explosions. One
was supposed to have been a lot of
giant powder and the other a gasoline
tank in the cellar. When the roof burst
into flames, adjacent property came
into immedite danger. Live Goals anC
burning shingles, ascended high into
the air to fall again just outside OF
the smoke area upon neighboring build.
ings and the lumber yard of Levers
& Cooke. Lines of hose were diverted
to the corners and the lumber yard
The greatest difficulty was expert
enced in saving the store of Levers
& Cooke. This building was separated
from the burned structure by a bricl
wall. The roof has a corrugated iror
the fire was above it, very little pro.
lection, if any, was afforded by the
fireproof covering. The roof caugh
fire repeatedly but each time the biazt
was extinguished. In the meanwhile
the building was flooded, only ont
small room on the second floor escap
ing. All books, papers and other Office
material left out of the safes were
IL.
was injured. f. j. Lowrey was unable
to estimate the loss this morning, i
being in the middle of the year and {
great way from stocktaking time, anC
he said he could only figure on the mat
ter when he could get a trial balance
from the books. The stock was thi!
morning removed to the warehouse OIL
Queen street where it will be held sub
ject to the will of the insurance com
panies. Before the Hall fire was en-
tirely over most of the roof of the Lew
ers & Cooke building had been burned
off.
Hall & Son were the heaviest losers
as their entire building went up il
smoke. Levers & Cooke came next
a big stock being much damaged al
though ii was fairly well covered b!
insurance. Hebron Drug Company wa
the next heaviest loser. 1t took tn,
hardest of work to save this building
Every effort was made by the firemei
to save the lower floor, which contains
the office, fine show cases and retail
department, from flooding. The win
dows were broken, however, and asid
from a little spalshing no other dam
age on this floor was sustained. TIL,
real damage was in the wholesale de
partment on the second. All of tn
windows were demolished and tons up
on tons of water poured in upon tn
CONTINUED to page five.)