The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-09-14
HANAkUA' s SEVERE LOSS.
DROUGHT AND FIRE CAUSE
TERRIBLE CONDITIONS.
Wade Warren Thayer Tells the Extent
of Damage-Crop of 1903 May Even be
Lost.

Conditions along the Hamakua Coast
are simply frightful," said Waue War
rem lhayer TINS morning. THE worst
drought which has been known i'm tif-
teen years has been there now for
months and in the opinion of several of
the plantation managers the cane crop
as far ahead of 1903 will in all probabl-
lity be ruined"
Mr. Thayer has been absent on Ha-
makua coast for over a week at
tending to some legal business and dur
ing his stay on the island he drove
over considerable of the Hamakua
coast. From what he says the condt-
tons there are very bad and it will take
several years for the plantations and
other interests to recover from the de-
Nastatlng effects of the drought and the
Forest fires which have been raging
there for over month past.
1t is hard to realize" continued Mr..
Ihayer the extent of the damage. The
cane on practically all of the planta-
tions along the Hamakua coast is dry-
ing up and already Kukaiau and Paa-
ullo plantations have begun to grind
the young cane which was intended tn
furnish the crop for 1902. In the opI-
mon of Manager Lidgate of Paauilo il
is doubtful if the 1903 crop can be saw
ed. The lack of water has caused un-
told suffering and trouble and IT has
been necessary to SEM stock down to
Hilo in order to save it from diving
Nhlle l did not visit all of the other
plantations in the drought infected dis
trlct L understood that they too are
equal sufferers with the Paauilo and
kukaiau people and will have TO he
GIN grinding the next years cane i'm
mediately if, indeed they have not al
ready begun to 90 so. Dividends will
in all probability. be an unknown thing
Tor the plantations in Hamakua for the
next two years
al of the country shows the effects
of the drought. The roads are in aw-
tul condition, the dust i'm many places
being two and three feet deep. A ride
over those roads is an experience which
| is highly disagreeable.
! Coupled with the drought the forest
| fires have also been causing great loss.
me hre has extended fully fifteen miles
! from Paauhau clear to Paauilo. Fortu-
nately, the fire did not do great deal
| OF damage to the cane fields although
on several occasions it got into some of
! the lands of the Paauilo plantation but
| was put out before it extended any
great distance. 1t has now gotten be.
yond all control. and no one can tel
how far it will continue. 1t has al.
ready reached the Hamuula sheer
lands.
Managers Lidgate of PaauiIo ant
Manager Horner of Kukaiau have de.
cided to try and fight the fire now anC
get it under control. They have inn
plored the government for aid and from
the reports over there it is likely thai
the government may come to the aid o
the districts. The plan is to dig ditch
es about the fire and station men alons
those lines. Nothing short of a mos
copious downpour of rain will give any
immediate relief however if indeed thi
would save the 1903 crop.
THE progress of the fire is two fold
In the morning 1t is carried toward IN
sea by the land breeze but in the after
noon the sea breeze sweeps it up tn
slopes of the mountain into the fores
lands"
Carl Widemann also returned on tn
kinau from Hawaii. He says that OF
Thursday he heard the forest fire ha
: gotten down to within few yards o
the Paauhau cane fields. Nothing fur
ther was heard of this however by tn
steamship people. Widemann did no
hear any later news of the extent o
the fire on the Parker ranch and Colo
mel Parker who has been stopping her
said that he had not received any lat
advices.