The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-12-14
@ REPORTS OHG WORK REPORT WRECK NUMBERING THE GG FOR mMMSuB UNKNOWN
SYSTEMATIC METHODS USED FOR
HONOLULU.
Part Of the city Proper Already Num-
bered and Registered-Syste Both
Simple and Useful


Under the direction Of Augustus L.
Murphy of the Public Works Depart
ment, the work of numbering the city
is steadily going forward although there
are many difficulties constantly imped-
ing progress and the number of assist
ants allowed TO this branch Of the ter
ritorial service necessarily limits its
extremely rapid conclusion.
Mr.. Murphy has two assistants and
as with the greatest despatch the work
takes two days for each block, the
length Of time needed for the entire
community to be systematically provid-
ed with numbers may readily be COM
puted as considerable.
The ground covered takes in the city
and Its envirOns from the waterfront to
the end of the streets and houses rum
ming mauka, and parallel with the sea-
from the Fertiliser Works at Kalihi to
where Beretania and King streets even
tuallv meet at Keauhou. Waikiki.
Much Of the delay is met with In the
disposition of the holders of property
The regulation is a legal one and absO-
lutte refusal to affiX the numbers is
punishable the payment of a fine and
costs. Meantime matters are not being
brought to that extremity although all
cases will be pushed TO the limit when
the preliminary work Is entirely COM
pleted.
oDilt OF the american owners nave re-
fused to place the numbers up but gem
orally there is little trouble with the
whites and the natives. The Chinese
have proved cautious apparently fear
ing that there is more than the mere
street numbering in the regulation. The
better class of japanese are amenable
to the law but the ignorant lower
classes of that race both refuse infor-
nation ana seemingly cannot or will
not understand the fact that they have
got to number their houses Experience
among the Portuguese has given Mr.
Murphy cause to fear that there will be
considerable veXatiOus uelay awaiting
his men when they come to the Punch
bowl district.
At present the whole community Is
divided by Mr.. Murphy into fifteen sec
tions or maps of which the city proper,
extending from the water front to Bere-
tania and from River to Alakea streets,
takes up six. Two of these latter sec
tions are completed and most Of the
numbers up and already appearing up
on the cards and advertisements of the
property holders.
The books arranged under the sys-
tenn introduced by A. j.. Murphy, will
when printed form a complete record
OF every street and block within the
radius above named and viii show a set
of 100 numbers allotted TO every block
so that owners building on what are
now blank spaces can apply at any time
and get their correct and unalterable
numbers.
The work was taken up from the in
formal numbering made y private in
diVidualS which was however found to
have been performed in an unsystematic
manner that required revision. Under
the new system any stranger knowing
the street and number of his destination
may be readily directed thther and,
knowing the general direction of the
street, from any point i'm the city gain
good idea of where the number is
likely to lie.
The task of numbering was commenc-
ed by instituting a zero DOint, the CEN
ter of an imaginary compass from
which point all numbers would radiate.
This was chosen with regard to the
heart of the city and was made at the
junction of Euuanu and King streets.
King street Is divided at this point
into North and South King street,
everything Waikiki of Nuuanu being
south and Eva north. Mauka of King
is east and makai west. East of King
on all the streets and avenues running
towards the mountains for the entire
upwards length of that street the num-
bers start from 1000 stretching out on
Nuuanu street to 2600 Everything west
or seaWards starts at the zero point at
800. There is no 100 block at present on
any of the streets running mauka and
makai unless someone reClaims the sea
shore as Chicago has of late and on
the shorter streets In town the numbers
stop at the water front at 500 or 400.
out towards Waikiki where the bay
curves eight blocks are taken up by the
widening land and ii was this consider
| alton that settled the choice of the zero
point.
As now projected rule stretched
across the map or an imaginary air line
from any number on any street viii
come within close radius of finding
that number on any other street rum
ing in the same direction even at the
distance Of the width of the entire sec
ton covered.
From the zero point at Nuuanu and
| King the numbers, even on the upper
| and odd on the lower side. run out to-
wards Waikiki. At the bend they have
reached 1900 and the numbers run con-
SecutVely from that Enumeration down
| both the Waikiki road and King street
proper. This deviation was made
necessary by the bend i'm the roads.
stretching this way the numbers reach
to 26OO. Towards Kalihi on King, or
northwards the numbers run similarly
the odd and even sides being reversed
so that number ! North King is dia-
gOnally across from No. ! South King
Where lane occurs ii takes the
NUMBER OF the DlOck win the addition
of letters as 1900 a, Il, and so SON This
facilitates both mail carriers and others
as the addition Of letter TO "A numeral
infallibly means a lane
Each block Is divided on its sides
according to its length into eight or ten
feet frOntages, each one of which owns
a number. Many buildings take up
several numbers which are recorded and
choose one for placing on exhibition,
This scheme eliminated the possibility
Of future builders finding No. 400 at one
end of a block and 40 at the other neces-
stating 400 a and 50 on as often found
IN san Francisco and other cites.
The assistants employed by Mr.. Muir
ply are detailed to work as follows:
The first day the block or faces of two
or more blocks laid out for that days
work are inspected. The block Is mea-
sured, subdiyided and numbered off and
the results entered in a book. The hold.
eds are visited, names as far as possible
of holders and owners discovered and
| these asked If they wish the numbers
affixed, The numbers the following day