The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-06-03

than, Mass, where his mother and a
sister are yet living. He was forty
eight years of age. He came to Homo
lulu about twenty years ago, and
worked with the late James H. Dodd.
Later he was connected with one or
| two business ventures of James Dodd
and of the Macfarlanes. During this
time he was member of the volunteer
fire department, with headquarters al
the old bell tower on Union street
| After the organization of the fire de-
| partment under Chief HuStace. Hunt
entered the department under the pay
arrangement, and in 1894 he succeeded
Hustace as fire chief, holding that po-
sition up to the time of his death. He
made an excellent record, both in the
volunteer and regular departments,
and during his career assisted In fight
| ing some of the worst fires that have
| ever occurred in Honolulu. At 4
o'clock in the afternoon of April 10,
| 1886. a fire broke out in the Chinese
quarter of the city, resulting in loss
of 81, 100000, several blocks being
swept away, and on this occasion Hunt
was prominent figure in the depart
ment.
His skill as a fire fighter. however.
was displayed to the utmost during the
plague fires in December of 1899, and In
the first four months of last year
These were not fires which called out
| the department unannounced to quench
| flames at all hazards, or to save the
property within them but they were
prearranged. Chief Hunts most active
work was in the stationing of his en-
| gines and the laying of the hose about
| the buildings to which the torch was
to be applied by the Board of Health
| as a sanitary measure against the
| plague, in order to keep the fire with
| in certain stated limits and in most
cases the line of demarkation was as
skillfully drawn by the firemen under
| hisd ERECTION as if axes had been used
| Only the sudden shifting of a heavy
wind from the Nuuanu Valley on the
fateful goth day of January. 1900.
caused confiagration to spread over
what was termed Chinatown and
sweep ten blocks of every vestige of
buildings. On that day Chief Hunt
worked like a giant, placing himself In
the most exposed positions in order to
direct the firemen, and no matter what
risks were necessary the hardy chief
took his share of them During ore of
these fires the chief was severely intur-
| ed by the falling of heavy beam
from burning house, which tenn
porarily laid him up. but even then he
directed operations from his buggy.
| During his regime the handsome
stone centralsfire station, a the cor
ner of Fort and Beretania streets. was
erected, in which modern apparatus is
| installed. When he assumed charge
there We're two steamers, one chemical
and hose reel There are now three
steamers one chemical, several hose
wagons, each with its span of horses.
Two new stations have been added. the
one at Makiki, which has been occupied
for the past year, and the new one at
Palama. which is in course of con-
struction. Chief Hunt maintained
splendid discipline among his firemen,
and has had them drilled in the use of
fire apparatus until they have become
as proficient in answering fire alarms
as the lack of automatic alarms and
| the lack of necessary water hydrants
will allow.
/ The funeral will take place this ar
ternoon from the Masonic Temple. the
| deceased having been member of the
Masonic order 1t is not known vet
as to whether the fire department will
turn out to do homage to their dead
chief, but the presumption is that this
will be done. Fire Commissioners J.H
Fisher, Andrew Brown and Crozier will
hold meeting this morning to decide
as to what part the fremen shall take
in the funeral
Assistant Chief c.. H. Thurston. who
mas often performed the duties of the
chief, is now acting chief of the de-
partment.