The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-01-02
WHERE WAS
MOSES (?
Funny Game Played by
Electric Company.
TAPS JUST At 6 O'CLOCK
The Autocratic Monopoly Left Hote
Guests in Darkness Last
Night.

/ ~ ONOLULU suffered again last
night through the miserable
management of the electric light
monopolys The incandescent lights
went out,5a few minutes after dusk in
portions of the downtown district, and
Icortinued out, causing intense annoy
lance to thousands of people. 1t was at
the most awkward time of the day, for
such happening, as New Year dinners
were served then or about to be served,
and those who had to grope about for
candles or lamps heaped maledictions
on the man responsible for their plight.
AT the Hawaiian Hotel the lights in
the cottages and on the lanais We're ex-
ltinguished and guests dressing for din
ner were compelled to finish their
toilets in the dark. One man from the
Mainland, who appeared in the dining
room with his necksle awry of a blue
color whereas he had intended to wear
one of black, used vigorous language to
tell his troubles to his friends.
Il have been here two weeks he
said, and have come to believe that
this scoundrelly electric company
thinks l can see in the dark. It's
enough to make man swear. There
is no recourse. 1t is such trif1es as
these that makes life unbearable and
give a black eye to Honolulu. What
with your telephones and lights man
need go no further to find ample cause
for complaint"
/ The electric company does not care.
1t says it does, but it's actions speak
otherwise. Apparently it's management
is loose and its employees of cheap
kind. Certainly they don't know their
hncinaSC For months service has
been wretched and despite promises it
grows worse daily. Monday night the
lights We're out and the explanation
given was that an accident to a steam
chest rendered one of the dynamos use
less. Last night it was stated by the
lengineer in charge of the works that
temporary repairs made to this steam
lchest had failed and that it was i'm
possible to do anything until today
Any first-class electric concern would
have had these repairs made properly
and promptly, and the excuse that the
machine shops were closed on New
Years Day should have no weight.
Money will buy workmen and material
at all times, and the weak excuses of
the electric company show its disregard
to the public. it's patrons.
The following is what the engineer of
the company said last night:
Last night valve in the steam chest
over the big engine which runs the
largest dynamo, blew out and the ma
chine was at once rendered useless. We
threw all the power possible over into
the alternator and two auxiliary dyna-
mos, but even with these we were un-
able to supply power for certain por-
tions of Hotel, Nuuanu, King and 9TH
er streets which are included in the
business section. Besides this a portion
of the residence district current was
cut out
Today we have been unable
to have new valve made. All the
foundries and shops are closed, and it
was found impossible to get a new
valve made. The pipe was plugged up
and we hoped we could carry on the
current with the big machine tonight,
but the plugging blew out and left the
same districts in darkness. If we at
tempted to put on all the power neces-
sary to supply all these feed wires the
entire lot of dynamos would be wreck
ed and the town would be worse off
than at present