Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1901-10-15
ON HAMAKUA FIRES
DAVID HAUGHS SENDS
IN HIS SED0ND REPORT
Recommends That Government Forests
Be Fenced OF and That
New Seeds be Planted
In Burned Soil.

David Haughs. head of the govern
nent nursery and expert forester.
handed in ,..o following report to Wray
Taylor. Commissioner of Agriculture
and Forestry, yesterday:
Honolulu, Oct. II, 1901.
Wrsy Taylor. Esq. Commissioner Of
Agriculture and Forestry.
Sir:I herewith submit report Of
my second visit to the fires In the Ha-
makua forest. This visit was made In
company with Superintendent J. n.
Boyd and Mr.. Campbell.
The first day. September 18th. We
met A. Horner and Mr.. Carter, who ex-
planned and guided us through what Is
called the Fin fire and the bee fire.
Although arriving there late In the AZ
ternoon of that day. after having rid.
den from Kawaiahae. we nad time to
thoroughly investigate the tremen.
dous devastation that was being done
BY these fires and the great difficultiet
to be encountered In trying to check
them. | say check them. for We are
confident that those fires must either
burn themselves out or be drowned by
u deluge OF rain before they are entire
|! subdued.
On September 10th We started from
kukaiau. where we stayed over nig"-
Cur kind host supplying us with fresh
mounts. we started for the fire Of July
Sd. Mr.. Walker. manager Of OOkala
plantation. Joined us al G. Osborne's
coffee plantation. This coffee planta-
ton was almost entirely destroyed by
this fire and the scorched trees stand.
Ing withered and dry were ptiful II
look at. We then continued our jour.
ney towards the lire. After traversing
the burned district for several miles,
We arrived at the camp erected for the
men who are fighting this fire. The
method adopted In trying to check tho
fires Is by digging trenches one foot
deep and from two to four feet wide all
around the burning section. and Oh
continual watching In case OF sparks
flying over and igniting in the unburn-
ed section. In windy weather great
difficulty is experienced and many III
tie patches are to be seen where sparks
have carried over the trench and start
ed on the other side. These in turn
have to be dealt with In the same man
ner before they get time to spread
Mr.. Horner, Mr. Walker and Mr.. Car
ter have men night and day doing this
work. It Is costing quite u lot OF mon
cy, but II Is money well spent. The
work Is being done and the money Is
being spent by Mr. Horner and those
who have been assisting him In conf.
dence that the Legislature will do the
| fair thing by them and reimburse them
for the money they are spending In
trying to save the government forests.
The fires have been mostly on govern
ment lands and as there was no ap-
preparation to draw from for such
work, II is fortunate that those pa
triotic citizens came forw I'd and lent
helping hand in the way they have
done, After visiting this fire we re-
turned again to Waimea, intending to
go on TO Kohala on Monday morning,
September 23d. On Sunday evening, A,
ed in a field Of trash on the Paaulio
plantation and that 1t had spread into
a ravine, and from there into a field OF
cane belonging to a Portuguese, burn,
ing about 45 acres of cane, and that
there was danger. of 1t getting into tho
LOuisson Brothers coffee plantation
Mr. Boyd and talked the matter over