The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-11-17
STORM king HOLDS
G0kHIHD II EHO
Immense Downpour
Experienced By the
Rainy City.
EAIlLAHL STREAM BURSTS RlHss
LUMBER YARD WASHED AWAY
AND STREETS ARE SUB
MERGED BY WATER.
Electricity Shut OF BY the FlsOds-
Streets ard Warehouses Flooded
Damage During Gre Night To-
tailed $4,000.

NatASI ~@NrSDS.
The following is the latest account
of the terrible storm that swept over
Hilo last Saturday and sunday:
me Sto.m Ming was IN command on
ia - all asst rIIQoy, saturday ami sun
GAy- As tuougn IN anger az the waii
JN4C has gone up Tor the past six
months on account OF the & ear df0uIh,
ne opened the s.uice gates OF heaven
ana turned a deiuge upon Hawaii. In
Jns hii0 district he poured his heaviest
torrents, but the downiall of rain COM
pleteiy ciTcled the island.
The roads were more or less seri-
ousiy damaged everywhere. But the
greatest destruction was wrought in
the town OF Hiio and the heaviest
that visited upon Hackfeld & Co. in
the destruction OF their lumber sheds,
planning mill and lumber piles on the
beach makai of Front street.
The rain in Hilo began Thursday,
November eth. and the guage at the
Waiakea Min registering 1.35 inches.
On Friday and Friday night the pre-
cipitation was 1888 inches, and during
the forenoon of Saturday six inches of
water fell between the hours of a.
N. and II a. m. This heavy precipi-
tation extended from the seashore to
the Volcano House. The Wailuku river
became a Niagara Crowds of people
walked 70 the bridges at all hours on
Saturday. through the terrific rain. to
witness the spectacular plunging and
tossing of the waters of the Wailuku
as they came with catapuit force
against the solid masonry of the cleo
tric light house and the stone abut-
ments of the bridges.
At Z o'clock Sunday morning the
rain guage showed that 1853 inches of
water had fallen in the previous TWEEN
ty-four hours This infinite volume Of
water was racing through Hilo To find
its level in the sea. As the darkness
came down upon the city Saturday
night the clouds Rugged closer TO the
earth and their inexhaustible contents
came down in avalancbes of drops and
sheets of spray.
Electricity Submerged.
a little after O'Clock the heavy tail
race at the electric light station was
ierked from its cement foundation and
anchorage OF steel bands and carried
like driftwood down the river. The
pipe was of iron and over two feet III
diameter. but il was tossed about like
a straw. II was soon discovered that
the head gates near Rainbow Falls
were clogged and no water was coming
down the big sluice To turn the eiec-
trio dynamos. Manager Sedsewick
went at once to Rainbow Falls. where
he found the sluice head buried TO the
depth of three feet. 1t was out OF the
question To open the clogged water
head.
Therefore Hilo went to sleep wet
and in darkness How dark and how
wet nobody knows except those who
NAV have fallen into a eistern in an
nnligbted cellar. Candles and kero
sene lamps were brought into requi-
si4iou. and an occasional feeble ray
niercins tbs Egvutian darkness was all
the evidence left 70 show that a city
stood on the shores OF Hilo bay.
WaioIama Bursts Banks.
Late Saturday afternoon grave trou-
BILE was brewing in another quarter.
The bed of the Waiolama stream had
become lake. The outlet of this
stream was formerly at a point on
Front street nov occupied by Hack
fields lumber yard. The canal cut TO
the Waiakea river mauka OF Front
street. 10 divert the course of tbs wal
DIANA. was given more than 1t could
do. The whole district south OF
Church street MSS flooded. Many
houses occupied By Japanese. Chinese
and Hawaiians were covered with wa
ter on the first tioor and were in i'm
usineut danger OF being carried from
their foundations by the rising waters
ponehawai street was covered with
water. coming up TO the beds of hacks.
Front street was q sheet Of water. COW
cred with floating pond lilies. from
Hackfesd's coffee mill 10 Davies ware
house. The big 2ae-foct warehouse he
longing to Eaekfeld & Co. WAS in dan
ger. The whole Hackfsld force from
Mr. Hamburg down were on the spot
to do what they could to avert disas-
ter The warehouse was stored with
ali kinds of merchandise
lumber Yard Devastated
when darkness came the grade in
Front street still stood substantial
hs-rier. between the lumber plant and
the stisi rising waters. At ~ O'Clock
the current broke through the loose
so;l beneath the mScSdzn az the cor
nsr OF the planning Mill. on the city side
81 the big 500 foot dry shed which pro
tp~s.a go zoe feet OF dressed lumber
The freed waters literally sco7pea
their way 10 the seq. soon creating
chanael eight feet deep and fortv fses
wid excroSs the read The water
rsiu 10 waiakea was snappsc. and
that Snburh. though submerged. sti'l
was uaterless- The soft saudv sri.
soon crunlbIea l-om hsresth the form
dations of the Dlanisg mill, and the
dry lrmbar shed ard tall piles OF Inn
heY taDpfesi over