The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-12-20
WWlDMW NEHD THE BIG HMD NOT FEAR CUBA GROE ROUND HRHA MIDNIGHT M&Em S
HAMAKUAs TROUBLE OVER AT
LAST.
Cost Of the Fight Against Fire Was
SSOOO-How The Men Worked when
Rain Came,

The report of A. Horner, Of I5ukaiau
Plantation, on the finishing up Of the
Hamakua fires, was read to the EXecu-
tive Council yesterday. With it We're
! sent bills showing the cost of fighting
the fire. The bills will amount to about
$4,000, which is $1,000 less than the es-
innate made by Superintendent Boyd
now completely suppressed.
The next legislature will be asked to
make an appropriation to reimburse
those who have put up money to pay
the men who did the work, as the
suppression of the disastrous fire was a
public enterprise. No pledge has been
made, says Boyd, but the appropriation
will be recommended as a good one. The
report from Horner is as follows:
Col James II. Boyd, superintendent Of
Public Works, Honolulu.
Dear Sir: Persuant to your request I
herewith take pleasure in sending you
a detail account of the work on the
forest fires during the month of october
1901, covering the amount of the bills
forwarded to you on November 10th
In addition to these bills are the ones
for warded to you on the 10th Of Octo-
Der, covering all work on fires from
their inception in July up 80 october
1st.
After your visit in the early part Of
October, and at your request we put a
much larger force on the fires distri-
buted as follows, 25 men on what is
known as the David Kaula or I[eanu-
kulu fire 40 on the Bee and Tim fires
| and 10 men on the Kaohe fire. besides
these there was 20 men on what is
| known as the fire to east of the Niupea
| Homesteads, also quite a number of
! Portuguese, Japanese and Chinese
! hOmesteaders that worked more or less
on the fires nearest to their respective
hnl oil ,f Karh igh ig inc l.. ..I In
! the bills rendered.
/ I'VE are happy to say that after your
! last visit and after a larger force was
| put into the forest that we We're able to
! keep the fires entirely under control OF
within the trenches, (but could not put
| them OuD with the one exception of the
Bee fire. this got beyond our control on
| a very windy day and burned about 400
| acres before we could bring it under
control again Notwithstanding we sent
up re-enforcements from the plantation
| as well as taking every available man
| that was then in the forest All men on
| the fires worked every Sunday during
| the month of October and part of them
worked at night when the wind blew
particularly heavy, for this extra work
| they were paid at the rate of $l0O for lO
| hours work, but there was several days
when the fires We're burning particularly
! fierce that they worked well into the
night but did not ask any remuneration
| for it.
After the rains started in the latter
| part of October we lost no time burying
! logs, cutting trees, etc that We're neal
the danger line hoping to get the fires
| so well out that should the rains not
amount to much there would be no dan
ger of it breaking over our work again
| We are very happy to report that the
rains on the lower levels continued SC
that after a few days we brought all the
men down except the ones working in
the Vincinity of Keanukulu. There the
rains did not reach for several days af-
ter the fires on the lower levels were
! practically out AS soon as the rains
| reached the upper levels all men were
brought down, although all logs and
standing trees that We're burning when
the rains began continued to burn until
| they burned up and the fire was still
burning in hundreds of places in the
ground We felt that the continuous
rains although light would stop or pre-
vent any fresh outbreak which it did
You will notice that we have made
no charge for tools used, these we fur
nished and expected to get them all
back but during the various changes
| and scrambles many were lost.
You know of your own knowledge
the danger and risk run in travelling
over this burned district overseeing the
work of fighting the fires, also the
lnOuSnl ana tllne given 10 them by ult
writer as well as the money paid ou
by the Kukaiau Plantation Company
I'm conclusion my dear Mr.. Boyd le
me say that may the writer never have
to contend with or see another fores
fire under the conditions prevailing il
the Hamakua district during the pas
| summer.
With very highest regards,
4 I'VE remain, yours truly,
/ THE KUKAIAL PLENTATION co.
'By A. Horner.'
Il Paauilo, December 10, 1901.
GOOD APPETTZER