The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-08-07
A BAD MASTER.


was a surprise to the large majority
of our citizens. 1t is sort of fetch
amongst us that a brick building is
fire proof. 1t has been proved over and
over again away from here that such
is not the case. In point of fact no
building can ever be made absolutely
fire proof. The Norman Castle came
very near to an ideal fire proof build
ing for it was built entirely of stone,
its doors were of stone, its portcullis
of iron, its inLer stairs were of stone.
But luxury asked for wood work, and
consequently many a Norman Castle
burned down.
To make a building thoroughly fire
proof is to discard every portion of
inflammabe mutter, and much that
we think cannot burn, is inflammable
and under great stress of heat bursts
into flame. There is probably no build
ing in town which would resist a
heavy confa~ alton. If there had been
a heavy wind Monday night, the fire
would have swept down to the wharf,
even though there were the Stangen-
wald and Judd blocks in the way.
There are people who put their faith
in iron and cram the walls of their
buildings with iron. An iron frame
work is supposed to be a panacea
against fire, but New York has again
and again demonstrated that iron
framed buildings suffer from CONT
guous heat, and the iron frame work
warps and sends the brick walls flying
into the street. Fire seems one of the
inevitable ills of civilization. Where
ever congregations of men come to-
gether and raise their houses and stores
fire is the danger that they dread, and
mankind, though it can ameliorate it
to a certain degree, has never yet
been able to eradicate it.
What fires there have been from the
day of the dimly told blaze which des-
troyed Troy to the Chicago fire and
the more recent horror which burned
up the German transatlantic steam
ers at their mornings at New York!
AS a servant, fire is one of the greatest
and most powerful slaves mankind has.
AS a master fire is terrible and seems
to revel in destruction whether it may
be the palace of the potentate or head
of the state or whether, mayhap it
be the lowliest of cottages.
Fire springs from such slight causes,
and sometimes from causes which it is
impossible to guard against. The great
Chicago fire came from the kicking
over of a lamp by a FESTIVE COW. The
fire at the wharves of the German
Transatlantic steamers at New York
was caused by the sudden ignition of
minute particles of dust, was in point
of fact a spontaneous explosion. 1t
was on a large scale what occurs SO
often in coal ships, and which makes
coal such a dangerous cargo. 1t was
only the other day that a coal vessel
was burned off Mahukona whose cargo
had taken fire in this manner. Scien-
tifc men have explained the causes,
and other men have tried to find meth
DDS of storing this kind of cargo in such
n manner as to prevent the minute
particles from circulating and eXplod-
ing. but their success has been slight,
coal ships continue to take fire.
The source of a fire such as took
place in the Hall block need not be far
10 seek. The theory that it was a
cigarette or the stump of a cigar need
not be taken up. 1t almost undoubted-
ly came from the spontaneous COM
bustion of oiled rags A year or SO ago
there was an incipient blaze one morn
ing in The Star office, which FORUM
ately was discovered and put out with
very slight damage as a result The
first theory naturally was that the fire
arose from the wires. Everyone was
sure it was a live wire. Then everyone
was sure it was a cigarette of a cigar
stump. But it was possible to make
thorough investigation, since the fire
was so slight that it had not destroyed
the traces of its origin Finally care
full examination showed that it had
started in box of oiled rags, and it
was undoubted that these had taken
fire spontaneously. This is what prob !
ably started the destruction of the Hall
building, but all traces of the COM
mencement of the fire are lost, and the
origin must rest on theory.
Our fire department showed itself
highly capable yesterday 1t was
promptly on the spot as soon as the
signal was turned on. Though the
building cold not be saved, it was due
10 exertions of the firemen that the
destruction was practically confined to
that one place. The fire department Of
Honolulu is kept in high state of
efficiency and is a credit to it's officers
as well as a credit to the city.
The loss to the firm of Hall & Son
is a heavy and serious one, but it
will rise like phoenix from its ashes.
Everyone is sorry for this individual
loss and sympathizes with the manager
and stockholders. But heavy as this
loss is the business community may