The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-01-19
YEAR AGO TODAY THEIR PIONEER IS A BOY THE BONES OF WARRIORS
OF THE GREAT
CHINATOWN FIRE.
Day on Which a Board of Health Fire
Swept over About Thirty Acres Of
Buildings.

1t is just a year today, by weeks,
since the great Chinatown fire that was
caused by the burning of buildings con-
demned on account of plague cases, by
the Board of Health. At this time a
year ago the whole population of HO-
noulu was i'm the midst of one of the
most exciting days i'm the history of the
city, while evening found thousands of
! Orientals rendered homeless by the big
gest conflagration that ever occurred
here
1t was about eleven in the morning
when the fire first attracted general at
| tention as a dangerous one. Some
small buildings had been burned close
| to kaumakapili church and a rising
! wind had suddenly swept the fire be-
| yond the control of the fire department.
| One of the steeples of the big church
caught fire, then the other, then the
roof, and while the tiremen were strug-
| Cling in the vicinity of the church,
burning brands We're scattered all over
/ Chinatown, starting many small blazes.
| The flames spread so rapidly that one
Of the fire engines had to be abandon
/ ed enVeloped in flames, and it was left
/ in the midst of the burned district.
J BY noon the flames We're driving the
population Of the thickly settled China
town in all directions. The fine old
| church was a vast furnace and under
]
| We're sweeping to the water front.
Chinatown was under strict quaran-
/ tine ON account Of the plague. The
people whose homes were going up in
smoke found armed guards preventing
/ them from running away, and they ran
to and fro within the quarantine lines,
| i'm the greatest excitement Reports of
] Japanese uprisings and attempts to
rush the quarantine lines resulted i'm a
/ general call for volunteer guards and
most of the citizens down town took
axe and pick handles and formed lines
along the quarantine boundaries, keep
ing the Orientals in.
The fire developed a tremendous vol
ume as it spread down River street.
licking up a row several blocks in
/ length of tenements inhabited by Chi
nese and Japanese. 1t also headed
down King street and for a time there
| were apprehensiOnS that the whole
business part of the city would go. 1t
was stopped before Nuuanu however,
on the other side it swept to the water
front and the Honolulu Iron Works
has only saved by the efforts Of buck
ct brigades all the available hose, and
later the tug IrOquois.
Five thousand Chinese and Japanese
and a few natives We're marched be-
tween lines of guards from the district
where their homes We're in ashes to
! KaWaiahao church, where all were
lodged, until homes could be provided.
The large auditorium of the church was
filled with the most remarkable gather
ing it ever contained, women and chill
dren crowding every pew. The men
filled the grounds outside. Guards We're
placed, to keep the people, who were
from the plague-infected district, from
escaping. No cases of plague broke
out among them in the church and the
general scattering of the disease which
was feared as a result of the complete
temporary breakdown of the quaran-
tine did not materialiZe.
A year ago today when the sun went
down Honolulu was confronted with a
great problem of looking after the
thousands of homeless people. Arrange
ments were under way hours before the
flames ceased their destruction OF
homes and i'm a few days the various
camps that did service till the end of
the plague and long after, one being
in use yet, were being planned.
During the fire the breaking of wires
caused the shutting off of electric power
and business was practically stopped
Honolulu had no evening papers, as
power for type setting machines and
presses was not available. The news
paper business was one that did moi
pause however and by midnight ar
edition of The Star containing a full
account of the exciting events of the
day, was on the press.