The Hawaiian gazette., 1901-09-17
.HAMAKUA IS
FIRE SWEPT
Forests Are Wiped
Out by the
Blaze.

III
tor Advertiser; The fire is still
a. raging in the forest OF Hama |
kua worse than ever; and ii Is said to
extend twenty miles In length, Quite a
number of new fires have also been
started; one of which three natives are
said to be responsible for. These men
were hunting bees, and they set fire to
the trees, SO that the smoke would
stupefy the insects and so render them
harmless But the fire soon got beyond
their control and has already, 30 it is
stated, burnt about 500 acres OF forest,
besides burning a large part Of Mrs. A.
] Horner's coffee plantation. This Is the
most inexcusable incident that We have
heard OF in connection with this forest
| fire. These men are now In jail, and
kept there for a few months.
Most all of the planters Of the Hama
kua district are now out fighting this
FIRE. with the hope OF cutting it of. and
It would be a good thing II they were
surrounding II. There are about eighty
men from the Kukaiau plantation dis
tributed about the forest, and 1t Is said
that every man from this plantation
will be sent up TO the fire as soon as
the grinding is finished. Mr.. Walker OF
Ookala In said to be out with a large
force of men lighting a new fire that
has started there. Mr.. A. Lidgate of
Hamakua has also been out with a
large force Of men and he has done
good service in checking the fire.
, This Are Is becoming n most serious
affair. and II begins to look as II all
0 the forest will be swept away. as well
as the homesteads and ranches And II
some great rain Or some great effort
a is not made at once, both Horner's
and Parkers ranches will be, II Is fear
ed, burnt to the ground.
And this is not the worst Of 1t as it
is feared that with the forest gone, the
rainfall will be diminished to such an
extent as to make these lands useless
for raising sugar cane.
1t is thought that II a sufficient force
of men were available this fire might
be surrounded, and kept from doing
further harm.
K The Japs are said to be excellent men
y for fighting the fire. They have camps
u near by and live in the woods.
OBSERVER.
r CARELESS ABOUT FIRES.
lnere WAS II llGHt ram III I1diHdhu"
=. on Thursday afternoon. The average
h precipitation was about thirty-hun-
dredths OF an inch. As soon as it com
n menced to rain a Chinese gardener sci
q fire to some weeds claiming he thought
:, ii safe to do so when II was raining
y 1t was only by hard work that the
fire was prevented from reaching cane
o field of the Honokaa Sugar co, There
Il have been number of fires in Hama.
= liua recently put ont by people foolish
g enough to think they could contro
: them The people there are advocating
- severe measures for such people in al
To- future cases,
10 WANTS AID OF TROOPS.
= If Governor Dole would mobilize the
National Guard of Hawaii and despatch
n the companies to the scene of the Ha'
e makua forest fires he would be send
+ ing them against IA foe as formidabl,
< las will likely ever visit Hawaiian
:, shores. With Albert Horner as field
- marshal, the militia men with axes ant
i spades could perform service, emitting
J. their names to he inscribed on Fame
J. uniquest scroll. Soldiers are Away
q ready to heed duty's can.-liilo Tribune