The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-08-25
HARD FOUGHT BLAZE
FIRE THAT THREATENED THE
BUSINESS QUARTER.
Conhagration Starts in Warehouse of
Hawaiian Hardware Company-Gen
eral Alarm Sounded to subdue Flames

partment was experienced Saturday
afternoon. when a fire broke out in the
middle of the Hawaiian Hardware
Companys warehouse. For two hours
the whole block bounded by Merchant
and Queen, Fort and Kaahumanu
streets, was in danger. The fire could
not be located nor approached on ac-
count of the dense volumes of smoke,
and it slowly ate its way along the cell
ings, between walls and among the
heaps of stores in the warehouse. The
firemen kept it under control, but
could not suppress 1t till late in the af-
ternoon.
The fire is said to have been caused
by an accident with gasoline in the
warehouse. An order for gasoline for
Young Bros. launch had been received
and was being filled. The Hardware
Company promptly moved all explos-
ives out of its store when the fire began
to spread, but there was some tur-
pentine in the warehouse, which prob
ably helped the flames.
The first alarm was turned in at
about 2:15. The fire was in the center
of the Campbell block, and very hard
to reach. Hose was sent in from the
Martin tailor shop, out of which every
thing was moved early, and from be-
hind the building the fremen approach
ed with more hose. The difficulty of
getting at the flames gave them a
chance to spread and soon dense
clouds of smoke were filling the build
ing. There were no flames to be seen,
and only now and then were the fire.
men able to get a glimpse Of fire. They
turned streams into the burning ware
house from every possible direction.
Chief Thurston sent in a general
alarm soon after three o'clock. The
amount of water then turned in upon
the warehouse was enormous. The
Campbell building was literally soak
ed. The floors up stairs had an inch or
more of standing water in them much
of the time. 1t ran down the Fort
street stairway in a small series of wa
terfalls. But the fire was all the time
creeping along the ceiling of the ware
house and up between the walls of the
building, where no stream could reach.
From the roof of the building one
stream was poured down on the hidden
fire. Another came from the court be-
hind the hardware COmpanys' store.
hose running through the store oc-
cupied by ]. w. RedhOuse, the Inter
Island Telegraph Company and others,
sent heavy column of water through
the shutters of the warehouse at that
l.
through a hole chopped in the floor.
At several points the firemen struck
to their posts with the greatest diff
Guilty. Upstairs the Campbell block
was so filled with smoke that none but
firemen remained. The latter stuck
close to a large hole that had been
chopped in the floor and poured a
steady stream on to the goods in the
warehouse. No fire could be seen dur
ing most of the time, but hot smoke
came up through the floor in dense
column, and kept those who had offices
from saving their property at this
point.
There was a general moving out of
the building when the fire began to
threaten large destruction. ]. S. Mar
tin, the tailor, was one of the first to
move, and he got everything out. His
store was flooded and he would have
lost practically everything if he had
not moved. The Wireless Telegraph
Company moved it's belongings out
next door, and j. w .Redhouse saved
his instruments.
David Lawrence began to move too
late and suffered considerable loss.
The greater portion of his stock was
saved, however. Quantities of cigaret-
ties and tobacco were dropped on the
street and soaked by the fire streams.
The expensive fixtures inside the store
were damaged to some extent though
the fire did not reach the store. The
Hawaiian Hardware Company did not
move out, but got rid of some gun
powder.
Upstairs in the Campbell block there
was great activity in moving. The
building was full of Offices. Desks,
bookcases, books, typewriters and even
safes, were moved down the narrow
stairway with great rapidity. j. NJ.
Monsarrat saved a large quantity of
Office fixtures. He had quite a force of
helpers, among whom was Attorney
Magoon, who made a record as a fur
piture mover. Fred Harrison moved
out when smoke began to fill his office.
K. Kobayashi NJ. d. MOnsarrat, Kinds,
Rolph e. Company and Achi and John
son moved out as quickly as possible,
but their offices were not burned out.
The smoke and water would have done
great damage, however.
The smoke filled @. H. Berry's office
so Quickly that moving out was i'm
possible. 1 was impossible to reach
the office at all for some time, and
when the passage through the smoke
was made, floods of papers. sJme Of
them valuable records, were floating
about the floor, The office of John
EfTinger and P. r, Strauch suffered in
the same way.
f. w. Hankey did not move out, and
suffered no damage He had a valuable
law library and force of men were on
hand ready to turn to and move 1t If
the fire made further progress.
The fire was finally suppressed by
streams from the upper floor of the
block 1t was between the floors A
second stream was taken up and an
other hole cut through the floor and by
six o'clock the engines were able to go
home leaving one to play a stream on
the smouldering timbers.
The loss will probably reach $50, 900.
The Hardware company had about $75,-
600 worth of stock in Its warehouse, and
the entire stock was soaked with wa
ter. A large part of 1t was partially
burned. A look into the warehouse to-
day showed black charred goods of all
kinds, and never was there a stock of
goods more thoroughly drenchad. Tons
upon tons of water poured through the
building for three hours.
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