The Hawaiian gazette., 1903-01-06

Midnight fires last night Gid damage
TO the amount Of 100000 to l.. Il. Kerr
& Co, Ltd. James F. Morgan, and the
Robinson estate, by the practical de-
struct.on OF the building occupied by
the first two concerns named In Queen
street, with all the contents.
When the fire was under control facts
were learned which led the police to
believe that man had lost his life in
the burning structure.
Barney Oat, the night Waterman in
that section of the city, saw a man
enter the Kerr store about 20 minutes
past 10 o'clock and close the big iron
doors after him. Dat passed up Kaa-
humanu street and went on his rounds
until the alarm was sounded, the indi-
Gator at the central station showing
that 1t came at 11:l5. Mr.. Dat reported
to Fire Chief Thurston as follows:
II was on Queen street about 10 or 20
minutes past 10 when l saw man
walk down Queen from Fort streets di-
rectly to Kerr's. He unlocked the iron
doors, went In and closed the doors be-
hind him. ! have often seen business
men come to their stores at night, and
thought nothing about it. Kerr's is
not on my list. / went around and up
Kaahumanu street, and while there
heard the whistles. I came to Queen
and saw the reflection of the flames
from Kerr's. i did not see any one
come out of Kerr's. Who the man was,
i do not KNOW"
The police made every endeavor to
find Mr.. Kerr last night, but could not
locate him up to / a. IN. His residence
is at Waikiki, and the telephone re-
fused to work last night.
The building contained two ground
floor roms, the second story being one
apartment. In the stores of Kerr &
Co, comprising the Waikiki room and
the entire upper floor, was a stock of
general dry goods, estimated to be of
a value of 100000. This is practically
lost, as the fire, which seems to have
started in the rear of the main room,
made its way through the entire length
of the store, and then, working up,
Quilted the second story.
In the store room Of Jemes F. Nor
gan there was a light stock of goods.
comprising principally furniture and
some canned groceries, and much Of
this was destroyed by smoke and wa
ter, for the fire was late in getting into
the room, and did very little damage
there. Mr.. Morgan saved his books and
his valuables in the desk in the rear
office, but no one of the Kerr firm APP
peared, and not a single thing was
saved from that building. The fire had
such Roadway at the moment 1t was
discovered that it is doubtful If any
thing could have been saved. The fire
was fought with the utmost vigor, and
despite the menace of the lumber piles
in the rear, there was never real dan
ger Of great spreading, for the depart
ment handled the blsze with such deter
mination that no loss was incurred, ex-
cept in the main building, even the
warerooms at the rear being saved
from damage.
The fire was discovered by the police
man on the Queen and Fort street
beat, who saw the reflection from the
flames, which were later found to be
breaking through the sky-lights over
the dressmaking portion of the Kerr
establishment, occupying the rear end
of the building. He turned in the alarm
from box 10, at Hackfeld's corner. The
poilCt "aSoh was Tie lTsl On tic
ground, and Deputy Sheriff Chilling
worth, followed by McDufie, Renear.
and Pohaku, Went through Allen &
Robinson's lumber yard, breaking
down the tall gates in the rear Of ]. F.
Morgan's rooms. BY this time the
chemical engine and hose wagon from
the central station arrived, the latter
going to this opening with a line of
hose. A ladder was raised and the hose
taken to the roof. The water was
poured down into this section, which
was already a roaring furnace.
cSc<:SSc:S.IC:S:I:T:IsI S00oOOOO(
such as this one, which affects tn
of great section of the country
of this arbitration is a subject for
arbitration itself is logical. Inc
the primary step toward the pass
unions must be responsible for Il
and until they are there is little
of labor troubles"
TROUBLE IN
TANGIER Jan. 3.-The pref
has entered Fee. The situation is
refuse responsibility for registers
is extremely critical. Ten thousa
and cruelty, support the pretendel
read in the mosque Acknowledged,
punish the rebels soon.
For years the rule of the pre-
n stormy one. He Is Muley Al
1894 on the death of Muley Hassi
absolute one he has met with or,
tribes who have refused TO pay in
he has levied, Foreign govern
upon the Sultan heavily for dana
foreign residents Of the country.
Three months ago three of
Berber kabyles rose IN rebellion