The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-01-04
Unknown Man Entered an Hour
Before Fire Was Found and
May Be Cremated.
One Hundred Thousand Dollars Loss Sustained
by Destruction of Dry Goods Stocks.
James F. Morgan Suffers Loss.

Midnight fires last night did damage
to the amount of 500, 900 to L. b. Kerr
& Co., Ltd, James F. Morgan, and the
Robinson estate, by the practical de-
struction 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 a man had lost his life in
the burning structure.
Barney Oat, the night watchman 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. Oat passed up Kaa-
humanu street and went on his rounds
until the alarm was sounded, the indi-
Gator at the central station showing
that it came at Ills. Mr.. Oat reported
to Fire Chief Thurston as follows:
II was on Queen street about Is or 20
minutes past 10 when I saw a man
walk down Queen from Fort streets di-
rectly to Kerrs He unlocked the iron
doors, went in and closed the doors be-
hind him. I have often seen business
men come to their stores at night, and
thought nothing about it. Kerr's is
not on my list. I 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,
1 do not know"
The police made every endeavor to-
find Mr.. Kerr last night, but could not
locate him up to l a. m. 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 stock of
general dry goods, estimated to be OF
a value of $1,000 This is practically /
lost as the fire, which seems to have
started in the rear of the main room, /
Of the store, and then, working up, .
Quilted the second story.
In the store-room of James F. Nor
gan there was a light stock of goods,
principally furniture and
some canned groceries, and much of
his was destroyed by smoke and wa
er, for the fire was late in getting into
he room, and did very little damage
here Mr. Morgan saved his books and
his valuables in the desk in the rear
,ffice, but no one of the Kerr firm ap-
5eared, and not a single thing was
saved from that building. The fire had
;uch headway at the moment it was
discovered that it is doubtful if any
hing could have been saved. The fire
vas fought with the utmost vfgor, and
iespite the menace Of the lumber piles
n the rear, there was never real dan
,er of great spreading, for the depart
nent handled the blaze with such deter
nination that no loss was incurred, ex-
ept in the main building, even the
varerooms at the rear being saved
rom damage.
The fire was discovered by the police
nan on the Queen and Fort street
eat, who saw the reflection from the
ames, which We're later found to be
reaking through the sky-lights over
he dressmaking portion Of the Kerr r
establishment, occupying the rear end ,
: the building. He turned in the alarm ,
rom box 13, at Hackfeld's corner. The
olice wagon was the first on the /;
round, and Deputy Sheriff Chilling
-orth, followed by McDufffe, Renear,
nd Pohaku, went through Allen & J
lumber yard, breaking
own the tall gates in the rear Of J. F. S
Iorgan's rooms. BY this time the 8
hemica1 engine and a hose wagon from q
ne central station arrived, the latter o
Ding to this opening with line OF {