Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1905-10-10
led BY CAPT. TURNER
OLD COMMANDER OF TIE
". q. IRWIN QUELS BLAZE
INCIDENT IN OLD PEOPLES HOME
THAT RECALLED YOUTHFUL
VIGoR-FivE YEARS AT
THIS PORT.

San Francisco, Sept. 24.-Captain H
N. Turner. member OF the Old Peo
pies Home and formerly commander
OF the brig w. G. Irwin, organized an
impromptu fire battalion at the home
yesterday morning, when the boiler ex.
ploded and the basement took fire. Al,
though he is in his eighty.fourth year
and each of his fire laddies is past -four
score, he succeeded in getting a stream
of water on the fire before the city'a
fire fighters arrived on the scene.
The explosion, which occurred at
$3.50 o'clock in the morning, was caus.
ed by the backfiring of the oil furnace
In the boiler which supplies the steam
heat for the home. The 100 old PEG
pie in the building were dressing fol
breakfast at the time and rushed into
the corridors in considerable excite
ment. Acting Superintendent G. w.
Beatty went about the halls and sue.
ceeded in quletlng them before a panic
occurred. At the same time, Harry
Wood, the engineer, shut off the oil
feed as well as the gas and electricity,
In this way preventing a second explo
sion.
But Turner had fought fires at sea
beyond the call of fire engines and
hose carts. He took charge Of the af
fair, and, with the assumption of au.
thority. the vigor of his youth return.
ed. His order to man the pumps"
was as promptly and as implicitly
obeyed as any command he ever gave
on the deck Of the crack sugar packet
W. G. Irwin. when she was a new SHY
In the early SOS, and making clippe,
time between here and Honolulu.
old Men as Firemen.
Captain Turner's assistants in the
fire fighting were Robert Treutlger.
aged so years. and George Scott, aged
~ years. Between them they got the
hose down from the hook where II
was coiled on the wall and. crawling on
their hands and knees through the
smoke, they wormed their way into
the engine room and had stream OF
water on the flames, to their infinite
delight. good five minutes ahead Of
the department.
When Engineer Harry Wood return.
ed to the engine room after turning OFF
the gas and electricity he found the
aged firemen in full charge. "As I
CROPPED through the dense smoke
stumbled over something on the floor
Of the engine ROOM" he said. 1T was
Robert Treutiger, lying fiat on the
floor and clinging to the nozzle of the
hose for dear life. The old man, with
his long white beard, in the pickering
light of the fire, shrouded in smoke
was a weird sight"
when the department came Captain
Turner surrendered his brief authority
and became once more member oi
the home"
When seen yesterday afternoon he
would not say much about the fire, but
told, with a quiet twinkle in his eyes.
that they had got q stream on the fire
before the regular flremen came. He
said: IL had command of the w. G.
Irwin from the time she was built in
1881 until 1886. That was the last
time | went to sea, with the exception
of the voyage took down to Tahiti
to bring up the City Of Papeete."
That tho damage from the blaze was
insignificant is due to the old mems
work. But 1t will take a week to re
pair the heating plant, and in that time
the members of the home will have to
warm themselves before the open fires
in the CRATES in the parlor and library.