The Hawaiian gazette., 1905-03-07

people started other fires in the neigh
borhood, taking advantage Of the fine
weather to clear land.
Mr.. Hosmer sent an urgent request
TO High Sheriff Henry that he Instruct
the deputy sherlffs in all districts TO
issue warnings, under the heaviest
penalties the law allows, against the
starting of fires in dry weather.
FORESTER HoSMER'S REPORT
Forester Hosmer sends the follow ing
report of the fire in the Government
forests to J.. A. Thurston. president of
the Board of Agriculture and Forestry:
THE forest fire in South Kona start
ed on Wednesday, Feb. %, near the
southern edge of Kaapuna. about half
mile above the Government road. 1t
has spread up the mountain side in a
broad-topped V or U. until now March
p 1t averages perhaps miles wide
by from 2 to 2 1-2 miles UP and down
say from 1900 to 1900 acres. 1t is
hard to estimate correctly, because
there are no high points to look of from
and the smoke lies over the mount ain
slope to obscure landmarks.
THE fire now extends from the Opt
hihelekaapuna boundary, across Kaa-
puma and Kipahoehoe to a line drawn
up from about the center of Alika
Elevation 2500 to $500 feet.
''The fire is a surface fire. in places
tending to work into the ground and
burn in humus and dry leaf mould.
Mostly feeding upon Staghorn fern
CUluhD it burns rapidly where there
are patches of this fern, then crawls to
another patch. The forest Is COM
posed mainly of Ohia Lehua trees. The
fire does not go so high as the koa belt.
Upon my arrival in Kailua on Sun
day afternoon, Feb. 26, active work
was at once begun. Mr.. Geo. w. Nc
Dougall was appointed Fire Warden
and directed to get out a gang of men.
proceeded at once to Mr.. McDougall's
house. Early Monday morning a gang
of some 80 odd Hawaiians turned out
at the Kaapuna wood-cutter's camp
and started cutting out fire trail up
along the north edge of the fire and
following the Kaapuna trail. This line
is some 40 feet wide and is cleared of
all inflammable material 1t serves as
a base to back fire from or to fight
fire coming up to it. 1t averages about
is mile north of the edge of the fire,
tiio III Soille DldCeS lle IRE is NllnlH
100 to 200 feet. This trail is being
pushed through mauka
Another similar trail Is being cut
up along the south side. Eventually
the two will be connected across the
top. On the south side there is no
existing trail to work from and the
country is rougher and with more stag
horn fern, making progress slower.
Fortunately the winds have been
light the past week, so that the fire is
not likely to spread much beyond
limits indicated above. At night a
strong N. f. mauka breeze holds the
fire down from top and away from
north side. The danger is with strong
winds and sparks. Wednesday night
light showers came over Kona which
helped materially by wetting down
land surrounding the fire, altho' not
enough to quench the fire itself Rain
is hoped for. but there is no telling
when it will come.
There are now between 60 and 20
men at work, under my personal su-
pervision, and the efficient direction of
Mr.. McDougall. Unless high winds
come up. the fire can be held down to
about it's present limits, but heavy
rains must come before it can be Who'll
ly extinguished."