The Hawaiian gazette., 1906-02-20
FIRE Loss
At ONOMEA

c. Hedemann. manager OF the Homo
lulu Iron Works. returned from the
Onomea Sugar Co.'S burned mill at Pa
paikou yesterday. Speaking OF the
work OF restoration Mr.. Hedemann said
TO an Advertiser reporter:
cit would be very hard for anyone,
even Of the best experience. to tell how
long Il will take to start that place
again.
'in the boiling house are the two
vacuum pans, the evaporators and the
crystallIzers all down in "A heap.
''The boilers are not injured at all.
Neither is the mill or It's gearing In
jured. but everything pertaining to
the tanks, pumps. piping, centrifugals
and filter presses, together with their
connections--such as conveyers. car
riers, betting, etc.--is all destroyed,
making one mass of debris
NATURALLY also the entire building
was wrecked. excepting the house over
the grinding mills. The milling ma
chinery and the building over 1t be-
gan to take fire, but with wonderful
presence of mind and quick action MT
Cant, the mill engineer. turned the
main water fiume upon that building
and thereby saved the fabric and It's
contents from destruction.
"Mr. Cant deserves great credit Tor
using such mastery tactics In the
emergency.
''It has taken nearly a week to clear
away the debris such as iron roofing,
sheet metal. wreckage of apparatus
etc Material for the new building is
already almost all on hand, and IN
deed the structure itself is very nearly
erected 1t will be the same as the
old building as there is no time to
change from wood to steel structure.
New centrifugals have been order
ed in the East and one-half of them
already shipped from New York. The
remaining half of the order VIII be
shipped within a few days These con-
stitute the only item which may have
20 be imported, with the exception OF
betting etc. the other details of equip
Inent being in our stock here or at Hilo.
'By the aid of the wireless tele-
graph and the cable we have been able
almost instantly to start the work OF
construction, through the facilities OF
our works here and the stock of ma
chinery on hand in our New YORK
agency lately established We are rum
ming on certain things now In the
shops night and day. No effort VIII
be spared on our part to have the mill
in operation again at the earliest pos
sible date.
when left the place Mr. Cant was
very busy with the reconstruction or
the damaged machinery and piping
aided by large gang of laborers. The
clearing away of the debris was In
geniously effected by flooding the whole
place with water from the fumes Mr..
Cant, as the engineer of the mill and
the man best acquainted with the con-
ditions, has charge of the reconstruc-
ton
Mr. Hedemann, being asked II any
clue had been discovered as to tho
origin OF the fire answered:
mot at all. Mr.. Gurrey has beer
there for the Underwriters, but after
the closest investigation could not say
how the fire originated. All that Is
known is that it started in the bagass'
room under the boilers and spread So
rapidly that everybody had to rur
away-in fact. leaving everything II
running order and actual operation.
There is absolutely no suspicion
resting in any quarter of q maliciou
origin or incendiarism. 1t is indeed
gratifying how all hands-the Japanes
and everybody else, from the manage
down to the common laborers-turne
TO work to repair the damages. The
did not count hours, either day o
night.
"No. the grinding will not be don
by any other mill. Only the cane tina
was already cut at the time of tn
fire has been ground elsewhere partl
at Pepeekeo and partly at Wainak
mill.
''If the mill can be started again u
nine weeks or so, but little damage wi
result to the present crop"