The Hawaiian gazette., 1906-05-08


ail defence. Express wagons wen, a
a premium already though many he.l
10 move twice. miacalcuiAting IN, Mil
mate spread ~ the firc. Heads OF fafnl-
lies dragged trunks up hills. over curb
ana along pavemcnts babies were car.
ricd ana their little carriages used for
loads of goods. Chlldren's toy wag e.
ons ana bicycles packed their share
Those who had intimacy with owners Of
delivery wagons saved most of their
belongings Near my house almost the
highest point IN the district. II seemed
! Impossible that the fire could reach
across the many vacant spaces OF gar
dens and climb the steep hills. Water
was still plentiful and confidence
relgned generally to the extent OF stay
Ing by their goods TIL the flames ap-
preached within dozen blocks at
least. though nearly all refused To re-
enter their houses for fear OF another
tcmblor. intermittent shocks being fire.
quent, and made preparations to pass
the night I'm the streets. With our
neighbors, George f. Coard and wife,
who is a niece of James w. Bergstrom,
OF Honolulu, and both of whom once
lived in Honolulu for q short period,
my wife and myself camped in the hall
of our dwelling. Judgment as to the
fire not reaching our quarter for many
hours was finally vindicated as It was
thlrty-siX hours after the outbreak
that the flames, famed by wind that
blew from what was deemed a safe di-
rection, RACED the neighborhood to the
ground and halted two blocks beyond
Pacific avenue. completing the destruc-
tion of the city proper and residence
district east of Van Ness avenue and
south of Market street as far as Twen-
tieth and Mission streets.
All hopes that by nightfall the fire
would be, IL not checked, at least in
hand, We're soon dsillusioned. AS the
sun sank peacefully behind the Golden
Gate and Fort Point began to wink
alternately its red and golden eyes. the
eastern sky glared with the throbbing
glow of volcano, a pulsing semi
dome of vivid orange reflected back
from the unburned districts and rem
dering the city bright as day with a
light that never was on land and sea-"
1t was awe-inspiring, this waving eur
zenith Pillars of Gre and smoke rolled
upward from the doomed district and
the confagration seemed but two
blocks away when 1t was twenty The
broad terrace of upper jones street
formed a point of vantage looking over
the city to the east and south and all
night long 1t was crowded with an
eager throng who mounted to the res
ervoir on the west side or walked from
one street to another watching the
glare. listening to reports or reading
the extra published in Oakland and
eagerly purchased. Down town the
flames crossed Kearney street shortly
before midnight and stretched towards
California. Southwark the eye looked
across an unlimited vista of buildings;
charred and leveled for the most part
to the ground, while here and there
larger edifices showed scarlet with
flame. The exodus Presidioward and to
the suburbs continued through the
night. Chinatown caught and like rats
from a sewer the Mongolians came up
the hill, their yellow faces blanched
with fear, their savings suspended
from long poles. little children astride
laden, some of them barely able to
move in their dimunitive feet. Morn
ing dawned unnoticed in the light of
the flames, which had steadily ascend
ed against the light west wind and had
reached greedy fingers into the Hayes
valley district, threatening to ring in
the Mob Hill residences that had so
far seemed immune. Horses We're ex-
and means of transit were |
scanty indeed. Italians who had lost |
their grocery stores, yesterday rapidly |
recouped their fortunes in a night by !
people and chattels for any |
price they cared to ask. enormous sums
being offered by panic-stricken people |
who in this district were generally |
wealthy. At four in the morning the :
fire had encroched so rapidly that a |
change OF scene seemed desirable and !
Coard and l hunted in vain for a con- |
veyance. The only one to be secured !
was a small wagon driven by an Italian
who wanted 500 to take us to Mission |
and Sixteenth street. Nothing larger
was available, and our charioteer was
being besieged by other bidders, so we
packed in the girls and what few bum
dies the wagon would hold and leaving
our home to the mercy Of the fire and
the dispensation of Providence, we two
men started on the tramp, which was
to lead us eventually to the home of
Mrs. Coard's father, beyond Twin
Peaks in the farthest corner of the Mis-
sion. The long tramp revealed similar
sights on every street. Campers every
where, in streets, on steps, anywhere
n quick escape could be effected. I'm
firepaces in the streets. many
Of them torn and twisted and all en-
numbered with falling debris The sun