The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-02-18
FIRE LOSS
At ONOMEA
Hard to Tell When the
Sugar Mill Will
Start.

| G. 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:
1T would be very hard for anyone.
even of the best experience, TO tell how
long it 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 its gearing in
jured, but everything pertaining to
the tanks, pumps, piping, centrffugals
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 it be-
gan to take fire, but with wonderful
presence of mind and quick action Mr..
Cant. the mill engineer. turned the
main water flume upon that building
and thereby saved the fabric and its
contents from destruction.
Mr. Cant deserves great credit for
using such mastery tactics in the
emergency.
TT has taken nearly 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 will be
shipped within a few days. These con-
stitute the only item which may have
to be imported, with the exception Of
betting, etc, the other details of equip |
ment 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 |
through the facilities of |
Dur works here and the stock of ma
on hand in our New York |
agency lately established. We are run
ming on certain things now in the |
shops night and day. No effort will |,
De spared on our part to have the mill
n operation again at the earliest pos
;ible date.
When I left the place Mr.. Cant was
7ery busy with the reconstruction of |
he damaged machinery and piping,
iided by large gang of laborers. The
clearing away of the debris was in
effected by flooding the whole
,lace with water from the fumes. Mr..
- v,{ Iaas v,orifa @f t6a ,,,iJ1 ND
he man best acquainted with. the con-
litions, has charge of the reconstruct
ion"
Mr.. Hedemann, being asked if any
lue had been discovered as to the
'rigin OF the fire answered:
Not at ALL Mr.. Currey has been
here for the Unde' iriters. but after
he closest investigation could not say
low the fire originated. All that is
,nown is that it started in the bagasse
DOM under the boilers and spread SO
apidly that everybody had to run
.way-in fact leaving everything in
order and actual operation.
There is absolutely no suspicion
esting in any quarter of a malicious
rigin or incendiarism. 1t is indeed
ratifying how all hands-the Japanese |
nd everybody else, from the manager
own 70 the common laborers-turned
o work to repair the damages. They
id not count hours, either day or
light II
mo, the grinding will not be done
y any other mill. Only the cane that
vas already cut at the time of the
re has been ground elsewhere, partly c
t Pepeekeo and partly at Wainaku Y
lilI
IF the mill can be started again in
inc weeks or so. but little damage will | 1
asult to the present CROP "