Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-02-03


H1LO, Hawaii. jan. 31.--The Pahoa
lumbe: mill with practically all the
lumber on hand. with the exception
of such ties as had been cut for i'm
mediate shipment, was destroyed by
fire on Tuesday night. Through the
strenuous work of Col. Sam Johnson
the manager of the concern, the Of
flee. store ald Pahoa depot. were
saved as we'll as the managers house
The entire town of Pahoa had a very
narrow escape from the flames as
the result of a shifting wind which
threatened to sweep the flames to,
wards TIE main street.
The total loss from the fire will
be very heavy, reaching close TO halt
a million dollars and there was nc
insurance whatever. The loss comes
at a peculiarly unfortunate time, ow'
ing to the fact that the lumber com
pany, through its contracts for ohia
flooring, was just being placed upon i
SQUAD financial footing and was, for
the first time in it's history, paying
good returns ever expenses. TIER
were a large number of contracts on
hand, the material for some OF .wh!cl
was ready for shipment.
Much Lumber Lost
The main item of loss consist o.
two mills, one hundred thousand feet
Of koa, about 100000 feet of finished
ohia flooring for Los Angeles con
tracts and for the Punahou Colleg, in
Honolulu, as we'll as about four mil
lion feet Of lumber, which was stack-
ed at various points in the lum 3er
yard. The company is protected III
its contracts by the usual clause re
leasing the company from obligation
in case of fires, but the money loss in
the material which was burned will
be very heavy. The mill company $
rolling stock, consisting of three loco
motives and a number of flatcars was
saved. ! "
The fire was discovered shortly
after midnight and when the alarm
was given was blazing fiercely. Col.
Johnson had been working over cor
respondence till about 1890, then
had gone to his house i0r about al
hour and returned to the office,
passing within a few feet of the spot
where the flames first appeared, at
about 11:30. His chauffeur also went
past the spot but neither of them
noticed anything wrong. A little
after midnight the alarm was given
by a Waterman and then it appeared
that the flames had a good start but
still might be controlled.
johnson in Charge
Col. Johnson took charge in person,
the pumps which had been installed
for fire projection were started and
the fight against the flames com
meneed. The attempt was made to
keep the blaze in the larger mill,
where it had originated, but the
flames reached the pumps in about
half an hour and then the only
source of supply was from the water
tanks which gave but a small pres
sure.
The lumber which was piled around
the mill commenced to catch and then
came the fight to prevent spread of
the flames. The piles were divided
by wide alleyways, over which bridges
had been built connecting one pile to
l
of the work and both Col. johnson
and his men ran great risks as they
broke down the supports to prevent
the flames from being given this easy
manner of access to the further lumber
stacks.
Moment Of Danger.
One of the moments of greatest dan,
ger. came when the big cast iron
smokestack of the mill fell. With little
or no warning it dropped with a crash
upon a bridge which was occupied by
Col. Johnson and four Japanese. In
the crash that followed, the bridge, al
ready weakened, gave way and the
five men fell. Luckily no one was ser.
iously hurt though one Japanese he
came so panic stricken that he started
to run directly for the flames when
Col. Johnson saw what he was doing
and seized him.
Attempts were made to pull down
the tall piles of lumber that they might
not offer SO inviting display for the
advancing fire and in this work a
number of the men were slightly hurt,
none of them being wounded in any
serious manner The work was we'll
under way and 1t was just when a good
chance of safety fer the planning mill
appeared, that the wind changed and
the labor already done was practically
thrown away. A second start was
made and more lumber pies were Torn
down and an attack made from another
quarter as It was impossible to &C
complish any work save on the side
from which the wind came. This work
too was given for almost nothing as
another change of wind came, driving
the firefighters from their positions
and forcing them to adopt still new
methods of attack.