The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-01-21
(Concluded from Page ~


water, in which bobbed the broken tops
~ trees, elumps of brush, and the
wreekage Of the early period Of the
= ttorm. Soon the waters began their
work Of destruction. Rising they lap.
"a Mt the foundations of houses stand.
ing beside the bank ,and undermined
them, topping the structures into the
ttrcain, which closed over them or
Lore them swiftly to the sea.
These first bites of the flood did not
het its hunger Tor. more, and by six
clock everything within reach was be-
ing battered by, the waters, which were
steadily rising and rising in their ef.
forts to sweep all before them.
All night long the current grew in
strength, and all night long the ran
fell, drenching the world. Then came
the climax. Reports reaching here vary
o. to the exact time the cloudburst
struck the lao Valley, but IL was be-
tween FIVE and six o clock Tuesday
morning when suddenly the rain redou.
: bled in volume and then swept down
the big cloud burst that buried under n
deluge Of water the whole Of the lao
Valley and swept out the houses
there as a housewife sweeps clean a
room with a new broom. =.
River overnows It's Banks -
b Almost at once the river responded to
this newest hood. Full TO the brim as
Il was there was no room left for ex-
pansion, and tine storm waters over
flowed its banks and began cutting
new channel TO the sea, washing away
houses, stores and warehouses that stood
in the path of its new route.
Some of the houses, their l1mps still
burning, foated long in the tide, others
'toppled over and over, rolling like
stricken ships in a sea way, as they
went to their doom. Hundreds of PEG.
pie woke in the dun, grim light of that
carly morning to realize that they must
leave their all and fee If they would
save their lives. They fed weeping,
dressed in whatever they could snatch
from the food ere they ran. Horses
and cattle, pigs and chickens mingled
in moving, clawing mass with the
debris from hundred homes and
farms, while the food f0ared and boiled
. and clutehed fresh victims as it grew
moment by moment. So
Great Trees Snapped 4 4.
No one who has not seen a river in
spate can realize the force of the wa
tors. Trees ten and fifteen inches in
diameter were snapped in two, wheh
, houses or,.WreekRge were hurled against
them by the current. Houses rolled
from,ltheir foundations toppled over on
4 i9fother houses and together the pact
would go eareening toward the sea-
5Ht The food carried house against the
Lbutments of the Waihee road bridge,
i ID almost in an instant a lake was
s trmed' that grew and grew as the wa
t"rs swirled into II from above, while
The debris gathered fast, and the food
ravened at the retaining wall of con.
crete with angry white hands.
Falling Homes Their Graves
81 Then the houses began to collapse,
burying people under their ruins, and
faint screams sounded above the roar
OF the floods and the crash Of failing
buildings. 1t was bedlem let loose by
the storm. 49,
And all Tuesday morning it lasted
while the people battled to force the
river back into its old bed, battled
with dynamite and rock to force the
river back, and save the houses still
standing in its track.
j Then the storm began to subside,
having done what IL could, and the task
of repair began, and the sad task of
searching for the bodies of the storm s
victims. By noon Wednesday ten
eorpses had been taken from the wreck
age, and the work had but begun.
Wreckage lined both sides of the strc OF,
houses and stores had been Quilted by
the food and their contents scattered
along in immodest disregard of the
ieceneies Of life. Walls were leaning
aBkew and roofs were tumbling in,
pihning human beings under them.
Authorities Act Swiftly n
O. But the Waikiki authorities, had
their wits about them. The situation
was gaspcd firmly and the work of
rehabilitation begun. The river driven
back into its former bed left the track
of desolation To, one side, and although
still swollen was again within its banks.
Wailuku faced desperate condition
of affairs. There were no lights for
flooded and fearing to keep, current In
the tangle of wires that laced back
and forth ecross the streets. The wa
ter supply was Threatened and 1t was
necessary TO stop all waste, so the or,
der went forth TO eOniine the use Of
the fluid to drinking purposes only,
Hot And Dry At Hilo y. .-'* r. re-
p Dispatches from Hawaii, usually one
Of the worst sufferers from storms that
strike at the Territory, reported that
this time the Big Island has escaped
entirely. There have been light rains