Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-03-10
Tenement BURNS;
MANY HOMELESS

Palama district was threatened yes
terday evening with fire devastation
similar TO the famous conflagration OF
1901 and had IL not been for the alb
sence CT wind and the efficient work
of the fire department a large neigh
borhood In the vicinity OF King street
and Dowsett lane might today be little
more than a charred lot.
menacing blaze about O'Clock.
started in the 7. Ushikima store when
a 50-gallon gasoline tank caught fire
end the flames spread rapidly through
out the long twostory frame structure
owned by Y. Ahin For awhile II
looked as IL the fire would spread TO
adjoining buildings. but an hour OF
hard work by the f1remen applying a
deluge Of water TO the hotter portions
brought the fastrising flames under
control
Covered by insurance
The fire was confined chiefly TO the
upper portions OF the long frame struc-
lures upper floor but water did dam
age TO the first floor stores. The
building and another smaller one on
King street waikiki of 1t, which be-
longs to Ahin, were both insured
enough to cover all the owners dam
ages but many of the little japanese
stores carried no insurance. There
was $500 insurance on The large build.
ing and $3.50 on the smaller one, and
the fire insurance people say this will
cover all damages to the buildings and
be sufficient to repair them.
Considerable damage was done To
property of the tenants who lived up
stairs In the tenement and this is hard
to estimate. Clothing, household
goods, dishes. furniture, crockery and
other belongings were carried out by
the owners or their neighbors and in
some cases ruined by being thrown
out of upper windows.
One Man Badly Burned
Manuel Abreu, q driver for an II.
Iackfield & Co. oil truck, was the only
man injured He Is at the Queens
hospital suffering from severe burns.
He Is said to have been directly re-
sponsible for the fire or at least the
principal in an accident which brought
on the blaze. Abreu was delivering
10 gallons of gasoline to the Ushfkima
flames OF nearby coal stove.
The gasoline container was instant
ly q mass of flames and ignited the
clothes Of the driver who ran from
the, store into the street wrapped in
FIRE. Toney Fernandez. q well-known
musician who leads a Hawaiian boys
music club, was on the scene and
yelled for Abreu to lie down, which he
did. Then Toney stripped the flaming
clothes from the man, but not before
Abreu had been severely burned on
the back
Thinking OF his team and the wagon
tank more than Of himself, Abreu
bravely mounted the seat nearly naked
and drove the vehicle out Of danger.
Then ne VAS taken osthe hospital.
Many Made Homeless
Over a hundred people. are usually
packed in the upper portions OF the
tenement and these were OF course
shortly without homes Neighbors
took most of them in for the night and
Mrs. Margaret Carson. superintendent
OF Hale Lanakila, offered to give
shelter to any who we're temporarily
without q home.
The japanese stores in order. start
ing at Dowsett lane and going wal
kiki. which were damaged by smoke
and water and all OF which are closed
today are r. Iwafnoto. general store;
mura. jewelry store: j. TakalEi, hard
]. Koshimizu, blacksmith shop; Y. lido.
secondhand store; T. Watanabet bar
Der shop; Y. Sato, billiard hall; T. XII
ware establishment; Hirosaka, barber
shop: Ueno, dry goods store; T. Ushi-
jima, candy hall, all In one building.
and Takakai, general store, and Naka-
mura, restaurant, In the smaller build