The Maui news. [volume] (Wailuku, Maui, H.I.) 1900-current, 1920-04-16
WailukuAndKahului
Now Without Lights
Island EleCtriC's Junk Plant Quits
Business-May Be Tinkered Into
Shape By Sunday Public Meeting
Tomorrow Morning


she has ever been very brilliantly
lighted, but the dim electric lights
have served better than coal-oil lamps
and candles, which is the best the
community has had since Tuesday
night
The Island Electric Company's plant
quit completely at midnight on Tues
day night and is now dismantled in
order that two bent connecting rods
might be removed and other absolute
ly necessary repairs made. The work
is being done at the Maui Agricultural
Co.'S machine shop and will possibly
be completed tomorrow or Sunday.
But Manager Blair admits that these
repairs are simply an eXpedient to
getting the plant to running again,
and that the service can be no better
with the present equipment. The
diesel engine, which is the only source
OF power the company now has, has
run almost constantly since the sum-
mer of 1916 1t is now in such need
of complete overhauling, including re-
boring of cylinders, renewing bearings
etc, that it cannot possibly render its
full power And besides this it is
compelled to carry serious overload
which Blair says is the cause of the
bent connecting rods. Me will give
no assurance that these rods will not
be bent again in a very short time,
since it is impossible to remove the
cause of the trouble.
According to those in a position to
know something about the conditions
under which the company's plant has
been operating for months past, it is
a marvel that it has kept going with
out a real shutdown long before this.
In fact Mr.. Blair admits that the dang
eS to the men operating the machin-
&y has been very real for some time
tast, and that he did not dare to risk
a serious accident any longer and so
ordered the plant stopped.
Mill Carries Day Load
Through the courtesy of Manager
Penhallow, of the Wailuku Sugar Co.,
consumers of current during the day
time are able to keep their businesses
gong, as the electric plant at the mill
has shouldered the day load But the
mill plant is small, and is utterly in
adequate to supply the mill needs and
the town also at night The only cur
rent being furnished outside the sugar
company's plant at night is to the
Malulani hospital.
It would not have been possible to
have issued the Maui News this week
except for this favor extended by the
mill company, and number of other
small industries are under similar
obligations. Mr. Penhallow makes it
clear that it is favor to the COM
munity and in no sense one to the
Island Electric Co.
Utilities Commission Here Tomorrow
What the outcome of the situation
will be is uncertain. A special meet
ing of the chamber of commerce has
been called by President William
Walsh for $3.50 o'clock this afternoon
to consider the matter.
Tomorrow morning the members of
the public utilities commission of the
territory are expected to arrive and
to hold q public meeting in the Wal
luku Town Hall at 10 o'clock, 1t is
presumed that the body will be pre-
pared to hear cohlplaiL - from Tes
idcnts concerning service, rates, ETC.,
and it is to be hoped that the meeting
will be we'll attended, in order that
the commissioners may have no illus
ions as to the sentiment of the COM
munity.
The members of the commission are
Gignoux, and I. M. Stainback. Henry
O'Su''ivan is secretary of the board.
Candles In Demand
Although an effort was made to ad-
wise all consumers that there would
be no current for lights on Wednes-
day night. quite a number did not
know it, and when the sugar company
cut off the day load, they found them
selves in darkness. In the scurry for
some substitute, the stock of candles
in Wailuku was exhausted, as was also
the supply of oil lamps. The Maui
Hotel company for its two hotels
bought up a miscellaneous assortment
of some so lamps at an outlay of about
5000.
Manager Ross, of the Wailuku
theater managed to secure q small
generator mounted on an automobile
body and driven by the automobile
engine, and by means of this was able
to secure current for the pictures at
the Hip theater The Kahului theater
is supplied with current from the II.
c. & S. Co.