The 1946 tsunami that hit Hilo was generated by an 8.6-magnitude earthquake in the Aleutians. It took five hours for the waves to reach the Hawaiian Islands. Unfortunately, there was no warning system at that time. There was devastation to homes, schools and businesses in Hilo and elsewhere, to the piers at the Port of Hilo, and to the railroad track and train cars.
Below are two short stories about the tsunami and its impact.
The end of the railroad
On the morning of April 1, 1946, railroad engine 121 was pulling 11 rail cars carrying lumber, oil and general freight, with a caboose trailing. On board, there was an engineer, conductor, fireman and two brakemen.
As the train crossed over the Wailoa River Bridge, the Hilo Iron Works 7 a.m. whistle blew. The train was accelerating, traversing the area by Hilo Bay, when the engineer gave a warning shout. The fireman looked up to see a huge wave engulf the engine.
As the tracks wrenched and the water hit, it sounded like thousands of thunder booms. The fireman and engineer were stunned to see the wooden boxcars splintering like matchsticks and axles and wheels crashing together. One brakeman disappeared under a pile of lumber, and the other was hanging on to a building pipe. The caboose and its conductor were floating out to sea. The fireman and engineer safely made their way to the Coca-Cola building.
Eventually, the caboose and conductor came to shore and beached safely into the Hatada Bakery.
The brakeman extricated himself from the lumber and floated on the pile until it beached safely. All five made it out alive. But it was the end of the line for the railroad, which would never run again.
Saved by a lumber pile
Shigeru Kataoka, better known as “Muggs,” told the story of his experience in the 1946 tsunami. Nicknames were commonplace in old-time Shinmachi.
Muggs recounted: “My dad was a carpenter working at Hawaii Planing Mill. They were building homes, and we lived right across the street from HPM, off Kamehameha Avenue. There were three homes in a row, behind some shops that were facing the main street. And all three homes were swept off their footings … but we did not float away, or were not taken away by the waves, because lumber from the HPM lumberyard came across Kamehameha Avenue and made a blockage, and kept the water from floating us away. We really lucked out on that one.”
Muggs continued: “I was still in bed, and I got up because people were screaming. I looked out from the porch, and I could see the water. The water had come in already, maybe 2 feet high. But as I kept looking out toward the ocean, I could see more waves starting to come in, and the railroad track was right on the ocean side of the property. There was a locomotive on the tracks, and when the waves came in, with the front row seat that I had, I could see the locomotive being moved back and forth with the action of the waves. I could see the whitecaps as high as the tops of the palm trees.”
April is Tsunami Awareness Month in Hawaii, and the theme this year is a Hawaiian Proverb, “ ‘Iliki ke kai i ka ‘ope‘ope la, lilo; i lilo no he hawawa,” which is interpreted as, “A person who fails to watch out often loses. Never turn your back on the sea.”
We cannot rely solely on emergency management agencies and warning sirens to keep us safe; we must assume some personal responsibility.
Living on an island, all residents and visitors should be educated on nature’s warning signs of a tsunami and if observed, should safely evacuate to higher ground.
The Pacific Tsunami Museum will be hosting two 0pen house events in April.
On Saturday, April 14, the museum will feature guest speakers from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program. Also making a presentation will be the students from Laupahoehoe Community Public Charter School who represented the U.S. at the World Tsunami Awareness Day High School Summit in Okinawa last November.
On Saturday, April 28, the museum will host a Children’s Day which will include educational activities, songs and stories. Both events will be free admission.
The Pacific Tsunami Museum is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, call 935-0926.