The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-09-26
In Quarantine ut yigo.

In the Ia arottO precincts rOunQ the
island are moored some eighteen or
twenty steamers and sailing vessels of
all nations. all flying the yellow flag.
whose crews are permitted to land and
take srch diversion as they can fine
on the island. Our whole parry were
proceeding somewhat gaiy to our
prison house. one-storIed-barrack
like b Hiding. nearly IN the cenier OF
the island when, rs we passed very
obv Gus English seafaring person who
seemed to regard us with a compass.
sionate glance, we asked him what
sort of accommodations there mil hit
be. He was the Scotch mate of a ship
whose crew were spending the day on
the island. His answer was impress
sively delivered in a sepulchural voice.
".>ir. it IS simply awful" The Scotch
gentleman was right. We were usher
ed into the house and were straight
way saiuted by such an odor, as even
], who have raced many a bad one.
have never yet encountered the like of.
To the meanest intelligence it was OBJ
viOus that cesspool lay clio e under
meath the decayed tioorin of the house.
and this turned out to be the Casa
rapacious ceSspool in, as geo 1raphers
say of volcanoes. '.full and permanent
activity" existed in the very center OF
the house. 1t was explained to us
afterward by the medical officer of the
ablishment that an escape pipe
therefrom had been stopped up for
some time, but this did not seem to us
to mend the matter much.
W hen we had somewhat recovered
our outraged senses we looked about
us and saw that. in regard to dirt, de-
cav, neglect and dilapida ion, the walls,
floors and windows of this gaol for the
innocent were in harmony with the san
itary arrangements. After great trouble.
for the prison-house was crowded, the
70 r ladies' of our party We're provided
with four wretched beds in a room still
more wretched on the ground floor. In
a smaller and not less miserable apart
ment we two men were glad to be
thrGst. The furniture of our room con-
sisted solely of two broken-b backed iron
bedsteads, one OF which when it was
touched fell in two. The bed clothes
would rather not describe. The plas-
ter on the walls had in the course of
years fallen away, and lay, some of it.
on the unSwept LoOr. thick with dust
and encountered with cigarette ends
and bits of waste OF every horrible kind.
There was neither table nor chair. nor
\ chest of drawers, nor washstand,
the ceiling was hung with dust-laden
cObwebS, the walls, stained with patches
of black and or, en- mould. were grimy
hax Il ..t.
Guilty We procured cracked basin and
an apology for jug; We raised clouds
of dust in trying 10 sweep the floor our
selves; we brihed an overwOrked at
tendant to break off for us few square
inches of an already trameless and
bacSless looking-glass of his own.
Only one alienation of the abominable
state of this den did | perceive; there
were two windows opposite to each
other, and both OF them had far more
broken-oyt panes than sound ones. II
was clear that some previous inmates,
maddened with the evil odOrs, which
we observed to be aggravated in the
night season. had rushed frantically to
the easements and improved the yenti.
lation summarily. AS the walls of dun.
gcons are found scribtled with the com.
plants and lamentations of imprisoned
wretches, so were the walls of this
quarantine dungeon written over with
the indignant protests of its former in.
mates, and it is historical evidence o!
the neglect that has so long lain over
this is land lazaretto that some OF these
Inscriptions bear date between 1865 and
1870. was told o. one dated 1887,
but did not see it. The food arrange.
ments were far better than the lodging,
aud both were distinctly cheap-we
paid but IS. I'd. each a day. Still there |
must have been a large profit, for there
were but two meals a day, taken in
common at eleven and six, besides the |
cup of morning chocolate,
and the rood was such rs Spanish peas
ants eat-pOt an tea. srewed and Tried
fish. ali plenti ully favored with onion
and garlic and cooked with oil.-Lon-
ION IIlgS.