The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-11-21
Oh FISHNARKEr
cor SLutCED Our oN sNrtupNN
NIGiIT.

rut toob out 30, the Aftermath
whcte reca,od Vegetation nnd
scrariugs ct EntraiI- Go.
The condition ot the old lishmarkct
on Sunday was a sight to behold. Water
aud mud everywhere. the sewerage
such a. it is choked up and utterly
useless To carry of the overflow which
came rushing down the streets above
Consequently the water mcandered
through the market at the dictates of
its own sweet WILL giving the floor. or
the few loose rotten planks laid on the
surface of the earth which answers the
purpose. such thorough washing as
they have not had since last winter
This would have been n good thing If
the water had all run oil into the sea.
but it did not. Yesterday morning the
market aud the streets in its vicinity
was simply sea of mud. Nothing but
mud everywhere. To-day affairs are
somewhat improved, and as result of
the cleansing effect of the water from
the storm the planks used for flooring
look cleaner than usual. The center
portion of the market is nothing but
mud, however.
Tins portion of the market is but little
used, and little mud more or less prob
ably does not make much difference:
besides, when wet and muddy it serves
as convenient place on which to throw
dirty WHITEWATER in which fish, en-
trails and so forth have been cleaned.
or course, in hot weather this soon
dries up, but in moist, sultry weather
like the present it gets Just warm enough
to smell in most offensive manner
without going through the process of
desiccation. OF course, the keepers of
the stats are supposed To throw all the
refuse, offal, fish scrapings, colgulated
blood, dirty water and such into the
harbor but it is SO much more conven-
lent to throw it into the street or under
the counters and in odd corners where
it will not he noticed for few days,
and equally, of course, it is bound to
smell BAD, pollute the atmosphere and
generate fever and other diseases. But
the dcnizens of the market are used to
il: in fact. it may be doubted if their
organs of smell have not become so &C
customed to a polluted atmosphere that
few hours residence in healthy one
would have a paralytic effect.
The Chinese butcheron the Eva corner
evidently has no regard for the
health of the community or he would
exercise more care in the disposition OF
the refuse from his stall. When the
reporter passed there this morning a
Chinese was engaged in scraping entrails
on a board. The refuse was supposed
to 90 into small tub of water on
which the board was resting, but much
of it did not. 1t went into the street
instead. where i'm a short time it would
become part of the street debris, and
not very healthy part either. At the
Eva corner outside the same stall there
was quite "A collection of decaying veg
citation, such as cabbage and lettuce
leaves, pieces of onion, scraps of dried
fish, fresh fish and meat, all in various
stages of rottenness. In fact, from
that corner down to the waters edge
seems to be II regular depository of all
kinds of garbage, which testers and rots
in the sun, a constant menace to the
health of the city.
The sewerage of the market seems to
depend on a shallow cemented ditch
which runs through the center of the
market from the street to the bay. This
sewer is entirely inadequate for the
purpose, besides being in dilapi-
dated condition. The few loose
pieces of plank over its entrance
afford an excellent opportunity for some
unwary pedestrian to break leg and
maintain u suit for damages against the
city afterwards. The plank flooring of
the market is another menace to the
public health. In places it is rotten in
the extreme and full of holes, which
allows much of the refuse to get under
meath instead of being swept away
either by water or IA broom. If this So
called floor was lifted up the source Of
the foul atmosphere which permeates
the market and its immediate vicinity
would undoubtedly be found. Another
threatening evil Is to be discovered be-
hind the stalls, especially on the water
side where may be found refuse and
garbage in various processes of decay.
There can be no question that this old
fishmarkei is a fruitful source of dis
ease, and that in case of a visitation of
cholera, smallpox or yellow fever, it
would become Il regular hotbed for the
termination of infection. The market
and everything pertaining to it shoulr
be torn down and burnt as a sanitary
precauton. 1t would be done in any
civilized community but Honolulu.
OPIUM IN HIS HACK.