The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-22
CREATED THREE OFFICES,
New Appointments Decided
On by the Board of
Health.
Stories Coming to Hand of the Way
the Cholera Gained Foot
ing at Honolulu.


The Board of Health took the bit in its
teeth yesterday and appointed vaccinat-
ing physician IN spite Of the opposition of
the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors.
II also ordered the Richmond school closed
till the sewer is repaired, in the face of an
urgent request from President Dodge of
the Board of Education that the class
rooms should be thrown open as soon as
the repairs were we'll under way. Incl
dental to the meeting DR.. Godfrey of the
United States Marine Service gave some
hints as to the way the cholera is handled
in Honolulu, according to an agent Just
from the islands.
The meeting opened with that much
wrang led-over proposition-the right of
the board to appoint a vaccinating phys-
clan, milk inspector and a ~ essen ger to
the Quarantine Officer. Dennis Spencer,
the attorney for the board, said that the
board had the right and he read the Sec
tons OF the law pertinent to the case
There was some talk of going to the
Board Of Supervisors again with another
petition. But the last petition bearers re-
turned with so little profit that the board
determined to resolutely attack the mat
ter. DR.. Hart moved that the positions of
vaccinating physician, milk inspector and
messenger of the Quarantine Officer be
created.
Before voting Mayor Sutro cautioned the
members not to take any illegal action.
He admitted that the officers asked for
we're needed, but he protested against ap-
pointing them till some method for doing
so had been provided.
Drs. Morse, Fitzglbbon, Williamson and
Hart voted for the offices. Mayor Sutro
voted no.
DR.. Edward F. Parramore was elected to
the office of vicclnating physician. DIR.
Parramore is an ex-resident physician of
the Almshouse. The other offices will be
filled as soon as the merits of the candi-
dates can be combed over. How the new
officers will get their pay has not yet been
discovered.
President Dodge of the Board of Educa-
ton asked the Board of Health to exoner-
ate his board from any willfui neglect in
the management Of the condemned Rich
mond School. He stated that it would
take two months to properly repair the
sewers, and he requested permission to re-
open the school as soon as the repairs
were well started. He urged that the
worst of the offensive matter could be
cleaned up by Monday, SO that the health
of the children would not be endangered.
Drs. Williamson and Hart objected to
the school being opened till the dangerous
condition of the place had been entirely
remedied. 1t was pointed out to Presi-
dent Dodge that if the school had burned
down he would be able to find quarters for
the 453 children easily enough. The doc
tors held that more dangerous condition
of affairs now existed at the school.
The most that President Dodge could
get out of the board was a resolution eX-
onerating the Board of Education from
any willful neglect in the matter.
The Richmond School, therefore, will be
kept closed till the proper sewer connec-
tons are made. Two plans have been pro-
posed-one to raise the school to the street
grade; the other to raise the outhouses.
In either event it will take over mouth
to complete the job.
Meanwhile the Board of Education will
do its best to distribute the 453 pupils and
nine teachers among the other schools. 1t
will be difficult matter to handle. as
there are no big schools in the immediate
neighborhood.
The Board of Education is pushing the
repair work. 1t has already petitioned the
Board of Supervisors to construct the
sewer on First avenue, SO that the proper
connections can be made with the Rich
mond School.
On the invitation of the board DR.. God
frey of the United States Marine Service
contributed some information regarding
the invasion of cholera on the Hawaiian
lslanus. II was gwen MN Dy Ill agent OF
the Island Government, who has just ar
rived here to study the methods of this
country in handling the epidemic.
ITO begin with, =" he said, 1.-The steamer
Belgic arrived at Honolulu on August =.
The next day a passenger died and was
buried one and a half feet deep on the
loose sand of the beach. Another passen-
ger died next day and was buried in the
same way The bodies were washed out.
The place was on a crab fishing ground A
crab woman who fished in the vicinity
caught the disease in few days and died.
Within week there were ten deaths, and
the disease was rapidly spreading.
Passengers died on the steamer Belgic
half way from Hongkong to Honolulu.
They were put down as having died of
pneumonia and heart trouble; but affi-
davits are on file by passengers that they
had strong symptoms of the scourge. One
hundred and five of those Storage passen-
gers came here on the Belgic. They
have been distributed through. our coun-
ties. Ii those steerage passengers should
die OF dysentery it would be difficult to get
at the facts. 1t is a month and two days
since the Belgic docked, and our hope lies
in that fact.
"How long would it take for cholera to
develop?" asked Mayor Sutro.
Opinion is divided on. that point" was
the answer, "but it is generally considered
that the bacillus develops in five days"
DR.. Hart said that he believed that all
China and Japan should be declared in
fected, but the other members thought
such action too sweeping.
DR.. Godfrey suggested that it would be
good idea to request the masters of
all iron steamers from infected ports to
sterilize their vessels with superheated
steam.
Quarantine Officer Chalmers will be
asked to carry out the suggestion.