The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1897-04-16
BOARD OF HEALTH
Matters Regarding Quarantine
Attended to.
ACTION REGARDING IMMIGRANTS
Quarantine at Waikiki to
be Enforced.
Vessels From Infected Ports to be
Guaranteed = Crematory to
be Established.

of Health yesterday afternoon DR.. |
Wood took the chair as temporary |
chairman, on account of the quarantin-
ing of Minister Cooper at Waikiki. The
others present were: Drs. Day and |
Wood and Messrs. Lansing, Brown,
Keliipio and Reynolds. Minutes of the
previous meeting read and approved.
Fish Inspector Keliipio's report for
the week ending Sunday, April II,
showed 40 SPA fish received at the mar
ket
Under the act to mitigate, Dr. Mon
sarrats report showed 70 examinations
for the past week.
The regular report of Mr.. Meyers in
regard to the state of affairs at the
leper settlement on Molokai was read
and filed Nothing of much import
snce was contained therein.
A communication from Attorney
General Smith in regard to the quaran-
tine regulations in the United States
Marine Hospital Service, and the pc
Rod of quarantine governing plague
was read.
A communication from Minister
Cooper to the president of the Board
of Health was to the effect that the
Government desired an investigation
into the origin of the cases of small
poX among the immigrants from the
steamship Kinai Maru, who are now in
quarantine at Mauliola.
Health Agent Reynolds said that he
had communicated with Mr.. McVeigh
in regard to the matter, and had
learned that an investigation had been
made; also, that the immigrants all
furnished the same story in regard to
the Japanese who is supposed to have
had his neck broken by falling down
the hatch. They denied in toto the
story that there had been smallpox
developed aboard on the trip from
Japan to this port. Whether they had
been coached by the officers of the ship
TO say nothing about the affair could
not be learned
Dr. Wood was in favor of advising
DR.. Emerson to proceed at once with
an investigation into the condition of
the immigrants and to look especially
for any signs of the recent markings of
smallpox.
DR.. Day then gave the members of
the board some idea of how the Jap
anese could have fallen down the
hatch. The officers of the Kinai Maru
and the immigrants all told the same
story. 1t seems that at certain times
during the day the matches of the
steamer were opened for the purpose
of ventilation. 1t was at one of these
times that the japanese lay sleeping
near the hatch. The ship gave a roll
a lurch or made some other sudden
movement, and the Japanese fell down
into the hold with the result of brok-
en- neck. No amount of investigation
could bring forth anything further. DR.
Day said that there must have been
smallpox or varioloid aboard the Kinai
Maru. Upon investigation, the crew OF
the steamship, the members had been
stripped to the waist, but no marks OF
any kind could be found. The clew was
to be found among the japanese at the
quarantine station if it is to be taken
for granted that the man who "broke
his neck" did not have smallpox or va
riloid.
Dr. Day further remarked that it
would be an easy matter for mild
case of varioloid to be developed
aboard ship without detection by, the
doctor Probably the Japanese were
not examined once from the time they
left Japan until they arrived at this
port. Examination at sea was no easy
matter.
Health Agent Reynolds informed the
board that he had been TO Waikiki to
confer with Minister Cooper and had
entered the Castle premises, where the
quarantined people are now situated
Just here came an objection which
started in a chatting mood at first, but
which ended in several of the mem
bers of the board becoming quite
worked up about the matter. Cues
tons were asked why anyone should
have communication with anyone in
side the tabooed Enclosure, and why
if quarantine was kept at all, it was
not rigidly enforced. Mr.. Brown
thought the matter of quarantine q
farce if guards were not stationed al
Mr.. ]. B. Castles home, in Waikiki
to keep people from entering the prem
Uses
Mr.. Reynolds then explained why he
had visited the Minister of Foreign At
fairs. 1t was hardly possible for him
to sign his name to a certain import
ane paper over the telephone.
Just here DR. Wood explained the
situation, and said that a false impress
sion had been cast abroad. The Board
of Health had been censured for al
lowing the Minister of Foreign Affairs
and others who had been at the quar-
antine station making a Government
investigation, to pass through the
streets of Honolulu in hacks. There
was absolutely no danger in this ac-
ton. Smallpox could have been COM
municated by these people to others
in only two ways. If any of them had
taken smallpox from the diseased jap
anese at the quarantine station, then
it would have been necessary for nine
days to elapse before the possibility OF
giving it to any one else. As matter
of fact, they came ashore the day after
the cases appeared. Again, the disease
could have been communicated to the
clothing of the Investigators and thus