Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-29
GUARDING AGAINST PLAGUE
Outbreak Mt Honolulu Causes Alarm
in the Coast
cities.

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 2S.-The news OF
the breaking out Of the plague in Homo
lulu, brought here by the transport Cen
%tennial, has created some alarm among the
state and city health officials and every pre-
caution is being taken to prevent a pos
sible admission Of the disease into this city.
The Centennial and Newport, which arrived
last night, and the Tartar, which arrived
from Manila today, are now at the quaran-
tine station, undergoing fumigation and will
be detained at Angel island for some time.
The steamer Gaelic Is due here tomorrow
from the Orient. via Honolulu, and will be
sent to quarantine and held there until all
! possible danger is passed.
News from reliable sources from the orient
states that the disease Is prevalent in China
and Japan to an unusual extent and that
the officers at Manila have taken precaution
to prevent the plague from getting "A foot
hold there. News from Bombay is to the
effect that the plague is rampant in India
and in view of these conditions the authori-
ties in this city and at every port on the
Pacific coast will take strenuous precau-
lions to prevent the introduction of the
bubonic plague on THE coast.
The transport Centennial which arrived
here last night with Jews or the bubonic
plague scare at Honolulu will be kept in
quarantine until tomorrow. There is no trace
Of the disease on the vessel. and, as has been
demonstrated, no Likelihood of the plague
finding Judgement there, but still there are
many Hawaiian rats that have made a
home on the steamer and they have to all
be caught and sacrificed before the vessel
will be allowed to dock. Rats are said to be
the most prolific means of spreading the
~ agitn 1hnNy 10, yort,,g frpr, ,,,pt a., mort
The Tartar reports a very stormy voyage.
When on the meridian it vas caught in a
cyclone that nearly wrecked all it's upper
works. The afterhouse was stove in, two of
the lifeboats were washed away and two
more were smashed into kindling wood;
skylights were stove in, cabins flooded,
starboard bulwarks carried away and the
aftersteering gear smashed.
The remains Of four persons came on the
Tartar, They were those of James Williams,
Company f, Twenty-eighth infantry; Sam
Davis, Company G, and James Wigs, Com
pany F, Twenty-eighth infantry, and Rich
ard Ball, an army butcher.
Prompt Action at Honolulu.
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 25.-Mail advices
to the Associated Press received late tonight
from Honolulu give additional details of the
bubonic plague which has appeared there
and indicate that the conditions are not
very alarming. Five deaths have occurred,
one native and four Chinese. No deaths
have occurred since December -, when the
disease first appeared.
A quarantine system for island vessels
was established and. a district practically
co-eXtensive with Chinatown was put IN
quarantine. Volunteer inspectors were called
for and the work of clearing the district was
at once begun. The. next day the national
guard was called out and has since been
doing duty guarding the qLarantined dis
trict. - ....s.
Chinatown, the seat of the trouble, is now
undergoing a, thorough cleaning and it is
believed that the ,seourge has been stamped
1t is thought, that the germs of the
plague were. brought from Kobe, Japan, on
the Norwegian Steamer Thyenia, which ar
rived at Hopolulu, November rs. with 700
Japanese emigrantS.