The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-07-07
NIPPON MARU HELD THERE IN
QUARANTINE.
Japanese Woman Dies After the Yes
to Escape and Drown.

rived yesterday morning carrying the
germs of the dread bubonic plague.
The steamer was ordered into quaran-
tine at once, and although she will
be released after being thoroughly
fumigated, passengers and officers
will be held on Angel Island for from
one to two weeks.
The efforts of the quarantine Off
GERS at Nagaski and Honolulu and the
utmost watchfulness on the part of
the ships surgeon and officers failed
to stamp out the plague, and two
days before the steamship reached
this port one of the passengers,
japanese woman, suCcumbed to the
loathsome disease and was buried at
sea.
Ever since the Nippon Maru left
Hongkong May 21st, the officers of
the ship have been fighting the
plague, which developed among the
steerage passengers almost at the be-
ginning of the voyage.
/ One Japanese passenger, a woman,
who had taken passage to Honolulu,
was not allowed to land there. She
was i'll and to the Honolulu doctors
/ her illness showed suspicious signs of
developing into the disease they were
trying to keep out of the island port.
They refused to allow her transfer
+ to the City of Columbia on the
grounds that her condition was such
that the exertion of the removal
/ would probably be followed by fatal
results, and that so long as she re-
mained quiet, there was some chance
for her recovery, DIR. Day, the port
physician said, if they moved her
they would lay themselves open to a
charge of criminal negligence in the
event of her death. -
This woman continued to grow
worse and the signs of the plague
became more manifest day by day.
She died on June 25th and her body
was 1T once thrown over the side.
When the Nippon Maru arrived here
early yesterday morning, flying the
yellow flag, she proceeded directly to
an anchorage off the quarantine sta
ton. where Surgeons Kenyon, Kerr
and Matthieson of the Federal Quar-
antine Service boarded her. The pas
sengers were all mustered and care
fully examined. So far there are no
more signs of sickness on board.
Ships Surgeon Deas related the his
tory of the illness and death of the
Japanese passengers, and DR.. Kenyon
decided to enforce the strictest quar-
antine. All the passengers. cabin as
well as steerage, and all the officers
and crew were taken ashore, where
they will remain in antiseptic i'm
prisonment for at least seven days,
and, possibly, fourteen.
The Maru will be taken to the fumi-
eating hulk off San Quentin, where
disinfectants will be forced into every
nook and Granny. She will probably
be released on Thursday, and her
agents here will be allowed to take
her cargo and take on the freight
there awaiting her. Long before the
officers and crew are at liberty to re-
turn to duty the Maru will be ready
for a return voyage across the Paci'
fic.
The passengers, cabin and steerage
alike, will be compelled to submit
their belongings to the same heroic
course of treatment as did the sailors
and soldiers on the transports Grant
and Sheridan.
The appearance of the fumigated
clothes of these unfortunates is still
fresh in the memory of San Fran
ciscans. Their garments were shrunk'
en- and shriveled, their shoes in most
cases completely ruined and all the
silks and other Japanese souvenirs
brought home for friends in this coun
try, spoiled beyond reparation.
Among the Maru's passengers are
number of British tourists to whom
the destruction of their English mad,
garments will be quite serious mat
ter.
One of the passengers on the Mart
is Sir James Westland, who has fol
; many years been Minister of Finance
) in India ans is now on his way bacl
, to England. Earl II. Webb, the com
: pany's attorney, is also one of the
, quarantined travellers.
The northerly end of Baker stree
: was thrown into a scene of wild eN
citement this afternoon, when two
= fishermen rowed their boat TO the enc
= of the plant of the Fulton Iron Works
towing at the stern the bodies of tive
of the japanese sailors on the steam
er Nippon Maru.
The sailors were evidently afraid o
bubonic plague, and decided to leave
p the ship as soon as she reached thi'
port. The fact that two of the sail
J ors had jumped overheard was no
reported to DIR. Kenyon, the United
= States quarantine officer, probably be
cause he might keep the ship in quar-
antine for much longer period. j
the sailors became frightened, wha
must be the state of the minds of tn,
passengers?
The bodies of the Japanese wer,
: found floating near Fort Point by 10
, seph Costerina, boy fisherman, anC
his partner. The two bodies wer,
found floating together.
/, The fishermen as soon as they saw
the uniform of the sailors were afraic
that they were victims of the buboni,
4 plague, which is said to exist on tn,
/ steamer Nippon, and would not tax,
the bodies into their boat. They tow
ed the bodies to within few feet o
Continued on Page Seven.)