The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-02-23

BLACK PLAGUE
is SPREADING
Important News From Honolulu
Brought By the DOyO MarH.
ENTIRE GROUP IS SUFFERING
Threatened Uprising Of the Japs and
Chinese 10 Honolulu Owing tOthe
Destruction Of Their Property.

The Japanese tramp steamer Doyo
Maru. which is being detained in quar-
antlne IN the lower harbor, brings Inn
portant news Of the plague In Honolu-
lu. In addition 10 the plague news
from that city. the Doyo Maru also
brings a report TO the effect that the
black plague has brokcn out IN nearly
all OF the important cities Of the isl
ands In the group, and that the death
rate. at the time OF her departure, had
grown TO alarming proportions.
Honolulu is rousing Itself 20 the
danger II runs from rats animals
which. by common consent Of scientific
men. are the most certain agents for
the dissemination Of the bubOnic
plague. Rats take the plague easily
and carry II for a considerable time be-
fore they die After being stricken
they retire to their holes. where they
hide for days until pain and terror
drive them out 10 court the society OF
human beings. They enter kitchens
where cooking is going on; they Leek
occupied beds at night; they get under
foot In ones drawing room. they enter
the nurseries where children play. In
this stage OF the disease infection goes
with them like an atmosphere. When
dead and not destroyed by human be-
ings, they are likely 90 be eaten by
rowing members OF their own species,
thus increasing rat mortality. or they
may be eaten by the family pet cat.
An officer on the D1yo Maru ex-
presses the opinion that 20 long as rats
are In city every one will be in dan
ger. In his opinion the only safeguard
is to get the rats out Of the way. They
must be killed. he says, to keep the
pestilenoe from travelling into the pri-
vacy Of homes and into the publicity
OF stores Al the same time one must
have a care, In killing and disposing OF
them, not "a run the risk Of catching
the disease by contact. However"
SAYS the officer, there Is more risk IN
leaving the rats alone than 10 Kill and
destroy them. The only thing to do
II they are To remove the present
blight from Honolulu is to begin a cru
sade against the dangerous rodents and
Keep II up until the ordinary house
rats are as scarce as white mice. Then
Honolulu may begln to breaths freely
The people OF Kobe have long been
suffering from the same plague. They
l.ta ~ . h.. q a
by entering upon crusade against
the rodents which iniest the city. The
best results were had by putting rough
on rats on bits OF raw fresh meat. The
meat was temptation the rats could
not resist: the poison drove them out
of the houses To the rain puddles
streams. open sewers and taps in
search of water where they died and
were gatherd and buried in pools Of
/ kerosene II is interesting to note that
dead rat. before being taken up on
a shovel. was entirely covered with
| Quickllme"
According To reports which come
| by the Doyo Maru considerable appre-
4 henslon was felt In Honolulu about
I the time OF her departure, concerning
/ the attitude of the japanese and Chi
/ nese population. As a precaution
against the further spread of the
/ plague the entire Asiatic quarter of the
I city was destroyed by fire IN the latter
part of January by order OF the local
/ board OF health. rendering nearly 5000
Asiatlcs homeless and without shelter
From the best information obtainable
the city authorities failed 10 provide
accommodations for those whose homes
had heen destroyed and widespread
I discomfort resulted. For many days
the white residents of Honolulu We're
In constant fear OF an uprising among
the Japs and Chinese and an organ
izcd movement was set on foot to ask
the government at Washington to pro-
vide troops sufficient to cope with any
possible emergency. II is believed that
the war department is already in pos
session of the facts and has the matter
under consideration.
one OF the greatest misfortunes to
befall those i'm the Chinese and Japan
ese quarters was the destruction of the
hundreds Of business establishments,
thus deprivirg large portion of the
population of all means of gaining a
livelihood, as well as taking away
their homes The latter phase, II ap-
pears. Is the basis Of more wide spread
complaint than all else, as scores of
the merchants affected by this de-
struotion of property are possessed of
much wealth and have an incalculable
amount Of influence over those of their
own nationality throughout the city,
and the island, as well.
At the time the Doyo Maru left Hon
olulu the authorities had succeeded in
getting the plague well In hand and
the number of deaths were gradually
growing less. With few exceptions
the fatalities have been confined to
the Asatic population A prominent
physician was the last of the, Ameri-
can element to fall victim.
The Doyo Maru will probably be de-
tanned In quarantine several days long
er, although the process of fumigation
has already been completed,