The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-02-06

| from quarantine and the place pre-
| sented an animated appearance. At
the warehouse the foul stream, which
has been spoken of so much in Board
meetings, which runs from King street,
takes turn around the entire struct-
ure. Jack" Atkinson has employed
a force of 100 Japanese from the camp
at daily rate of 65 cents per man in
digging out the ditch, and it presents
| the appearance of moat, twelve feet
in width. The Board quite approved
of the widening and cleaning out of
the stream, and after some delibera-
ton passed a motion to let the contract
for widening the balance of the stream
towards town to Mr.. Atkinson. He,
however, referred the Board to Mr..
Harum, the yard superintendent, who
| had personally taken charge of the
| first moat.
| In the vicinity of Russian Frank -
where rubbish has been deposited in
years past, the Board found that houses
had sprung up almost in the rubbish,
which yet retains its foul smell. Stag
nant pools had been covered with the
garbage. The sewer trench which was
| being dug through this decayed waste
OF garbage, had to be abandoned in De-
| cember on account of the sickness
which it produced among the workers.
| me trench is now filled with sluggish.
| almost stagnant water, and is rapidly
| hlllng with green slime. The street
way also was filed with filthy garbage;
none OF the tenants of the houses seem
ing to take any notice of it.
Bishop Estates Shiny Sinks.
Many of the places pointed out by
Mr. Wall, who conducted the Board
through the almost endless mass of
sloughs, ponds and quagmires, are the
property of the Bishop Estate, and are
In the most deplorable condition. Their
land is composed for the most part
of marshes filled with disease breeding
filth. On the edges of many such
places small cottages have been erect
ed, hardly higher than the marsh it.
self, the yard being filled with water
at every rain. No earth closets can be
dug On the premises, for, as a general
thing, water is encountered three and
four inches below the surface.
1t was generally believed that much
OF the sickness which accompanies the
So-called south wind" is due to the
foul odors which are blown back from
the Kewalo sinks. Everywhere was
noticed condition of wet grounds, stag
nant ponds, filthy garbage heaps, and
bad drainage. In many of the streets
the water had overflowed until the
yards were covered. A powerful
nauseating smell emanated from every
place which served as receptacle fol
water. The Board was disguised with
h0 @F ~ Il
one member said that "if Chinatown
were built in Kewalo, the plague would
annihilate the population, for no fittel
breeding place for disease germs coult
!, be found in Honolulu. Back of thu
Honolulu stock yards, there were sew
eral marshy swamps. The ground or
which the animals are corralled i:
made ground, but is soft and muggy
land the drainage system from the yards
, is extremely bad. Near this place thu
native girl, Kala, died of plague. Ke
| walo district is now considered by tn,
Board an extremely unhealthy spot ant
, a constant source of danger to the gOot
health of the whole city.
The Board realize that to make thu
place sanitary it will be necessary t,
raise it several feet above its presen
:. level. Much of the district is nothing
! more or less than a decaying mass o
, garbage which has been used as fl
ling. The decomposition of this mat
ter has generated gases from the slim.
ooze, which is difficult to comprehen'
until one has visited the spot and re
ceived the full benefit of the sickenin
doors.
A grave problem of insanitary con
ditions has been presented to tn
Board, and, on account of the larg
area included in what is termed Ke
, walo, and the vast property controlle
| by the Bishop Estate, the trustees o
which seemingly have had little re
r gard for the health of their tenants il
this foul district, it will be difficult t
. solve.