The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-03-30
UNTENABLE THEORY.


That plague was introduced into San
Francisco from Honolulu is not tena-
BILE theory; yet there will be plenty of
people up there ready to jump at such
a conclusion. The passengers who have
gone up to the Coast have all been
cabin passengers, people who have not
been exposed to infection by living in
crowded tenement houses, or in the
crowded portions of the city. They have
always been under the surveillance of
DIR. Carmichael for fifteen days before
leaving. Their baggage has been most
carefully fumigated here before going
on board, and has again been fumigat-
ed upon its arrival in San Francisco.
The plague center in San Francisco
is, IS it was here, Chinatown. Now the
Hawaiian passengers who have gone
from here to San Francisco certainly
did not take up their abode in China
town. They kept as far away from it
as possible. With Chinatown of our
own, which we have been only too hap
py to have got rid of, the Chinatown of
San Francisco could have no attraction
for our people. If, therefore, it had
been possible for any passenger to have
taken the infection from here, the
plague cases would not have broken
out in San FrancBco's Chinatown, but
in some other par of the city. It has
not done so, and the case is clearly in
our favor. No infection was carried or
and their baggage.
Next, it may be claimed that goods
carried it up. Now as fact no goods
have been shipptd from Honolulu.
Whatever sugar has gone out of this
harbor has been transferred 70 vessels
in the stream from clean steamers
which have carried the freight from
plantations where there has not been a
trace of plague. Indeed, it is wonderful
that we have been able to isolate our
people so thoroughly and confne the
plague to SO small an area. Moreover,
the cargoes that have gone from here
have not gone into Chinese hands. Not
pound of freight has gone from Homo
lulu to San Francisco's Chinatown.
Had our products been infected the
disease would have appeared in some
other part of San Francisco. 1t did
not so appear. 1t was not and could
not be infected because it came from
places which were uninfected The wolf
charged the lamb who was below him
for troubling the stream, and to charge
that Honolulu carried infection to San
francisco savors very much of the
same style of argument.
We have never satisfactorily decided
how plague came to us The probability
is that it came in certain China food.
Some of this probably became too Of
fensive even for the Celestial stomach,
and was thrown into back yards to rot
and tester after the approved Celestial
fashion. The rlts banquetted upon the
garbage, assimilated the microbes and
started the bal rolling, from the rats,
as is usual, the plague spread to the
human family That is one theory. If
this theory be correct the same process
would certainly bring about the plague
in San Francisco.
The San Francisco Chinese are far
more addicted to Chinese food than the
Hawaiian Chinese. The place reeks
with rotting delcacies, as any ones
nose will tell him, if he has ever passed
through the Chinese quarter of that
city. Any quantity of Chinese comes
tibles are imported into San Francisco
direct from HongXong and other Chi
nese ports. The Hawaiian Islands have
nothing to do with these imports, and 1t
is in them that the danger of plague TO
San Francisco lies
Another theory about plague is that
the germs breed in filth. If that is so
the filth of Chinatown is quite album
dant enough to breed the microbes It
self. San Francisco will have to seek
the cause of its outbreak within its cwn
portals, and not look to Hawaii as a
bearing center.