The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-03-14
PLAGENSAN FRANCISCO CDHON BILL IS PASSED
IT MAY BE POLITICAL AND NOT
BUBONIC.
Chronicle Suggests the Discovery May
be Strategy to Get at the Treasury.
May be Police Move

SAN FRANCISCO, March THE
Chronicle this morning publishes the
following:
Late last night Health officer A. p.
O'Brien turned in dubious alarm to
police headquarters informing Chief
Sullivan that there had been q death
from bubonic plague in Chinatown and
requesting him to institute a blockade
about that quarter of the city. The
Chief obligingly responded with Il
strong detail of policemen, who were
Instructed to keep the Chinese in
Chinatown, and to bar out the whites
When seen at midnight in Chinatown
DIR. O'Brien was not quite so positive
He would not stake his professional
judgment on the case, declaring, when
the question was put to him fatty, that
1t was "a suspicious case" and that
enough had been discovered ito war
rant every precaution being taken"
In view of the fact that the present
Health Board has lately been so cut
down as to it's appropriations that an
pointees to fat jobs must look else
where for easy money, and in view
also, of the fact that the last Board,
being in somewhat similar straits, tried
desperately to work up a bubonic
plague scare for it's own financial bene-
flt those who see the inside of munich
pal affairs will wait while before they
permit themselves to he alarmed In
deed, there is no reason for alarm in
any event. The Oriental ports have the
bubonic plague with them year in and
year out, and yet few white men die Of
it there and those few are the abandon
ed ones who live all or most of the
time in the native quarters.
The Suspicious case" is that of
Chick Gin, a Chinese, aged Al, whose
body was discovered by Assistant City
Physician Wilson in filthy basement
at 1901 Dupont street near the corner
of Jeckson, where the suspect died at
S o'clock Monday morning.
DR.. Wilson says his suspicious were
aroused when application was made to
him for a death certificate. and that
he went at once to make a close exam
ination of the corpse.
The only indications of the plague
were swollen glands, which he removed
and took with him to the bacteriologist,
Or. Kellogg, at the same time report
ing his fears to DR.. A. L. O'Brien, the
Health Officer.
DR.. Kellogg at once began progress
siVe meteorological and microscopical
examination and after an hours time
claims to have found sufficient reason
to advise an immediate quarantine. 1t
will be Thursday morning at the earl
lest before he can determine the exact
nature of the malady
Health Officer O'Brien went at once
to Chinatown and had the body remov-
cd to the undertaking establishment at
S19 Clay street, where it was thorough
ly disinfected All of the dead mans
effects and the furniture of his hoVel
were burned and the body will prob
| ably be cremated today.
| a" If orr fears he confirmed cai1 m,
O'Brien last night, II will order both
the place on Dupont street and the
undertaking establishment burned AS
far as we can tell from our progressive
examination there is reason to take al
precautions, and we will taken them nc
matter what the inconvenience may
! be-"
| At l o'clock this morning the detail
of police assigned to quarantine duty
numbered thirty-two men with Ser
Geants Christensen and Tobin in
charge, and all the district bounded by
broadway on the north, California
| street on the south. Kearny street OF
| The east was blockaded as strictly us
was possible with such a force. AS AZ
afterthought it was ordered that al
car lines running through Chinatown
should be stopped. This will be a vir.
tual shut down for the Ferries and
Cliff House system so far as it's mair
lines are concerned and. if the blockad,
be long continued, will work consider
able hardship upon residents in tn,
northerly section of the Western Addi
tion.