The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-04-30
THE STORY OF THE
EPIDEMIC HERE
A Brief History of the Campaign in
Honolulu Tersely Told for
Future Reference.

December u, 1899, was a bad day for
Hawaii for on that day the
bubonic plague first made its appear
ance in Honolulu. How and whence 1t
came no one knew at the time, though
almost everybody hazarded guess.
What brought to light the fact of the
plague presence was the sudden death
of the Chinese bookkeeper at Wing We
Tails store on Nuuanu street, just out
of Chinatown proper. DR.. Herbert, be-
Ing called by Chinese physician to see
the man, pronounced the case bubonic
plague, and the autopsy proved that
he was right. Another case was discov-
cred on Maunakea street near Pauahi
Both bodies were burned and both
places were quarantined. Three more
cases were discovered, swelling the
death list to five; and the Board OF
Health, the Council Of State, and the
Board of Education quickly came TO
gether and took action. The militia
were ordered out for guard duty, the
government schools were closed. the
Inter-Island steamers were forbidden @
leave port, and measures were taker
to clean up the town after the fashion
set in the cholera epidemic. The Board
Oh fttdlt III III once lsSUtu Il tdll lOE WI
unteers to assist in the work of house
toulouse inspection. which was to be
carried on in all parts OF the city that
seemed to need Il.
Money for the Fight.
The Council of State appropriated
$4,000 to fight the plague. Chinatown
divided into fifteen districts, was put
under strict military quarantine. II
was realized that We were in for an
epidemic and the officials took no OF
the matter with energy. ordering the
city cleaned and calling for volunteer
physicians to remain on cal certain
hours of the day to attend at once to
any suspicious cases which might be re
ported by the inspectors.
House to House Inspection.
No new cases appeared the next day.
but the inspection began in earnest
The house-to-house search OF China
town brought to light nothing OF i'm
portance. Many Chinese and japanese
house servants were caught in the quar-
antined district, which entai.ed consid
cradle temporary discomfort. The in
spectors looks with them drays loaded
with barrels of lime, whitewash and dis
injecting materials; and they found for
hidden heaps of accumulated refuse in
nearly every place visited; they con
demned all sorts of foul-smeliag sinks
and outhouses and had them torn dowI
or removed. and they disinfected all th5
places which could be made endurable
Unslaked lime was scattered freely in
all damp and exposed places, and the
disinfecting fluid was poured in sinks
and cesspools. Beginning with this
day, the subject of garbage crematory
was frequently discussed The crema.
tory for infected bodies was already
working. The Board of Health issued
an order that no Asiatic freight or pas
sengers were 20 he carried from this
port to the other Islands.
Another case was found on the four
teenth-this time a native woman Iiv-
ing on Nuuanu street near Pauahi
Meanwhile the work of inspection
brought TO light a condition of affairs
In Chinatown which was "A positive rev.
cation to the people of Honolulu. In
some yards slime two or three inches !
deep was dug out. One of the worst |
obstacles to the work was the human |
bee hives that filed mp the interior Of /
the blocks, one little box-like room con- |
tanning sometimes twenty japanese % /
both sexes. During these early DAYS /
an enormous amount of information /
the things to do and to avoid was gath |
cred from many sources and eagerly |
read in the columns of the Advertiser. !
Danger Seemed to be Over.
The next day it was announced that /
the Hawaiian woman did not have the (
plague, and confidence began to return. /
Saturday and Sunday were free from 4
cases of plague. and on Monday. the |
18th, Ii was announced that the danger I
seemed to be over and that the quaran-
tine would probably be raised in a few
days. Minister Cooper was emphatic in /
stating that the quarantine would re-
main in force until all danger was end /
ed: but il was evident that much of the .
peril was considered past, since the
King street trans were allowed to run .
straight through the guaranteed dis
trict. though without stopping. Eve-
so early as this it was frequently said .
that IL the visitation should result in .
putting the sanitation of the town on
proper basis it would be a veritable .
blessing.
The papers OF December 10Th contain
ed the news that Ethel Johnson was
I'D Tn he raf uf