The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-01-24
FIGHTING THE PLAGUE
Continued from Page p


ing action in this manner. trusting
that the disease could be checked ana
wiped out by other means.
The opportunity 70 put the Advert .
sers suggestion into force came on .
Sunday, December 31st, by the appear
ance OF the disease in the residence
portion Of the city, far away from
Chinatown. Three deaths occurred on
December 31st. and all were traced 10
Chinatown, even to the rooms when
the patients had occupied before leaV-
. ing for other parts of the city, where
. they hoped 10 remain in cOncealment
from the authorities. The Board OF
Health was justly indignant at the ig-
1orant actions of the Chinese, and
promptly condemned a long row or
store buildings fronting on Nuuanu,
from which one of the Chinese had
fled. to be destroyed by fire. The or
der was sent TO the Fire Department
to repair at once TO the scene OF the
coming confagration, and after re-
moving the tenants of the buildings TO
a temporary detention camp on the
seashore, the torch was applied TO one
of the buildings, upon the order OF the
president Of the Board of Health, the
people. The first act of legal incendi-
arism of the Board OF Health was sue
cessfUlly carried out.
Whenever a plague death occurred
after the 1st Of January the building
in which the patient had died was i'm
mediately destroyed by fire. The Fire
Department since then has been almost
constantly at work burning structures
throughout the infected district, and
these legal fires were marked by the
efficiency of the Fire Department in
conhning the fires 10 the limits pre-
viousiy mapped out.
Attorney General Cooper, being also
the president of the Board, found that
the multitudinous duties of the latter
position did not allow him to perform
those of his ministerial Office, and, be-
ing unable to keep up with the fast
accommodating work which burdened
him. Mr.. Cooper resigned his Office as
president. and became one of the mem
bers Of the Board, giving way to DR..
Wood who has been very prominent
in the work of the Health Department,
and in the present crisis it was felt
that his medical knowledge, combined
with MS executive ability, were of
such a character as to make him fit
ting successor to the former president
DIR. Wood at once inaugurated a new
system of dealing with the question
and gave out his policy that China
town must be destroyed by fire if the
plague is to be checked"
+. NJ Hatch. former Hawaiian Min
. lister at Washington, was elected tC
succeed a native member on the Board
D and vigorous measures were adopted
at once to prevent a further spread o
Q the disease into the residence portion!
Q of the city.
O The public began to appreciate tn
Q gravity of the situation, and meet
n ing was held. participated in by PTesi
d dent Dole and the Cabinet, at which
a strong resolution was adopted, as fol
a lows: ct is the sense of this meeting
q that it is a sound policy to remove Il
a quarantine as rapidly as PRACTICABLE
n the residents of the Chinatown distric
n and to take any and every step, with
n out limit, necessary TO stamp out tn
N plague, including the destruction O
n buildings and other property"
N With such backing as this the Boar
n felt free to 20 ahead with its mos
n drastic measures, and property whic
- was deemed insanitary was prompt
condemned, and in many cases prompt
" destroyed by fire. The Board {
Health made several tours Of inspeC
o ton throughout the district, in whic
N each block was numbered as a read
means of reference. In this manne
Blocks 1, 4, 5, 8 and 10, and portion
of Blocks IL and 10, as shown in I'll
small map, were condemned as infect
ed with plague and ordered destroye
by fire. Block 10 was the first of tn
whole blocks to be burned, followe
by the burning of portions of Blocks
and II. As legal incendiaries tn
Board members exercised their fulle:
power in carrying out the wishes {
n the community,