The Hawaiian gazette., 1900-02-16
THE BIG ISLAND.
News Notes From Its
Capital.
Plague Precautions COLLECTIONS for
Charity--Loebe George
Beckley Threatened.

HlLO, Feb. 10.--The Herald says:
Events have been so crowded into the
, past seven days that Hilo is justified
, in taking on metropolitan air Mr..
Loebenstein had gone to Honolulu at
the instance OF the local health com
mittee and his return was looked for
, ward to with some anxiety. On Thurs
day night the steamer was reported
and Mr.. Loebenstein telephoned that
he had had correspondence with the
Board of Health with the result that
special agents had been appointed at
the different parts in the Island, Hilo
to be represented by c. c. Kennedy.
The other appointments were: w. G..
Walker, North Hilo; A. Lidgate, Ha-
makua; r. II. Hind, North Kohala; F..
b. McStocker, Puma; DR.. John Hol-
land, Kau; John ID. Paris, South Kona;
; Alex. C.. Cockburn, North Kona; Paul
Jarrett, Kawaihae.
In order to find the views of the cit
liens meeting was held at the engine
house at 10 o'clock Friday night at
which about forty persons presented
themselves. At this meeting 1t was
decided to learn what Mr.. Beckley's
attitude would be as representative of
the Wilders Steamship Company. The
organization, Committee of Safety, re-
solved itself into committee of the
whole and waited upon Mr.. Beckley at
the residence of George Kawaihenui at
J midnight.
When Mr.. Beckley presented him
self he was asked If he would be one
of a committee of five to meet the XII
lauea Hou on her arrival and notify
the captain of the steamer to drop an
Choir in the harbor and to discharge
nothing in Hilo until he received or
ders to do so. He acquiesced and five
of the gentlemen, including Mr.. Beck
ley, proceeded to the boat-landing.
J The committee of the whole were a
little skeptical as the steamer had CIV
en- Hilo the "go-by" during the day
and proceeded to Puma with 200 Jap
: anese contract laborers.
The party left Kawaihenui's house
, at midnight and waited until 2 o'clock
until the arrival of the steamer and
5 the instructions of the Committee of
? Safety were communicated to the
captain. Mr.. LoebenStein objected
strenuously to delay in reaching
shore, as he had left here at the eX-
press wish of the Committee of Health,
g and as he had not been ashore in Ho-
nolulu he expected safe return. But
S the committee was obdurate and Mr..
Loebenstein retired.
, On Saturday morning the Committee
of Safety held another meeting to con-
slider what should be done. The re-
; suit of the deliberations was that mail
should be taken to Cocoanut Island in
charge of two representatives of the
postal authorities; machinery should
be landed and properly fumigated I'M
til Sunday morning, and Mr.. Loeben-
stein should be landed without having
to go through the process of fumiga-
ton. A committee of five was notified
to carry out the instructions of the
committee. So much for the kilauea
, Hou. The mail was fumigated and dis
tributed Sunday morning.
Early Saturday morning the town
, was startled by the rumor that Mrs.
A. G.. Serrao was probable plague
victim. Mr.. Serrao's store, at the cor
! ner of Front and Waianuenue, was
closed, yellow flags hung out and po-
licemen placed on guard to keep peo-
pie away AS the case was merely
suspicious one, the public felt that ex-
IRENE measures We're uncalled for and
that the yellow flag merely created a.
panicky feeling without doing good.
| Sherin Andrews was waited upon and
in answer to question said he mere
ly carried out the instructions of the
physicians, and that if they would
consent he would gladly take down
the flags. He then conferred with the
physicians, with the result that the
flags remained and additional precau-
tons taken by roping in the building.
| DR.. Moore was seen in the afternoon
regarding the case, and in answer to
question by representative of the
Herald said: | saw the case late last
night and as far as we were able to
determine there was every symptom of
the plague but the same symptoms
would probably appear in blood pois-
oning, though We would not look for
them. l believe now that blood pois-
oning Is the trouble. though | am not
at liberty to say positively; DIR. Irwin
mas charge OF the case. 1t is extreme
| ly serious, and until it Is determined
by the physicians to be not plague |
think the greatest precautions should
be taken. | believe it will prove fatal
to the patient"
decided to remove the yellow flags
from the Serrao store and put up rat
proof fence, and at o'clock this was
finished. This was done, as much of
the time, while we'll. Mrs. Serrao spent
in the store. The dwelling, where the
lady was sick, was placed in strict
quarantine and the inmates compelled
| to remain within the building.
Tension was relieved somewhat on
Saturday night when young employee
of Serrao's, whose illness had been
considered suspicious, was reported as
greatly improved. He resided on the
Volcano road beyond the one-mile post
and, under instructions from DR..
Moore, Sheriff Andrews had quaran-
tined the dwelling.
When the mail was distributed on
Sunday and Mr., Kennedy received his
commission as special agent, he hest
tated about accepting the place, until
urged to do so by several well-known
citizens. When he finally decided the
matter he took in as consulting