The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-03-22
LONE RAT OF CHINATOWN
BUT ONE SEEN SINCE THE BIG
FIRE.
Work of the Force Which Has Had
the Job of Clearing UP the Debris Of
Sanitary Fires.

There has been but one live rat seen
in Chinatown since the big fire. That
was discovered yesterday by the force
of men engaged in clearing up the de-
bris and rubbish where sanitary fires
have been had. At other places where
buildings have been burned by order of
the Board of Health, plenty of live rats
have been seen, but only one in China
town. Where he came from is mys-
terry. Whether he has been living quiet
~ inside the fence that surrounds the
place. and just made his appearance
yesterday emboldened by hunger or by
being let alone is an unsolved ques-
ton. Perhaps he has just got out Of
quarantine and returned to the scene
of his former activities.
The force under w. H. Hits is to-
day clearing up the rubbish and debris
left by the burning of the stables at
Iwilei where one of the latest plague
victims came from.
This work nearly completes the lab
ors of this branch of the Board of
Health service which has been in oper-
alton since the big fire in Chinatown,
January 20. Since that time this force
has cleared up the rubbish and put in
order the site of every sanitary fire that
has occurred, and the record of it's lab
ors gives a striking idea of the wide
extent to which the plague spread. The
places where it has labored are as fol-
lows; Chinatown proper, including the
area on the Waikiki side of Nuuanu
street near Chaplain lane, and along
Kukui lane; on the Eva side of Nuu-
anu at the head of Merchant street;
the Boardman premises; two shacks at
Moiliili Eva of Gear, Lansing & Co.'S
pumping plant; the Roth premises, on
Kinau street between Pensacola and
Piikoi streets; Union Square; the Chi
nese store at the Waikiki turn of King
street; the old morgue back of the Judi
ciary building; the building off Queen
street near Alakea; the premises on
queen street, opposite the Judiciary
building; four places along lower
Punchbowl street two on each side of
the street; the Palama stables on King
street near Liliha street; the houses on
Lima street between School and Judd
streets; premises on Wyllie street Eva
or Nuuanu; the Weaver block on Ka-
waiahao lane; building on the ASYLUM
road; two stables at Iwilei, one on each
sac or the street; the Chinese store and
WIS franz residence at the corner OF
Funchbowl and Hotel streets; the Hotel
stainless the Pantheon stables and BLOCK
~ the house in which ]. Weir Robert
son lived, shack near the Sheridan
road in which a Chinese died in the
9 3D. outbreak of the plague; the
Blue Gate premises
The only buildings in which ,,lo,.
cases occurred that were not b p6e S
were the Wing Wo Tai premises on
Nuuanu street and the house at Tw,iai
IN Which Ethel Johnson, the third
plague victim, died. |llru
Chinatown as it presents and annao,
tnce today is about the most tia 20.
ing area in town. Everything Ieft NV th.
IRE IRE, that was heavy enough to sink and
Nc not clearly salvage, was gathered
else u taken out to sea. Everything
use was gathered up in heanS 20
burned. The whole area was an. dau
Iaked over and the charcoai
sdthered up and used TO All A.
eesspools: There were about a thou
SAND or these and they were fiIled ,,o -
wlthln foot of the top and the remaine
uer hlled up with earth. The whole
area was then scraped over with hoes
GU IeVeled up, so that the old site of
S tiI,l'loWh now presents an even, level.
barren appearance. Vegetation IS al,
ready beginning to show itself on the
barren area. Weeds have sprung I'm
mere and there, and wherever there was
banana plant before the fire II has
recovered and put forth new leaves
Ihese give strange appearance TO the
place If one goes inside the fence that
surrounds the area.
What has been done in Chinatown
has been done wherever a building or
collection of buildings has been burned
except that cesspools have not been
Hlled up anywhere except in China
town.
The force employed in this work has
varied at different times. Right after
the big fire there were seventy men on
me force including the draymen and
scows on which the rubbish was flowed
TO sea There are now eight men en-
ployed, all of them from the relief
camp.