Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-08
PLAGUE IN HAWAII.
As1atics Suffer Severely From Effect
of the Quarantine

SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, January S.-A
letter from Honolulu, dated December 20
says:
A curious spectacle is presented here of
revival Of the shotgun quarantine around
the ague-infected district, while sanitary
measures and disinfection have been prac-
tca!ly abandoned. The board of health
called out the National Guard three days
after Christmas because of the discovery of
llve new cases Of plague, two of which
proved fatal 1t is now paying $1,000 a day
Tor this protection, and the result Of this
strict guard is demoralizing, and many poor
'hlnese and Japanese who worked in the
American quarter are starving.
Injected Houses Burned.
The board of health has decided to take
fadlcal steps to stamp out the scourge A
portion of the infected district was con-
dcmncd and burned to the ground Three
buildings and a large warehouse were de-
stroyed by fire. The future policy of the
health authorities will be to destroy all
infected buildings.
The board of health is severely criti-
cised by the two leading papers here-the
Star and the Advertiser In short these
journals claim that the members of the
health board appear to be Incompetent and
therefore are incapable, of handling the
present trouble. There Is still "a feeling of
doubt as to the nature of the disease The
majority Of intelligent people do not con-
slider it plague. But the fact remains that
the victims are stricken and die very sud
denly. If the trouble is not plague. if Is
something akin to it.
The presence of the plague in this city Is
commencing to worry the sugar men. They
have an idea that Hawaiian sugar may be
refused at United States ports if Shipped
from Honolulu. To get around this diff
Guilty the new crop may be shipped from
ports outside Of Honolulu. Honolulu being
the only infected port it is believed that
the federal authorities Will agree to this
plan and allow the marketing of the 1899
crop.
Gordon Around Asiatfc Quarter
The Gordon drawn around the Asiatic dis
trict includes many of the leading Chinese
and japanese dealers who live in sanitary
fashion and who are making a strong pro-
test against needless hardships to which
they are subjected. The original method of
fumisating all oriental merchandise i'm
ported has been abandoned, and much Of
this unfumgated freight is handled by Ha-
waiianS.
There have been seventeen known cases
of buboniC plague in Honolulu to date
There have been a number of other deaths
which were probably deaths from plague
but the board of health has not officially
SO declared them.
Passenger traffic between the islands is
practically at a standstill. The inter-island
steamship companies refuse to take passen-
gers on accout of the onerous quarantine
conditions imposed. Fumigated freight is
accepted, but is loaded and discharged from
| lighters away from the wharves.
The America Maru, which arrived here
from San Francisco December q, discharg-
ed her passengers and freight by means of
lighters.
The transport Grant, with the 4Sth In
! fantry, arrived a few hours after the
| America Maru. Her commander refused to
come into the harbor or have anything but
| the barest communication with the pilots
and port officials, and started for Manila
| after stop of not more than an hour.
Barkentine Sunk.
| The barkentine William Carson, Capt. ].
| Piltz, with coal from Newcastle and the
island steamer Claudine, met in collision
| off Diamond Head on the night of Decem-
| ber 81. The Claudine struck the Carson
bow on, and the sailing vessel commenced
| to sink in few minutes
| The hulk of the Carson was recovered by
tugs. No lives were lost.