The Hawaiian gazette., 1900-05-18


0 o 9 . . 90 Q eso o 9 O o 0
now to be all torn down and carted
away for firewood or other incidental
purposes.
No longer will curious tourists stand
a-tip-toe to peek through cracks and
lnotholes in the quarantine fence to
gaze on the ruins of old kaumakapili.
Although these sanitary safeguards
may not be Immediately demolished,
they will come down soon, and the pub
lie eye may sweep the land where once
stood Chinatown, Honolulu's unclean
spot-now cleansed by the purifying
flames.
After much tedious and thorough la
Dor and considerable time. the special
committee appointed by the Board of
soil of districts upon which buildings
were burnt during the plague epidemic,
has made its report.
Contrary to general anticipation, the
report was a short one. No lengthy ex-
plantations were made of various tests
made to find plague bacilli: the report
was entirely negative and stated simply
that thorough investigation had been
made in the matter and that the soil
specimens taken from the different To-
calities in the burnt district. while the
ordinary bacteria of the soil existed,
contained absolutely no bubonic plague
bacilli.
This report was read by DR.. Wood at
the second part of the Board of Health
meeting held at half past seven o'clock
last evening.
AS result of this report DR.. Wood
was authorized by the Board to issue
the following notice. raising the quar-
antine on the burnt district:
Resolved, That quarantine upon proper
ty condemned by the Board of Health on
account of the existence of bubonic plague
shall be raised after the expiration of
four months from the date of destruction
by fire of the buildings upon such prop
erty provided, however, that no building
erected upon such premises shall be occu-
pied until the sewerage system Is in
working order in such districts and the
buildings are properly connected with
the same; and, further, that no cesspool
shall be eXcavated or used upon any
such premises.
Business men interested in Chinatown
property and other localities where
buildings have disappeared before san
itary fires, will now be hustling ahead
with the erection of new buildings.
Plans are all ready, and orders will i'm
mediately be given for labor and ma
terial. By the time proposed buildings
are completed the sewerage system will
be very nearly pau, If not entirely fin
ished., and the new stores and dwell
lings can then be connected with the
sewer. No cesspools will be allowed on
the premises to be opened up. If there
are by any possibility bacilli of plague
in the ground, they are more apt to be
in cesspools than anywhere else.
The four months time provided for
from the burning of buildings expires
at different times in different cases.
Some localities can be opened up right
away, while others must wait while.
Chinatown, or that great portion or
1t burned by the big fire-which did
more thorough work than was intended
just at that time-on January goth. can
be thrown open on the Goth of this
month-neXt Sunday.
DR.. Walter Hoffman, bacteriologist,
is the man who has worked indefatiga-
bly, in the matter of examining the soil
OF burnt districts for bubonic bacilli.
His work was thorough and complete
and none but one who could have
watched him in his labors in the lab
oratory can appreciate the amount of
work necessary before II was finally de-
cided that no plague germs lurked in
the soil and Ii was safe to raise the
quarantine on the burnt districts, DIR.
HOFFMAN has been most ably and indus
triously assisted in his archaeological
investigations by DIR. Camp.