The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-02-12
FIVE SUSPICIOUS CASES IN TOWN
OF KAHULUI.
Specimens of One Adjudged Plague.
DR.. Wood to Scene--Delegate Arrives.
Prompt Action, The Watchword.

|
office Saturday afternoon, coming by
steamer Kauai from Lahaina, that four
sudden deaths had occurred at Kahului
within a week. The letter was from
Sheriff Baldwin and was sent by horse
from Wailuku to catch the steamer at
Lahaina. The sheriff stated in it that
he had registered specimens taken from
the body of one of the patients for
archaeological examination by the
Board.
About an hour later the Post Office
authorities telephoned that there was a
registered package i'm the office from
Lahaina. 1t was Immediately sent for
and was found to be the glands from
the body of a plague victim. The very
first "smears" developed the bacilli in
unmistakable form. This examination
was made by DR.. Hoffman in the pres
ence of Dr. Wood.
The President of the Board of Health
decided to proceed with all haste to
Kahului. The Wilder Steamship Com
pany was communicated with and said
the Maui could be gotten ready in six
hours. 1t was finally decided, however,
to take the Kauai. DR.. Wood then
hastily canvassed the other members
of the Board and decided upon course
of action. DR.. Garvin was selected to
go to Kahului. He took with him all
; appliances needed including a quantity
of the serum received from Washing
| lOll anu dIlS. by agreement Ine
|, steamer was to make Kahuui in ten
; hours and return in nine hours. She
, sailed at IL o'clock Saturday night and
should have reached her destination at
10 next morning.
DISCOVERY OF PLAGUE.
In Kahului there is a single solid
block of houses facing the waterfront.
On one end is saloon and on the other
} the custom house. Near the center of
iG Thfnngn fo1Y ay,f
known as the "Kahului hotel" and next
} door Is a store owned and operated by
: the same man. In the block live $50
r Asiatics. 1t was in the Chinese store
mentioned that the first cases appear
ed and that place is believed to be the
center of Infection. When this was de-
1 termined a Gordon of sixty men was
/, drawn around this section of the town
e and 1t was placed in strict quarantine.
I The Maui authorities think they have
= hit upon the cause of infection. They
S relate that over two months ago a
= shipment of goods arrived from China
d via Honolulu to be used on Chinese
s New Year, These boxes were not OPEN
e ed until'on or about January 81. 1t is
y related that most If not all of the peo-
|. pie affected either ate or came in con-
= tact with this particular shipment of
= goods.
r Before leaving DR.. Wood looked upon
y this theory as most important as it may
e unravel the mystery of the introduction
= of plague into Honolulu. 1t is most
likely that the plague was brought here
= in the same shipment of merchandise
II from the Orient.
$ WHAT WAS DONE.
s. It appears that DR.. Armitage had
= charge of all four of the cases result
~ ing fatally. He did not notice anything
: suspicious about them, but really he
- had never seen case of plague. He
u subsequently remembered that there
were swellings of the glands.
The excitement began on Friday when
Chinaman developed at Wailuku
swellings in the armpits in addition tC
plague Indications in the inguinal re-
: gion. At this time Sheriff Baldwin had
- become somewhat alarmed and ordered
J. an autopsy held on the body of a mar
, already dead. His order was to Dr.
Ct Weddick, the Government physician
and was promptly carried out. 1t was
"a the result of this autopsy that came tC
n Honolulu.
ol 1t was then Saturday morning. The
le sick Chinaman at Wailuku had taker
~ refuge In small house in a neighbor
lie ing rice field He had come from Ka
"a hului and from the same place as thu
ls other cases. The hut occupied by hin
ne was burned and the man segregated il
is the shooting booth near Kahului.
Ia Dr. Armitage's verdict on the actua
were sent here, was "pernicious mala
ria"
Saturday a meeting of citizens wa!
held in a car near Kahului 1t wai
'u decided to place Kahului in quarantin,
and to despatch the steamer Lehua
then in port, to Honolulu for a plagu,
Mt expert and medicines Attorney Geo
e. Hons, of Wailuku, was selected to maxi
IN the trip and left that night arriving
40 here about 8 o'clock Sunday morning
ut The delegate was gratified to FIND
as that the Board of Health had moved
Id so promptly and the needed assistance
10 was reaching Kahulu about the tim,
ut he arrived here. Letters from the Mau
IN meeting was dispatched at ono
ty through DR.. Peterson to the Board o
lie Health office. Mr. Hons then decided
IL to wait over until the return of tn,
r Kauai and the final action of the Boar,
before returning to Kahului. Follow
ing are the letters brought by Mr.
E Hons
Kahulul, Maui Feb 10th, 1900.
- - Dr. G. p. Woow. President of the Boar,
no of Health, Honolulu, Oahu.
n Dear Sir:-I herewith enclose you
ca set of resolutions passed at a meeting
e of the Health Committee and citizen
g. of Maui, held at Kahului this after
al noon.
II would respectfully ask your promp
attention to the same and an imme
diate reply.
ts. "Mr George Hons was unanimousl!
a. chosen to go to Honolulu and presen
= the resolutions to you. The ). Lehu
is at your disposal and will be ready I,
bring whomever you may send here.
r. Yours very truly,
"a I'D. c. LINDSAY,
IS' Secretary"
sh THE RESOLUTIONS.
)s, Whereas there have been five fata
in cases of fever in the Kahului distric
r. that our physicians are in doubt a