The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1900-12-12
DAY OF THE
OUTBREAK
First Anniversary of the
Black Death.
PLAGUE A YEAR AGO TODAY
The Board Of Health Will Celebrate
Its Semi-CentenniaI
Tomorrow.

| Tomorrow the Board of Health of
Hawaii attains half century of exist
ence. Today is the first anniversary of
the plaques outbreak in Honolulu.
| Since 1850 the city has passed through
many critical experiences and several
times has been in the throes of scourges
which threatened to wipe out the popu-
lation. In 1855 came the terrible small
tpox epidemic. This was the first i'm
portant matter of health with which
the board had to struggle. The cholera
which suddenly appeared in Honolulu
five years ago was promptly met by
the Board of Health and held in check
The President of the Board of Health
in his report in 1886, has the following
to say of the organization of the
board:
| "a Board of Health was first organ
lied in this kingdom on December 13,
1850, by the following order of King
kamehameha ILL.,:
BE it known to all whom it may con-
Germ that we, by and with the advice
of our Privy Council. hereby empower
and authorize DR.. T.. c. b. Rookie, DR..
George A. Lathrop, Benjamin F. Har-
dy, G. w. Hunter, C. Hoffman, NJ. D.,
Richard Hill Smythe and W. Newcomb
to act as Board of Health Gour of
them to be a quorum) for the good of
the inhabitants of Honolulu, and we
thereby request and authorize them to
communicate, respecting the same,
with the Governor of our Island of
Ooh, 20 L.
lthing that in their opinion ought to be
ldone or undone, removed or procured,
for the preservation (from?) and cure
Iof contagious. epidemic and other dis
leases, and more especially Of cholera,
as may have occurred to each of them
on the day preceding.
| Our Minister of the Interior is
icharged with the execution of this our
lorder.
Done in our Privy Council this 18th
jday of December, 1850.
"KAMEHAMEHA
| "Keoni Ana"
No formal celebration of the ami
versary will be held except that the
Board of Health will hold regular
weekly session this afternoon and prob
ably pass the compliments of the day
III HOHOT VI the OCcdSlOn.
The Advertiser of December 13, 1899,
lgiving a ten-column account of the
first known cases of bubonic plague in
Honolulu. which occurred on December
II, 1899, just one year ago today, had
the following to say by way of intro
duction:
THE bubonic plague has come to Ho-
: nolulu. How it came no one knows.
There are many theories but no ascer-
ltainable facts. The black scourge may
have originated among immigrants; it
may have been brought ashore from a
slightly infected ship by rats and it
may have been hidden in Chinese or
Japanese goods, more especially gro
ceries. The latter theory is the one
that finds the more acceptance.
AT any rate the plague is here and
that is the main point DR.. Herbert is
Authority for the statement that there
was a mild case on November 10th,
news of which was kept quiet What
brought the scourge to public notice
was the sudden death of the Chinese
bookkeeper of Wing Wo Tai's general
merchandise store on Nuuanu street,
near King. DR.. Herbert was called by
a Chinese physician and he pronounced
the case bubonic plague. A study of
the cultures proved him to be right,
Drs. Hoffman, Carmichael and Day
concurring in the autopsy. Before the
report of these surgeons had been made
Wing Wo Tai's store was quarantined
Another case was discovered on Maui
nakea street, near Pauahi, and quar-
, antine was instituted there. The
bodies of both victims were burned
Three more cases have swelled the
death list to five
The Council of State, the Board OF
Health and the Board of Education
convened and took action. The militia
was ordered out for guard duty and the
Government schools closed Measures
were taken to clean up the whole towr
after the fashion set in the cholera
iepldem1c. lnter-1sland steamers ir
port were forbidden to leave but the
kinau got away with half a cargo.
Irush of Japs to the Board of Health
loffice in quest of permits-which wer,
lrefused-to leave Oahu for other parts
= of the group was one of the phases O.
the situation. On every hand were
lsigns of extreme public tension ant
these were Increased by the character
istic Honolulu rumors. Everybody hat
a story to tell and as a general thns
little was lost in the telling. 1t wa
safe to discount everything heart
which had not previously received off
cial sanction.
The United States army authoritie
acted quickly in the matter of bring
ing in men with shore leave. Proves
tguards went out and rounded up ever,
stray soldier Tonight it is suppose,
that every man belonging to the trans
lports is on board"
On March 81 of the present year tn