The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1901-04-16
To ESCAPE
SMALL POX


N eight hundred ana forty officers
IA and men from the troopship XII
patrick. now lying outside the harbor
In quarantine on account ~ smallpox
having broken out on the vessel be-
tween San Francisco and Honolulu. was
made ON Saturday TO the Board Of
Health by Major Robinson. Depot
Quartermaster. 4. S. A., and only yes
terday afternoon at a special meeting
~ the Board, was the request denied
The result is that the ship Mary T.
Foster" I'm the harbor, has been engag-
ed by the military authorities and the
troops will be placed aboard until the
transport can be fumigated.
An important meeting of the Board
OF Health was held Saturday afternoon
at which were present Major Robinson
and other army representatives in
which the Depot Quartermaster laid
proposition before the Board which,
considering the nature of the population
of Honolulu. was of doubtful accept
ance 1t was request to allow the
$40 soldiers, officers and men. to change
their present clothing to new uniforms
which had undergone fumigation and
then to place them in clean boats and
take them to the railroad wharf, where
they could be entrained on fiat cars and
taken to Kalihi Detention Camp and
held there in strict quarantine for two
weeks.
Major Robinson said the camp could
be provisioned in advance and that
thereafter no communication would be
had with them by the outside world.
The quarantined troops would have
their own Gordon of sentnels placed
within the stockade. He proposed to
call for assistance from Major Ennis
commanding the battalion of the Sixth
Artillery at Camp Mckinley and have
these soldiers entirely surround the De-
tention camp by two lines of guards,
making 1t practically bayonet quaran-
tine. Ambulances would also be pro-
vided ahead of the arrival Of the quar-
antined troops and at the least sign of
fever among any of the men they would
be sent at once to Quarantine Island
for treatment.
During the absence of the troops from
the vessel. fumig ation would be carried
on on a large scale. 1t was proposed to
batten down the matches and pump the
vessel full of fumigating material and
thereby render it peri 2ctly clean when
the voyage to Manila was resumed.
The Quartermaster earlier in the day
addressed the following communication
to the Public Works Department, and
the same was duly considered at the
Saturday afternoon meeting:
war Department, Office Depot Quarter
master Honolulu, April 10, 1901.
j. a. McCandless. Superintendent Pub
lie Works.
Sir: Dr. S. f. cofer. in charge of
quarantine station at this port, having
reported to me several cases of small |
pox on the transport fitzpatrick, and with |
the prospect OF the disease spreading on
board that ship, 1t becomes my duty to
discharge the entire command, consisting
of $40 officers and men from that trans |
port, to establish them In a detention
camp here in order that the ship may |
be properly cleaned and dislnfected.
Having no Government grounds on
hand for this purpose, I hereby respect
fully ask authority to make use of the |
Territorial grounds known as "Kalihi |
detention camp" in order that the |
same may be placed entirely under the |
supervision of the quarantine authorities. |
Should this be granted. It will be I'M
derstood that the military authorities will |
establish a Gordon OF sentinels about the |
camp and maintain such guard as to
prevent any ingress or egress.
Very respectfully,
w. w ROBINSON, JR.,
Major and Quartermaster, United States
Army, Depot Quartermaster.
The matter was discussed thoroughly f,
but as . difference Of opinion arose
amongst the members of the Board of
Health, action was deferred until yes
terday afternoon at o'clock when the /
propositiGl was rejected.
Major Robinson presented a new plan
by which the quarantined troops could
obtain relief, and this was by quarter
ing them aboard the ship Mary T.. +
Foster" row in Naval Row, which had |
been offered him at ,25000 a day. The
ship viii accommodate about 800 men.
The Board gave its permission to al
low this method to be adopted and the
vessel viii be put in shape at once to !,
receive its living cargo. The balance
will go to Quarantine Island while the :,
vessel is being fumigated
At the meeting of the Board yester-
day morning, President Raymond and
DR.. Cooper took the stand that 1t would
be nothing short Of criminal to allow
nearly a thousand men from an in
fected ship to land at this port, no mat
ter how great were the precautions to
prevent the spread of the disease
amongst a population which is so sus-
ceptible 10 the scourge. Other mem
beers of the Board took an entirely diff
ferent view and thought that I'm the
name of humanity the Board u Health
Should extend a helping hand 10 the
on the transport ana give
them "a chance 10 leave the ship which
cotnaius the germs of "a peatilence be-
fore continuing On their long voyage
Dr. Raymond was opposed % any
breaking down of the quarantine laW