The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-12-09
'READY To
KILL RATS
Work on Wharf is
Now Practically
Complete.
IS
INSTALLED ONSCOWI
Test at Oceanic Wharf to be Fol.
lowed by Rush Work if
Successful.

Only failure to secure necessary part
OF the fittings for the placing of. the dis
injecting apparatus will prevent the tria
Of the plan of sulphur disinfecting upol
the rats at the Oceanic wharf tomorrow
The preparation of the wharf for the test
is practically complete. the work which
remains to be done win be finished today
and there is to be fitted to the masonry
only few small connections
The wharf has been battened all along
the front and ends, and temporary bulk
heads, which will be sufficient to prevent
the gas from spreading all along the
wharf have been put in. The perfect
cutting up of the wharf into sections.
which could be treated separately, was
found to be ineXpedient, so it was deter
mined TO make the test with the ternno-
rary timbers, providing that the gas be
sent in when the water is at its highest.
Upon the scow which lies alongside the
wharf is the machine of the United
States quarantine service, consisting of
an engine and blow fan, besides the
combustion chamber for the burning OF
the sulphur. The connecting of the en-
CINE is practically done, but will require
some work today, and thus 1t appears
probable that the first work will be done
tomorrow morning, provided the Sierra,
from San Francisco, does not come to
the dock before that time. In case the
liner does not appear the high tide win
be the signal for the pumping into the
space beneath the dock of the sulphur
gas, which will be kept going until there |
appears no possible chance that there |
could be any animal life IN the space
which has been filed with the vapor.
Before this is done, however, there viii |
be made arrangements for the prevention |
Of any Of the rats escaping in the event |
there is a hole through which they could |
get away from the sulphur. The Oceanic |
wharf, which was chosen for the expert |
nent, Was an easy one upon which to
operate, as there was very little planking
% be done to render the surface fairly
air tight and the general construction
Vas such as to make the placing of the |
'attens an easy matter.
Assistant Superintendent Campbell said |
that he hoped to carry on the |
Experiment. not later than tomorrow
morning, and that he was of opinion that
lie had the dock in a tight and safe con-
.tion. He did not think the space be-
cath the floor was air tight bur he
bought It was nearly So and that any
as which escaped would be simply al
that the machine was doing
8 work we'll Upon the result of this 9
Experiment. will depend the full trial of
ne plan all along the water front. and 4
Mould the committee of the Chamber of
be satisfied that the rats are
He'd by this means then a full force
i'll be put upon the work and it will be
lshed along, so that the thorough cru
Lde may be inaugurated as soon as pos c
BILE.
The gas which is used for the purpose y
killing the rats is form of sulphur
ID oxygen, the formula being O3,
hich Is known sulphur anhydrid
ere being three parts of oxygen to one n
sulphur The fan blows the gas from
e combustion chamber into the space
be fumigated, and the speed of the -
n gives the amount of oxygen which is c.
ded to the sulphur. The fan is gener-
y run at the speed OF 4OO to oUU reVOlu-
MS, which gives the necessary COM
lation- The care which must be ex-
Used is due to the fact that any great tn
amount of air introduced into the WI
nbustion chamber of the sulphur p,
uld make combination which wiuld pa
be noxtous DO
he ordinary time for the keeping of :,
gas within a space TO be fumigated si'
six hours. but here the gas is kept on -
a full day, so that there may be no ! -
ger but that it will fill every nook
| may be in the hold of a ship or the
erlying structural room. This plan
be followed with the docks, and
re will be no opening Of the ohor until
ay has passed. The gas is heavier
n air, and so will lie close to the sur
, of the water, and this will necessI-
a continuance of the pumping in of
gas for longer time than if the
e 10 be fumigated was the hold Of a.
or a dry room.
-S<