The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1901-12-10
TO
KILL RATS
Work on Wharf is
Now Practically
Complete.

Only failure to secure necessary parts
of the fittings for the placing of the dis
injecting apparatus will prevent the trial
Of the plan of sulphur disinfectlng upon
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 will be finished toda.',
and there is to be fitted to the masonry
only a 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 he treated separately, was
found to be ineXpedient, so 1t was deter
mined to make the test with the tempo
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-
gnc 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 will
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 filled 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
ment, was an easy one upon which to
operate, as there was very little planking
to be done to render the surface fairly
air tight, and the general construction
was such as to make the placing of the
battens an easy matter.
Assistant Superintendent Campbell said
yesterday that he hoped to carry on the
experiment not later than tomorrow
morning, and that he was of opinion that
he had the dock I'm Il tight and snfc con-
d.tlon. He did not think the space be-
meath the floor WAS air tight, but he
thought it was nearly So and that any
gas which escaped would be simply an
indication that the machine WAS doing
it's work well. Upon the result of this
experiment will depend the fun trial of
the plan all along the water front, ana
should the committee of the Chamber of
Commerce be satisfied that the rats are
Killed by this means, then u full force
Will De put upon the work and It will be
rushed along, so that the thorough cru
SADIE may he inaugurated as soon as pos
s:ble.
The gls which is used for the purpose
of killing the rats is a form of sulphur
and oxygen, the formula being o.
which is known sulphur anhydrid
there being three parts of oxygen to one
of sulphur. The fan blows the gas from
the combustion chamber into fhe space
to be fumigated. and the speed of the
fan gives Abe amount of oxygen which Is
added to the sulphur The fan 10 gener-
ally run at the speed of 400 to 500 revolu-
lions, which gives the necessary COM
binaton. The care which must be ex-
ercised is due to the fact that any great
er amount of air introduced into, the
combustion chamber OF the sulphur
would make combination which wiuld
not he noN!ous.
The ordinary time for the keeping Of
tie gas within a space to be fumig;,ted
Is six hours, nut here the gas is kept on
for full day, so that there may be no
danger but that 1t will fill every nook
that may be in the hold of a ship or the
underlying structural room. This plan
VIII be followed with the docks. and
there Will be mo- opening of the ofior until
Il day has passed. The gas is heavier
than air, and so will lie close to the sur
race OF the water, and this will necessi-
tate continuance of the pumping in Of
the gas for a longer time than IL the
space to be fumigated was the hold of a,
ship or a dry room