The Hawaiian gazette., 1902-02-25
Boyd Reports on
lWilei Wash
Houses.

The report upon the public wash
houses at Iwilei was the principal feat
are of yesterdays meeting of the Ex
ecutive Council. 1t was submitted by
Superintendent Boyd being the report
and recommendations of Engineer Gere
who is acting Assistant Superintendent
of Public Works, upon a visit made re-
Gently by Mr. Campbell and himself.
The council referred the matter back
to the Superintendent of Public Works
for such action as he sees fit, and Mr.
Boyd will probably begin upon the i'm
provement of the wash houses as soon
as the proper arrangements can be
made. The report of Engineer Gere
differs considerably from that of In
spector Keen, who visited the place for
the Board of Health. and Mr. Gere lays
at least a portion of the blame upon the
Board of Health's shoulders, while stat
ing also that the conditions there are
not nearly as bad as the report of Keen
indicated. In substance the report sub
mitted by Mr.. Boyd was as follows:
The wash houses are two in number,
each $50 feet long having 20 rooms to
each house. The main part of the build
ing has "A concrete floor with a one
fourth inch to the foot fall, to the drain,
which carries off the water.
The floor OF the sorting and drying
room is raised eight inches above the
concrete floor, and | failed to find airy
place where 1T was in any way decayed
~ objectionable. Owing to the peculiar
method of washing by Chinese the wash
room during washing hours is dripping
wet.
TO preserve the wooden walls as much
Esstl oil ..t1 A..
upor course of brick work and the par
titions were cut clear of the cement
floors / failed to find any rotten part-
lions or walls. Dirty they certainly are.
with the slime of the suds. Likewise
We're the under sides of the tables and
tubs, but they were not as dirty as Mr..
Keen reports.
The government leases the bare rooms
and the furniture and fXings are inc
pro pcrty of the tenant. The consumption
of water of each room is about 800 ial-
Ions per day, and all this is discharged
by the concrete drain. Mr.. Keen's CON
tention that they are not flushed is alb
surd. The drains and floors are suppoS-
ed 10 be scrubbed with clean wafer every
Saturday. The means for obtaii!ng light
and fresh air are ample
Like MIR. Keen, / found the upstairs
portion dirty.
To qrote again from Mr. Keen's re-
port: II find also upon the Waikiki side
of this building filthy stream of water
filled VIII all sorts of filth from Tin cans
to dead dogs"
! failed 10 find the dead dogs The rem
edy for this state of things ] consider IL
in J e hands OF the Board of Health as
1he di,'h IN question is outside or the
lee. h Id OF the government.
l wi. h TO state. however that when the
wa. / usts We're built the ditch was
IN open way, and free of the obJectiuH-
able fee tul es now I'm evidence, but owing
Ia the dI edging operations al the west
end Of tie harbor, the mud has filled IN
Fl ON .'e TO two feet makai OF the W sh
horses. This makes the proper drains &C
Cf II e d'str'ct somewhat of problem.
! wi so call your attention to what
Nj. J. cen failed to report, VIZ: That the
Board Health I'm its wisdom has seen
fit to use the ground just Eva CT The
w II fou es for dumping ground ar
garbage, manure and filth of every de-
Sc. ptiCn, ard so piling 1t up that whsre
before there was hard coral roadway
diainirg Pady from the house. now
there Is soft spongy garbage heap
draiI ing right to the wash house DC n.
so that 1t has been necessary for the
vsrious occupants to ditch during the
stt rms TO keep the nasty water from I'M
der the buildings
The ground upon which the WASH
houses stand. and the yard between, IL
made ground, of white coral from three