The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-02-06
CLEANUP
IN |W|LE|
Wash Houses Are
Condemned by
Board.
KEEN REPORTS
ON CONDITIONS
Recommends Changes to be Ask
ed of Department OF Public
Works.

|. general cleanup of 1wllel is 10 De
inaugurated by the Board of Health as
a result of yesterdays meeting
Plumbing Inspector Keen made
lengthy report condemninS the wash
houses and toher buildings in that vi
cinity as menace to the public health
and as soon as the slaughter houses are
removed a general cleanup will be eff
fected if Superintendent Boyd of the
Department of Public Works acts ia
vorably upon the suggestions of the
Board of Health.
In calling the matter TO the attention
of the members yesterday, President
SIoggett said:
AZ see by the papers that Judge Gear
in his charge to the grand jury directs
their attention to the moral uncleanli-
ness existing at Iwilei. 1 regret the
Judge did not at the same time point
out to them the material or physical
lack of cleanliness of the same locality,
as evidenced by the condition of the
slaughter houses and public wash
houses.
LAS regards the slaughter houses,
Waller informed me yesterday, on my
asking him, wher he thought the Met
ropolitan Meat Company would be
ready to move, that his company had
got in bids for the removal of their
slaughter houses and erection of new
and up to date abattoirs at Kalihi, and
hoped in few days to let the contract
for doing this work. Therefore 1 will
ask the board to suspend action pro-
hibiting the further slaughter of cattle
and hogs at Iwilei until / hear again
from Mr.. Waller. Respecting the pub
lie wash houses the plum bing inspector
has, by my request, made a report on
their sanitary condition which reveals
a somewhat alarming condition of af-
fairs and this report, which is a state
ment of fact only, and in no way col
ored, has been verified by visits of
members of this board, including my
self. / submitted this report on Mon
day to Mr.. Boyd for his advice and CO.
operation in abating this great menace
to public health and am led to hope we
shall have his hearty cooperation in
carrying out the suggestions made by
lllS iilSpcClOI VI sumo cqodliS
efficient means of putting the wash
houses in a good and sanitary condi-
ton at an early date
INSPECTORS REPORT.
The report of Inspector Keen upon
the conditions at Iwilei and mis- recon-
mendations were as follows:
Honolulu, H T., January 90 1902.
DR.. H. C. Sloggett,
President BOARD Of
Sir:-Pursuant to your instructions for
a report upon the sanitary condition OF
the wash houses at Iwilei, after a care |
full examination of the same / beg leave |
to submit the following:
AS you are we'll aware, these wash |
houses consist of two 2-story wooden |
each about $50 feet long by IS |
feet wide. divided into rooms about Is |
feet square. the lower floors used for |
washing clothes, the upper floors used |
for sleeping rooms by the various Chi |
nese washermen.
In the lower rooms I find a cement |
floor running the whole length of the |
building with a gutter some inches
deep by 10 inches wide upon one side to
carry off the wash water; the balance
of the floor, some eight feet wide, is of
wood, raised about one foot above the
cement floor.
l have examined the wood of this floor
and find it in fairly good condition, but
the joists, Sleepers and the boards on
the sides of the building, particularly
that side that the cement floor is upon.
as also the partitions between the vari-
Gus rooms for a distance of some five
feet up. are all rotted, in some cases
are entirely gone. particularly where
they come in contact with the wet ce-
ment floor
ana tables used in washing. and find the
same in a highly insanitary condition,
condition that cannot be remedied too
soon; as there is hardly a whole tub or
table in any of these rooms, they are
so rotted that in many cases only the
outer shell is left; these tubs and tables
Are never dry. l wish particularly to
all your attention to the condition Of
hese tubs and tables, for in my judg-
nent, therein lies a source of great dan
ger
The gutter in the cement floor refer
ed to Is full of filth, which seems to
lave been there for a long period. Up
m inquiry I find that the only flushing
his gutter gets is the throwing of dirty
water upon the floor. which is supposed
o clean it out. but which. owing to the
mall quantity thrown upon the floor at
my one time, signally fails to do its
uty
The upstairs of the various IS by is
divisions are used for sleeping purposes.
nd I found in one room as many as
welve sleeping places, these rooms have
cry little light and less ventilation.
md also upon the waikiki side of this
uilding about 80 feet from one OF them
filthy stream of water supposed TO be
Tected by tides filed with all sorts OF
18th from tin cans to dead dogs.
As a summary Of the conditions as
hey now exist. I need hardly point out
D you that I find them highly insani-
airy. and they cannot be remedied too
Don when II is remembered that the
piled clothes of most of the Inhabitants
( this city go there to be cleaned, for
lille the wood work in these houses ap- ,
ear on the surface to be clean owing