The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-02-06

! state OF rottenness that it looks as IL il
/ was about to collapse, and while the
! tables and tubs look clean on the sur
race, they are a mass of corruption and
rottennesS underneath
Inc buildings being in such a state it
is quite difficult to say just what would
De the least expensive method to pursue
to be rid of the above conditions rad
zeal measure and one that in the end
would be the wiseSt, is the removal of
/ these houses entirely, replacing them
with houses Of one story in height. the
SldeS and partitions to be corrugated
iron, this iron to be coated with asphalt
UNI, the roof of wood, the sides and par
/ titions to be raised from the ground say
| three inches, which would do away with
all wood work that could become con-
| taminated by dirty water from soiled
clothes, and the iron could be washed
down with clean hot water, but owing to
! the state of the public funds, this meth
cd may be out of the question; but it
seems to me the least that can be done
| is to:
First, remove all wood work of every
description from the floor, by cutting
away the outside walls up to the SLEEP
! ers, and resting these and the wood I
uprightS upon stone or concrete fouI4, I
| tons, cover the wood work upon the
| sides of the building for a distance OF
say five feet up with either felt with a
coating of asphaltum applied hot, or COW
ering them with galvanized iron tackled
close.
Second, remove all wooden partitions
| in the lower floors and instead of wood
| Gf there must be partitions) have them
of corrugated iron, raised up three inches
! from the floor
Third, have the gutter in the cement
floor which runs the length of each
house cleaned out thoroughly. at least
once a day, for the filth that accumu-
there iS a nf
ger, for it is the dirt from dirty clothes.
Fourth, remove such of the tubs and
/ tables which, after an inspection, you
| find unfit for use, substituting new ones,
all these tubs both old and new should
! be painted inside with some metallic
/ paint
| Fifth. raise all tubs and tables from
! the floors and stand them upon concrete.
or bricks might answer, the bottoms of
the tubs should not come in contact with
the wet floor. This, too, would give ven
| tilation and stay decay.
Sixth prohibit any one from using the
upper rooms for sleeping purposes, or if
this is not practicable, limit the number
| for each room to three persons.
And finally, but not the least by any
means have the so called stream of wa
| ter on the Waikiki side of these build
| ings cleaned and the mass of dirt of
every description around and in these
buildings cleaned up and carted away to
the garbage pile to be burned.
The cost of the last above suggested
Improvement will not exceed $500.
/ desire also to call your attention to
the yard between the two wash houses,
an open space some $50 feet long by $50
feet wide. This yard is used for drying
Clothes and is covered here and there
with rotten boards to protect the ground
from the drippings from the wet clothes.
These boards, as well as the ground, are
\ u
for the ground under them is also wet.
need hardly say that these wet boards
and ground are a source of great danger
to the public health, and should be re-
moved at once. For this yard 1 would
recommend a covering of say three
inches of macadam, with a coating or
one and one-half inches of bitumen well
rolled, graded to stone gutter six
inches wide in the center to run the en-
tire length of the yard said gutter to be
laid in cement, or if the public funds
will not permit in lieu of this, the yard
should at least be macadamized, having
a grade to the gutter above referred to-
This gutter would carry off any drip
pings from clothes to the sea, and it
would be also serviceable in carrying off
the water after a rain, whereas such
water now lies in puddles to be dried up
by the rays of the sun. which does not
al all times strike the ground, it being
shaded by the clothes which are hung
up to dry every day.
An approximate cost of the above will
be for bituminous rock % cents per
square foot; macadam, cents per square
foot.
The above suggested improvements
seem to me to be imperative. I beg leave
to say that nothing herein is intended as
a reflection on anyone, as 1 am well
aware that it is next to impossible to
make this class of Asiatics keep their
surroundings clean; but after these prem
Uses are put in shape and cleaned up
both inside and outside, strenuous efforts
should be made to keep them clean, for
in one case as in others, eternal vigilance
is the price of safety.
Respectfully submitted.
E. G. KEEN.
Agent Board of Health.
The board unanimously adopted the
report and recommended it for the con-
sideration of Superintendent Boyd, de-
Gliding in the meantime to take no &C
ton as regards the removal of the
slaughter houses.