The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-05-02
SAN FRANCISCO
TO OUR AID
Continued from Page y

| Gu, anu 10 extend their work over all
that area then IN quarantine compris-
| ing some twenty-five or thirty acres of
! closely built business houses and plac-
es of residence. Between the 18th day
! OF December, 1889, and January goth,
1900 a considerable number of deaths
/ occurred on the outside districts
! among the white residents which SEEM
| lngly was transmitted there by the
| Chinese servants that previously to be-
| ing under quarantine had their lodg-
, ings within the district. Much valua-
Fble property, real and personal, was
! being destroyed in various parts of the
| city by orders of the Board of Health
] almost daily. On the morning of AIN
uary goth, 1900, the Fire Department,
: under the orders of the Board of
| Health were engaged in the burning of
| a condemned property within the quar-
| antine lines, when owing to the sud-
| denness of the wind springng up
| sparks were carried to the spire of the
! kaumakapili or native church, which
was being used by the Government and
Merchants Association as a warehouse
/ for the storing of valuable personal eff
| fects and of merchandise that had been
! fumigated and placed there for pro-
! lection until same could be moved. The
spark kindled rapidly into a blaze and
| being high upon the spire could not be
reached by even the most heroic eff
forts of the firemen. With such ex-
| IRENE suddenness did the fire spread
in and about the church that the Fire
| Department had to abandon their en-
gtnes to save their lives, the engines
| were destroyed.
Then ensued a conhagration more
easily imagined than described, which
/ resulted in wiping out everything
| within the quarantined district and eX-
| tending to a limited area outside
! At four o'clock what had stood
/ for densely populated portion
/ OF the city occupied by nu-
! merous stores, ware houses, engine
houses, churches and places of resi-
, dence We're in ashes. The many thou
sands of persons who were thus made
homeless and destitute and stin fore
ed by Government authority to the iso-
| latiOn of quarantine had to be housed
and fed at the expense of the Govern
ment until such time that they could
! be released, which in most instances
/ covered several months. While it may
be considered to have been an unfOr-
tunate occurrence the fact is, that the
conhagration of January Goth destroy
ed in a very few hours a district in
Tested with germs of filth and disease
! that could in no way whatever be
ordinary course of events could not
have been accomplished in very many
months possibly in years. The com
| munity breathed a breath of relief as il
! realized that the base of the evil had
! been effectually wiped out. However
for many months special inspection
! and care had to be taken by the Gov
eminent, the militia and the Citizens
| Sanitary Committee, a volunteer or
| ganization, in maintaining close in
! spection and supervision of persons
and of property generally. The seven
to ten thousand of people made desti-
| tute and homeless were temporarily
| confined in the churches drill sheds,
| and in tents and fed and clothed at the
| expense of the Government which inn
mediately begun the erection of more
substantial buildings for their comfort
and accommodation. Between Decem-
Der 18th, 1899, and July 3Oth, 1900, about
which time the quarantine regulations
| were effectually lifted the Government
| by orders of the Board of Health had
expended out of the monies in the
Treasury in the building of houses, in
! the maintenance of people within their
charge the sum of SS07, 00S.6G
| There still remaining, unsettled for,
! the damages to and for the losses Of
property destroyed, and yet to be as
certained. Very gradually after the
lifting of quarantine normal conditions
We're restored, but the busy, bustling,
industrious occupants of the burned
district after being discharged from
quarantine were doing their best to
find new places of employment and of
occupation, and even now at the pres
ent time are unemployed and in an un-
settled and unsatisfactory condition OF
mind and body, anXiously awaiting the
granting of the awards to be made for
their losses by the Fire Claims Com
missioners as provided for by the late
legislature of 1901.
/ beg further to call your attention
especially TO the fact that previous to /
the complete annexation Of the Islands
which took place on June 18th, 1900, the |
Government received regularly i'm addi- |
ton to the revenues from property and .
personal taxes, customs duties and /
postal receipts amounting to several |
millions of dollars annually, which was
used by the Government in carrying
on of public improvements, maintain
ing quarantine regulations, and in 9TH
er general public ways, that after this
date all sources of customs revenues
collected at Honolulu were paid and
are now paid into the United States |.
Treasury in an amount averaging
$lOG,G25 monthly, or a total of $2,292, sos
between the 14th day of June, 1900 and
March 3lst 1902, an amount sufficient
to pay all of the fire claims
Could it have been possible for the
Territory to have retained these GUS
toms revenues to the present time all
of the losses to claimants for property |.
destroyed would have been satisfied
and the necessity Of the Territory's app
peal at this time would not have oc-
CURED.
(ContiDued to page six.)