Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-02-07
IWILEI WASH HOUSES

Following is the report of Plumbing
Inspector Keen on the Government
wash houses at Iwilei, which was
crowded out Of the Bulletin yesterday:
Honolulu, II. T., January 20. 1902.
DR.. IL. c. Sloggett, President Board Of
Health.
Sir:-Pursuant to your instructions
for a report upon the sanitary Couui-
tion of the wash houses at Iwilei, after
O careful examination of the same !
beg leave to submit the following.
As you are well aware. these wash
houses consist Of two 2-story wooden
structures each about $50 feet long by
IS feet square, the lower floors used Coz
washing clothes, the upper floors Used
for sleeping rooms by the various Chi.
nese washermel.
In the lower rooms | find cement
floor running the whole length Of the
building with gutter some 6 Inches
deep by 10 inches wide upon one side
to carry off the wash water: the bal
ance Of the floor, some eight feet wide
is Of wood, raised about one foot above
the cement floor.
] have examined the wood OF this
floor and find II in fairly good conjt-
ton, 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 be-
tween the various rooms for a distance
of some five feet up are all rotted, In
some cases are entirely gone, partiCU-
larly where they come in contact with
the wet cement floor.
/ have also examined the variOu.
tubs and tables used in washing, Iud
find the same in a highly irsanitdry
remedied too soon: as there Is hardly
whole tub or table in any Of these
rooms, they are SO rotted that in man!
cases only the outer shell is left; these
tubs and tables are never dry. | wish
particularly to call your attention e
the condition OF these tubs and tables
for in my judgment, therein lies .
source of great danger.
The gutter in the cement floor re-
ferred TO Is full OF filth, which seems &C
have been there for a long period. Up
on inquiry | find that the only flushin
this gutter gets is the throwing OF
dirty water upon the floor, which is
supposed to clean it out. but which
owing to the small quantity thrown
upon the ioc. at any one time, signal
ly fails to do its duty.
The upstairs Of the various IS by Ii
divisions are used for sleeping pUr'
poses, and ! found in one room a.
many as twelve sleeping places, thess
rooms have very little light and less
ventilation. ! find also upon the Wal
kiki side of this building about 30 feet
from one of them a filthy stream Of
water supposed to be affected by tides
filled with all sorts OF filth from til
cans TO dead dogs.
AS summary of the conditions as
they now exist, need hardly point oUt
to you that | find them highly insaEi
tary, and they cannot be remedie,
| too soon when 1t Is remembered thai
the soiled clothes of most of the in
habitants of this city go there to B'
| cleaned, for while the wood work /;
these houses appears on the surface L
/ be clean owing to constant water, ye
upon a careful examination 1t will b'
! found in such state of rottenness tina
It looks as If it was about to collapse
and while the tables and tubs loOi
clean on the surface, they are mas
of corruption and rottenness under
meath.
The buildings being in such state
it is quite difficult TO say just wha
would be the least expensive metho,
TO pursue 10 be rid OF the above con
ditions. A radical measure and on
that in the end would be the wisest
is the removal of these houses entire
ly, replacing them with houses of on
story in height, the sides and parti
tiOns TO be corrugated iron, this iIOl
to he coated with asphaltum, the roo
Of wood, the sides and partitions T.
be raised from the ground say thre
inches, which would do away with al
wood work that could become contami
mated by dirty water from sole,
clothes, and the iron could be washe'
down with clean hot water, but OWN
O O O O O @ O O O O @ O O (
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