The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1903-08-20
.BURIALS ARE
UNSYSTEMATIC
OFFICER TRACY SAYS THAT LO-
CAL CEMETERIES ARE OVER
CROWDED-sHOREY's REPORT.

CAL CEMETERIES ARE OVER
CROwDED-sHOREY's REPORT.
Honolulu cemeteries are overcrowded
and burials in them have been very un-
systematic and careless, according to
report made yesterday to the Board of
Health by city Sanitary officer Tracy.
The report said:
81 have had considerable difficulty in
my inspecting of burials, disnter-
ments and removals, but have now
gotten fairly good control over the
situation Hardly a cemetery was in
spetced but that l found that the
graves were less than six feet deep,
some being as shallow as three feet.
The enforcing of the law has shown
up conditions in several cemeteries
which should not be allowed to con-
tinue. For example, in the cemetery
at Waikiki water is reached at a depth
of from four to five and half feet, de-
pending on the tide. and it is conse-
quently necessary to bury. in the water
The same condition exists in the rear
half of the Catholic Cemetery on King
street
Again, in digging graves in the diff
ferent cemeteries, except the Chinese
graveyards it is glaringly apparent
that the location of bodies is not
known and with few exceptions old
graves have been opened in digging
new ones. The lots are not marked
and as many as three graves have
been exposed in digging for one. FIRE.
quently funeral will be stopped until
hole can be dug in another place
Rock is often struck and the burial
of the body has to be postponed for
a day. This obviously should not
happen.
1T seems to me that the opening of
an old grave is a serious menace to
health, especially as it is often exposed
and the particular disease which caused
the death consequently being unknown,
as well as the length of time since the
interment. Also graves are being
dug so close to each other, that less
than six inches of soil lies between the
bodies.
Something, it appears, should be
done and l should like to have a COM
mitee from the Board of Health in
vestigate these conditions and make
recommendations for their abatement"
DR.. Shorey, food inspector, reported
on some examinations of foods made
by him, finding that milk below stand
ard had been served by A. da Costa,
Nakaini, Yoshida Japanese for G.. Holt,
Tavares and S. Nobriga.
Two samples of condensed milk prov
ed to be fermented and unfit for food.
Commissioner Shorey says: with re-
gard to condensed milk, it may be in
order to note that the ordinary sweet
ened milk seldom if ever contains any
preservative, the added cane sugar
(about thirty per cent? being depend
ed on to prevent fermentation. AS a
matter of fact however, all such con-
densed milk will in this climate be-
come in time unfit for use; the change
being either a discoloration and drying
up of the milk or ordinary fermenta-
ton with generation of gas and swell
ing of the tins. The length of time be-
fore this change takes place will de-
pend on the purity of the article and
the care exercised in its manufacture.
Three samples of sardines were eX-
amined at request of private parties
and no cause for complaint found.
zone sample Of canned lobster was
examined and found unfit for food All
that could be found of this particular
lot (ten tins) was confscated and de-
stroyed. This lot was a brand or
dinarily recognized as good but was
evidently several years old
zone sample of canned herring at
the request of a physician, was eX-
amined for the presence of ptomaines
and evidence of the presence of such
found. The ptomaine was obtained in
insufficient quantity to identify and I
cannot say whether it was poisonous
or not but as the article in question
had produced symptoms of ptomaine
poisoning, it may be presumed that it
was.
LAS is generally the case, the herring
gave no evidence either by taste or
smell that it was not in good condi-
ton, and from the appearance of the
can it was not very old, and as well
was the product of a well known and
reputable packer"