Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1907-05-04
FLOATING OR FL0TILLA
QUARANTINE PLANTS

suggested for use in the small ports
IN the tropics, particularly in the
tropical ports of the Pacific Arena
where way port quarantine with
! sea detention will perforce replace
the usual detention at quarantine
anchorage BY way of illustrating
way port quarantine" with sea de-
tention, let us suppose that large
passenger and mail steamer should
arrive at Honolulu en- route to Yoko-
hama with a case of plague on board.
Way port quarantine" would sim
| ply consist of the removal of the
sick and direct contacts, and the dis
infection of the vessel. The vessel
would be held in quarantine while at
! Honolulu and no one would be al
lowed on shore, yet Immediately upon
the completion of the disinfection,
the vessel would be allowed to pro-
coed to Yokohama, the ten days time
Of the voyage being used as deten-
ton Upon the arrival of the vessel
at Yokohama, the quarantine officer
at that port would have for his con-
federation, in Judging the sanitary
status of the vessel, the facts of pre-
vious removal of sick and disinfection
Of persons and things at Honolulu,
together with ten days of detention
at sea. Where there is likely to be
| al Nntt I i,,a IL
floating quarantine plant is not only
effective and convenient for quaran-
tine and maritime interests, but it is
IL the long run much more econom-
zeal so far as the expense of admin
! istratiOn is concerned. In other
words, floating plant will almost
invariably fulfill the general quaran-
tine requirements of isolation, con-
Venience to commerce and economy
OF administration. Moreover, it is
always desirable to treat maritime
or nautical conditions with maritime
or nautical Appliances The moral
effect of surrounding an infected YES
sci with quarantine hotilla will
be recognized as important by those
who appreciate the necessity of es-
tablishing homogeneity between an
infected vessel and its personnel, and
those engaged in the work of disin-
lection.
In those ports where suitable sites
for shore quarantine stations are not
available, floating quarantine plants
may be positively necessary. In any
event before any shore quarantine
site in a tropical port or a port in
fected with plague or yellow fever or
infectible with these diseases is Sc
lected the question of the desirability
Of floating quarantine plant should
receive full consideration
The advantages of the floating
quarantine plant may be divided into
those affecting vessels and those af-
tecting quarantine administrations.
The advantages offered to vessels, es-
jrecially the large ocean carriers, con-
sfst in the saving of time and trouble
Incidental to the taking of such YES
sells out of the regular channels to
distant anchorages which may not
have sufficient depth of water or
swinging room to ensure safety eth
er to the vessel itself or to the quar-
'antine wharf alongside of which she
must be placed. The advantages Of
| fprpl IN uroraptino on,,
sist in the ease with which isolation
is effected, the greater daily working
capacity of plant capable of being
moved either in part or as a whole
from one vessel to another, and the
convenience and economy of admin
| ton as compared with the OK
pense of running a shore plant with
the same working capacity. A flo
tilla plant consists of a series of barg-
es, scows, or hulks especially convert
ed or adapted as the component units
CT a complete quarantine station. In
other words, a fotilIa plant consists
Of a disinfecting scow, lazaretto
scow and the necessary passenger de-
tention barges.
The disinfecting scow should be
| 100 feet in length and so feet in
width, and constructed to withstand
the wear and tear which the fire.
quent handling of large scow al
ways entails. The bottom should be
coppered and the decks should be
well seasoned, caulked, and filled.
The hold should be constructed so
as to admit of complete inspection
and thorough cleansing. On the
main deck strong superstructure
two stories high should be provided.
On the cover or top deck of the SUI
perstructure, the battery of sulphur
! furnaces, the boiler and the disin
fecting tanks should be placed On
the next deck below the steam disin~
fccting chambers and the bath rooms
should be located, and finally on the