The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1910-12-17

In the nOn-tubercular wards, which
were first visited by the Star repre-
sentative, were a number of old iden-
titles of Honolulu, men who have fall
len upon hard times and who have
been stricken down by adversely. They
number among them men who have
made history in the islands, but all
are now but shadows OF their former
selves. Here and there as we went
through the wards Mr.. Taylor pointed
out first one and then another. Here
was one old man who had spent thirty
nine years in the islands; there was
an ex-captain, the greater portion of
whose life had been spent around the
islands; there was a Porto Rican boy
who had been injured on a plantation
and was paralyzed from the waist
down; and there were many others,
whose life stories were full of interest
yet now overshadowed by the calam-
tiles which had befallen them in later
years. Some were in their dotage and
simply lived on with very little inter-
est in life.
John Richards, once a Colonel in the
Queens own, when Queen Kapiolani
reigned, lay in his cot and chatted
cheerily for awhile. The fires of in
telligence still burned brightly in his
eyes and he spoke with feelings of
gratitude in praise oil the home. He
declared that he was as comfortable
as he could be, considering his infirm-
tiles; that the treatment he received
was splendid and that he would rather
be in the home than anywhere else he
knew Of He had had several para
lytic seizures but still lived on, though
broken down in health.
Whilst we were speaking to other
patients an elderly Hawaiian passed
by with a pail in his hands, bent on
performing some duty or other.
That's old Benny" said Mr.. Tay-
Tor, zone of the original fifteen who
came into the home when it was first
opened on the closing of the Victoria
Hospital. There are only three of
them remaining now, and Benny is
one"
Benny turned and smiled as he NOV
ed off; he appreciated the superinten-
dents kindly remarks, though they
took him back through many years of
suffering.
From the two wards left of the office
we passed over to the other side and
visited the dispensary, outside of
which hangs a wall plate dedicated to
the memory of Charles L, Carter, who
was killed at Waikiki during the poll
teal troubles of 1895 and who had
been of great help to the institution. A
couple of feet away is a Macintosh
electrical battery, erected by Mrs. S.
e. Damon to the memory of S. E. Da-
mon, the first treasurer of the institu-
ton. The dispensary is we'll stocked
with drugs of all kinds needed in the
work Of the hospital. 1t is open at
all times Outside this room are two
large tanks from which the water sup
ply was formerly drawn.
To the right are the wards for the
tubercular patients, all open to the air.
There were number of patients in
the first ward, some of whom were in
the advanced stage of consumption.
The open air ward is next and here
the patients receive all the benefits
fresh air can give them. The new
pen air ward, with it's twelve beds,
hip roof and raised skylight, is a mo-
dern building, provided with a spa
cious verandah. 1t is set apart for
women, the men undergoing the open
air treatment being in the first-men-
toned open air ward. From the win
dows of these two wards a clear view
out to sea on the one side and across
the fort to Diamond Head on the other
can be obtained by the patients sim
ply turning their heads, thus adding a
little interest to their quiet lives.
The laundry room, water-heating
room and kitchens are models of
cleanliness. The housewives heart
would be cheered could she step into
kitchen of such cleanliness as those
at the home. Every utensil is tho
roughly secured before use, and as al
ready stated, each patient has his or
her own outfit. In the large dining
room where those who can assemble
to dine the same care is taken with
the food in order to minimise every
risk of contagion from one patient to
another.
In a little cottage standing apart
from all the others lives an elderly
Chinaman, over eighty years of age,
in fact. His wife and he were taken
in the home and cared for, but some
little time back the woman died and
the man now lives alone. He is a de-