The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-04-22
CONDITIONS IN RUSSIANS
IWlLEI CAMP lNTOLERABLE
Poverty, SquaIor, Filth Accumulates on the
Waterfront Daylight and After.
Dark Impressions.

trained on one, every other Russian in
year.
The camp by night presents an eerie
appearance. The Russians appear to
prowl from one shelter to another. Now
light flares up and reveals a man and
a woman, with possibly babe, squat
ting at the entrance busy with jack
knife cutting slices from a loaf of
bread, opening up a tin of salmon and
eating It as picknickers do, only the
meal lacks all the picturesqueness of a
picnic and the zest is gone, Only the
keen call of hunger claims the attention
of the little group. There are no plates,
no forks, only the big jack.knife,
Here and there big samovars are
seen and from them steam ascends into
the damp night air. Tea is made and
the Russian appears content after sew
eral cups of the brew.
From one part of the camp come the
strains of music. An accordion is be.
ing played and now powerful voices
pitched to stentorian notes, sound clear
| and strong on the air. Sometimes a
group becomes merry as story is told.
Despite the lack of sufficient food to
make a meal the Russians appear to be
content with their dog-like lives. They
fear no pestilence because their ignor'
| ance sees only the fact that sickness
means free food and shelter.
| But the Russians are not the only
ones in the camp, Hawaiians are there
in numbers, particularly women. Theil
progress through the camp is slow and
| is interrupted when howell is reached
before which. or in which, children are
seen. Then they stop, pat the children
on the head and cuddle them. In pan
| tomime they engage the mothers and
| fathers in conversation. By degrees
they intimate to the parents that they
would like to take charge of the chill
1 dren, feed them and clothe them. They
intimate they wish to adopt them. Thu
Russian parents, not fully understand
Il ing, believe the Hawaiians wish to re
lieve them temporarily of burden, ant
the immediate vicinity hastens to rusl
into the foreground to have his pleas
ant physiognomy perpetuated by tn,
eye of the picture box.
4 Only one of the whole lot last Sun
day showed any camera shyness. Sh
was Russian girl of sixteen or seven
teen who appeared to be the belle o
the camp. She had been taken up b.
a Hawaiian family and made a mem
Der of their household. They had deck
ed her out in a new white dress, ney
hair ribbons and other feminine gew
gaws, and she was as proud as Pune
of the imposing figure she knew sh
presented. She was holding court i
: the center of the camp, and about he
were clustered the people of her ow
race, together with Chinese, Japanes
and Hawaiians, and she was blushin
and simpering and coquetting in til
J. way that indicates in any language tn
natural feminine.
: The girl smirked and turned her fac
= away when she first saw the cameri
but it wasn't more than minute b,
, fore she took her proper place in til
center of the stage and waited expec
antly until she heard the shutter clicl
1t needs but a glance and sniff {
. show that the Russian camp is insan
tary in the extreme and an immineI
: menace to the health of the entire con
munity. The fact that there seems I
;. be plenty of food about the camp
! more than it is likely the generous HI
y waiians are providing-and the add
= tional fact that the men won't worl
suggests that the millsmen might bett'
;, make their rounds during dayligl
: hours and that safes and Refrigerator
!! left standing on back porches migl
!, well be padlocked