Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-12-14
CLEANING UP GUAYAQU|L, THE
PEST HOLEOF THE pacific

access. Ambassador Bryce, in his re-
cent book on South America, records
the fact that he was unable 10 visit
Ecuador because his steamer would
not stop at Guayaquil, owing to the
presence OF yellow fever.
Yellow fever is always present at
Guayauuil II has been known 10
cause as many as coo deaths in a sim
gle month"; out OF a population OF So
900, while many OF its victims, espe-
cfaIly children, are reported as hav-
ing died from other causes. Plague
is likewise always present in Guaya-
uuil. and exacts a death toll never
exactly known. Typhoid fever and
other intestinal infections are COM
mon.
Leprosy is present, there is no at
tempt at segregation and cases are
encountered daily on the streets. In
addition the people of Ecuador are
inflicted with the hookworm disease.
Thirty per cent of the labor force OF
one plantation was found infected,
tuberculosis alone causes as many
deaths as the yellow fever and bu-
bonic plague combined. -
f. I last, DSASS
lette, commanding the u. S. S. York
town, died of yellow fever aboard his
ship at Guayaquil The disease swept
his vessel and six American bluejac-
kets lost their lives. II was at Guaya-
quill, too, that Thomas Mast, the car
toonist. lost his life by yellow fever.
Sent there in July, 1902. by President
Roosevelt, as United States Consul,
he was dead in October. Dozens OF
other Americans I'M less conspicuous
positions have paid with their lives
for visiting Guayaduil. -... ! !.
The majority of the houses are on a
par with the character Of the streets.
Most of them are built of split bam-
boo, with double walls plastered in
side and out with mud mixture.
Practically none of the houses Of
Guayaouf1 has either foundations or
cellars. They are just laid on the
ground. Between the first floor and
the ground there are usually spaces
of from six to eighteen inches. These
spaces, inundated through half the
year, make admirable breeding places
for mosquitoes, which spread the yell
low fever; rats, which carry the
plague, and other vermin.
While the water supplied to the city
is good the supply is wholly made
|quate. The water is turned on the
city mains for only four hours dur
ing the day. Thus the people have
to collect it during that period in bar
rels, tanks and other receptacles.
These are almost invariably left I'M
covered and constitute thousands of
breeding places for the deadly
nlosquito.
The city has no sewers and no ade-
quate sanitary method for the collec-
ton and disposal of garbage and other
refuse. All refuse collected is dump
ed in a heap on the outskirts of the
city. and forms a breeding place for
millions of flies, which thus convey
the typhoid and other intestinal in
fections
Probably the most pressing neces-
Isity is good water supply. Several
sources are available.
For the draining of the city, rails
ing of the level of Cuayaquil is alb.
solutely, essential 1t is estimated,
roughly, that the city level must be
raised from two to four feet Much
of the necessary filling might be done
with hydraulic suction dredges.
The sewer system is equally i'm
peratiye. This will be the most diff.
cult task of all, owing to the level
plan of the city. 1t is proposed to
empty the sewers into the river by
means of system of automatic tide
gates. There is at Guayaquil an
average IA foot tide, and tidal cur.
rent of five miles an hour Connec-
ton with each house is, of course,
necessary. Three-fifths of the people
of Guayaquil are not in position to
bear the. cost of establishing water
main and sewer connections, so that
NEST of this work will have to be done
at public expense.
Thus by these several methods it
!