The Hawaiian gazette., 1913-01-24
FILTH AND LICE
FEATURES OF JAIL
rrom wendnesanr AdvertIserl

Chief Sanitary Inspector of Hawaii
Bowman made to President Fratt OF
the board OF health yesterday morning,
A few hours after it arrived, Doctor
Pratt laid it before Governor Frear and
the Chief Executive, who made the re-
port public yesterday, is expected to act
officially in connection with it.
The Bowman report is short, pithy
and as sensational as it was expected to
be. The Hilo Jail has no virtues that
the chief inspector could find. Bowman
examined everything except the food
supply and the history of the cases of
disease he found.
The main building of the Jail, he said,
was "filthy, damp and overcrowded'
Filthy because it is not properly
"flthy kitchen and storeroom.
plumbing fixtures are out of order and
insanitary; damp on account of leaks
which keep some of the walls constantly
damp in rainy weather; overcrowded
because there is proper room for 43 in
the rooms that are used for housin" the
prisoners and they have crowded in
IL
OF the outbuilding Bowman speaks In
kinder tones and conditions are said to
be cleaner than the jail except for
filthy kitchen and store'room."
Roasts Hospital.
The hospital which is in this building
gets special mention for its conditions,
for Bowman says of it: prisoners with
all kinds of diseases are herded to-
gether in this room, sleeping on the
door. No attempt seems to be made at
isolation of the infections diseases.
The sanitary conveniences of the Jail in
general, he says, are woefully made
quate.
Stating that the prisoners are lousy
and recommending that the Jail be dis
infected and the inmates treated for
vermin, the inspector says;
"When a prisoner is received, no at
tention is paid to his person. He sim
ply changes his clothes and is put In
with the other prisoners. As result
of this / found that both buildings con
tanned more or less bedbugs and that
many of the prisoners were infested
with Pediculus. No attention has been
Maid to disinfection aside from disin
fectants being placed in the night car
that each cell is supplied with. Blan
| kets are passed on from one prisoner
to the other without being washed
boiled or disinfected. Some attempt has
been made to get rid Of bedbugs by
shrinking around insect powder. Flu
migation has not been resorted to.
"The prisoners are supplied with one
| blanket each, which is usually OF thlr
cotton. This, with piece of dirty
mating or canvas, makes up the bed
When prisoner is punished for break
ing the rules of the prison, he is placed
in cell on bread and water and Ii
allowed no blanket or mat, but mus
sleep on the damp cement in this man
ner for week.
His Recommendations.
| Bowman makes the following recon-
mendations: "That the entire jail ant
outbuildings be thoroughly disinfected
this to be followed by a general clean
up.
'That each prisoner be treated TO
| Pediculus.
| "That an isolation ward and hospita
4 building be constructed to be entirei.
separate from other buildings.
| ''That three additional water clos
cts he placed in yard.
"That each prisoner on admittanc
be examined for evidence of vermll
and treated if necessary, that his cloth
ing be disinfected before being place.
in the storeroom.
"That the plumbing be immediatel,
repaired.
teThat an addition be added to tn
present main building to accommodate
MT least eighty prisoners. When thu
is finished. do away with the outsid
| wooden building.
"TThat additional bnnks be construct
lea as over half of the prisoners ar
sleeping on the floors.
"That additional bedding be provld
ed of better quality.
Hard to Convince Some.
Word yesterday reached the The Ad
vertiser from Hilo that Sheri1f Pua i
! exercised over the report of tn
charges made by Consul Eitaln, who
reached him through the columns
this paper
But it has not been possible to cor
vince some, at least, of the prison IN
spectors of that island that what tn
chief sanitary inspector and other
have found there is so.
Two members of the board of Prise
inspectors Holmes and Wright, visite
the Jail last Friday forenoon.
awe did not pay the visit yesterda,
because this trouble has arisen, sal
Chairman Holmes of the board whet
seen the following day. cit was mere
" one of our occasional visits.
inspect the Jail from time to time.
am sure that there has not been tw
months in succession when | did NO
visit the Jail.
~ have not much to say about tn
conditions there. They were yesterdA.
as ] have always found them. Their
is no filth, and the report about beri
beri is exaggerated The one criticism
which have is that some of the prison
ers are compelled to sleep on the co
ment floor. This is due 10 tho fac
that the Jail is very badly crowded
The TAILOR is now having some standee
made, and the only criticism hay
TO make is that this was not done be
fore"