CO129-317 - Governor Sir Blake - 1903 [4-6] — Page 486

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that lay on the floors of the corridors some time ago, but the

matting was removed, soaked in antiseptics, and not put down again.

Moreover, in the absence of rats or other animals the probabiliti-

es are against such fleas being in an infective condition, while

the fact that most of the cases were septicaemic and not bubonic

points rather to infection by inhalation than by inoculation.

Food can be excluded, so far as the prisoners

are .concerned. All food is thoroughly cooked within the Gaol it-

self, with the exception of bread, while bread is only provided for

Europeans, none of whom have thus far suffered.

Bedding and clothing can be excluded. No

blankets are supplied to the Chinese during summer. As it happened

I had ordered the withdrawal of blankets from the Chinese on May

21st, 1.e. on the day preceding the illness of case 3, Chan Sung;

and it was impossible on the following day to say which he had

used, so the whole 800 blankets that had been in use were sent

to the Disinfecting Station for disinfection by steam before

being washed and stored.

The clothing of those who have .cmtracted

plague has been disinfected, and the mats they have used have been

burned. The cells have in each case been thoroughly disinfected,

limewashed, and tarred in the lower part of the walls.

Nightsoil buckets are removed from the .cells

in the early morning, emptied, washed with water, and then with

Jeyes Fluid, and thereafter exposed to light and air until the

evening. They are tarred inside and outside once a fortnight, and

since these cases began to occur once a week. Buckets in cells

where plague occurred were specially dealt with at once, and tar-

red before further use.

The Warders Quarters have been dealt with by

the employees of the Sanitary Board.

The