G.—No. 8

22

REPORT OE COMMISSIONERS UPON MATTERS

time I called him in, she was in fever ; I think about two days had elapsed. It was after that the eruption came out. I remember the doctor first seeing the eruption ;he said she had the measles. I told the people he said it was measles, and they said they did not believe it; they after her death, but not until a few days before we arrived in Wellington, told me it was something between small-pox and measles. I never told the doctor it was a foreign kind of measles. Ido not remember to have seen any disease of the kind before. I have seen small-pox, but I do not remember it; but so far as Ido remember, it was the same. The doctor gave her something to wash her eyes with ; there was also cold-water cloths put on her head ; they were on her forehead and over her head. The woman who attended her was Mina Bergersdatter; these cloths were kept on from two to three days. It was the two last days before her death these cloths were on. From the first of her sickness until within three days of her death, I consider she was neglected by the doctor. On Maria Olson the eruption was big pimples, some as big as a threepenny-piece, some of them were long and joined one into the other; they were raised, yellow in colour, and with matter in them. At first they were shining; then there was a hole formed in the middle ; then they dried up and the scabs fell off. Ido not remember their being red. Her face was swollen, and the skin came off underneath her eyes, there were patches of bare flesh about an inch across. At the time the cold-water cloths were put on, her face was in the condition I have described ; the doctor saw her face and ordered these cloths. The doctor saw her twice a day during these last two days. On the afternoon before she died, he ordered a hot-water cloth to be applied to her side ; it was because she had stitches in her side. I did not understand it was infectious. The doctor warned me not to come to her breath. He also told me to warn Mina not to come over her breath ; Mina was at the time living in the young women's department, and was back and forward every day from the young women's compartment to 'tween decks. She was not warned by me, nor was I told to warn her against this. I was not warned against going amongst the others. I went all over the ship at this time. My duty took me to the single women's department also to single men's department. I slept in the forecastle. The bunk, and about where Maria Olson lay, was disinfected with carbolic acid and powder; the captain or the mate told me to do this. The doctor did not tell me ; I believe the captain had charge of the cleaning. I have seen the doctor touch her ; he looked at her throat and held her mouth open. I think he always went up stairs immediately after. Ido not remember the doctor ever asking about the disinfecting. Maria Olson had a child ;it was with her until a few days of her illness, when Mina took it from her. The eruption was out before the child was taken from her ; the child was suckling. The child afterwards died of the same complaint as the mother ; I saw it before its death, the eruption was of rather smaller spots, with yellow heads. I think it was early in January. I was called out in the night as soon as Olson was dead. Mina was there, and some other foreigners. She was sewn up in the morning, and buried before breakfast. About three days before her death a board was knocked out, and she was moved nearer the main hatch. About that time the main hatch was altered, and the ventilation improved. I have been in the hospital helping to serve out stores ; helping William Cullen, third mate, who was storekeeper. The hospital was a bunk's length alongside the ship, and about one and a half as broad, with a portscuttle in the side that could be opened ; there were two bunks in it. At first, when we came from London, there was bedding in it. That bedding was put down underneath the cabin. The hospital was full of stores. Fresh stores were brought and put in as these wore served out from time to time. It would have been necessary to move these stores, as the bunks were full of stores, if people had to be put into it. At first when we started, stores were served from near the main hatch, where there was a storeroom ; they were served through the bulk-head; this space was afterwards filled with salt, it came from below. I heard at the time this was done to trim the ship. The captain told me so. The space thus filled up was bigger than the hospital. I remember Mina falling sick. I saw her everyday at that time; she was then in the single women's compartment. She complained of weakness and headache. She told me she was going to get the same sickness as Maria Olson. An eruption came out on her very bad, I do not know how many days after, exactly the same as Maria Olson's, the pimples running together ; they dried up about five or six clays after the hole in the centre appeared. The doctor saw her at the commencement of the sickness. I do not know if he saw her when the eruption was out; she got medicine from the captain. She got medicine from the doctor which made her vomit all day, and she told me she would rather die than allow him to attend her. I told the captain what she told me. She died after most of the scabs were dried up and had fallen off. She died in the middle of the day, and was buried same evening. The body laid on the main hatch from about 2 o'clock till it was buried. There were four men stood beside the body at the funeral within a foot of it, but not for long ; the sailmaker, the carpenter, and two others whom Ido not remember. Ido not remember Spring was one of them. It was not many days after that that Spring fell sick. It was after the eruption was out on Mina that the other young women were sent to live in the long-boat. Five of them used to sleep in the boat. There was two of them took it in turns to stay up with Mina all night Three of them fell sick with a disease—something of the same kind, but not so bad. There were pimples with white instead of yellow matter, and not so many ; one here and one there all over. They dried away and scales fell off. They were not very sick. The doctor did not attend them. Ido not know if he saw the eruption. The girls never asked to see the doctor. The captain gave them medicine. I remember Niels Peter Larsen having died ten or twelve days before we had arrived here. Ido not know how long he was sick. I was told of his sickness by his wife, Karen Nilsen. The doctor came down and asked mo if any one was sick, and I showed him Larsen. The captain was sick at that time. Larsen had only been sick one or two days before the doctor saw him. The doctor told Jens Peter Petersen, who was waiting on Larsen, to wash his face with lukewarm water; the eruption was not out at _ this time. The doctor was down mostly twice every day after this, and I interpreted for him up till within five or six days of Larsen's death. Ho had the same yellow spots as Maria Olson, but not so big: some of the spots ran together. I remember distinctly the doctor looking closely at these spots. He never said to me what they were. Some of the foreigners said they were much like small-pox, and told so to Dr. Leigh. I did not see the doctor call upon him for four or five days before he died. I was not asked by Larsen's wife to call the doctor in. After two days had elapsed without the doctor calling, at his wife's desire I asked the captain to come, and he continued to come twice a day until