In 1891, a Quarantine Station was opened at Ayala Cove (then known as Hospital Cove), where ships from foreign ports could be fumigated, and immigrants suspected of carrying diseases could be kept in isolation. Obtained from the Navy in 1892, the decommissioned, ALGOMA-class wooden screw sloop USS Omaha and its boilers were used to supply superheated steam for fumigation. Her masts cropped and a large covered structure was added to her deck to house diseased immigrants and sailors. The 40 buildings at the cove included a 400-bed detention barracks, a disinfection plant, laboratories, and quarters for staff.
United States
