The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-05-23
OUR SANITARY PROSPECTS.
ENCOURAGING SIGNS OF A HEALTHY
SEASON.

! ENCOURAGING SIGNS OF A HEALTHY
SEASON.
The Best Sanitary Condition Attained
Since 1s59-Energetic Action OF the
Board Of HeaIth-Novel and Success
ful Experiments In Drainage.
With the approach of the heated term the
subject of The sanitary condition of the city
and of the measures taken by the health au.
thorlties to prevent any possible recurrence oil
yellow fever, or of any other widespread and
contagious malady, becomes of interest. The
City Of Charleston has been unfortunate
enough on two occasions within the past score
of years to be visited with sickly season,
and The last experience of this kind having
occurred as recently as last summer, the clti-
zens of Charleston have determined that
If there be any virtue In preventive
measures there shall be no possibility
this year of the repetition of tie scenes
of 1853 and 1871. With the same end
in view, the members Of the present
board of health, which came into office
with the change Of the municipal government
last November, have been untiring in their
efforts to put the city into such thorough
condition Of defence as will bid defiance to
any possible attacks of yellow fever, king
cholera, or any Of the gaunt demons OF dis
ease and death that may be lurking In the
air or creeping onward from plague-sirlcken
spots In Asia or the tropics, and with such
success that they now believe, and the facts
which will be presented show, that with
proper degree of watchful cooperation on the
part of the public, no fear need be felt IN
1872 of any malady In the city, any Interrupt
tion of business, or any extraordinary proper
ton of deaths from disease to the number Of
the population.
THE BOARD OF HEALTH
consists, as at present organized, OF General
John A. Wagner, chairman ex-oflclo; Drs.
Geo. s. Pszer, Ell Geddlngs and ]. P. Chazal;
General W. g. DeSaussure, Captain Jacob
Small and Messrs. Geo. q. Moffett, Thomas
NJ. Hanckel, Thos. D. Dotterer, b. B. Olney,
Thomas D. Eason and William L. Webb. For
their chief executive officer they have DR..
Geo. 8. Pelzer, who, after having at o former
period occupied the office OF city registrar for
ten years, hus been called back to this respon-
sible post Just after an epidemic OF yellow
fever, as he was In 1858 originally called to
the post just as tho Howard Association had
completed ils noble laoors In former season.
The ten years which constituted DR.. Peizer's
former term Of Office were years of immunity
from epidemic disease, and under his ener-
getlc and efficient administration the years 10
come afford happy promise Of similar i'm
:munity.
The first and most Important subject to
which the attention of the board of health has
been directed during the past winter and
spring has been that of drainage. The impor-
:tancs of this subject can hardly be over esti-
mated, inasmuch as the medical faculty
throughout the world have practically agreed
In the belief that the causes of all diseases are
to be found In the soil; that the germs, to be
sure, may exist In the air, but that they
must come from the soil to be circulated 10
the air, and that therefore the condition Of
the soil Is to be specially considered, and Its
specially avoided.
THE TIDAL DRAINS
that underlie this city, and which, although
they are yet to some extent experimental,
have proved of valuable service, were found
last fall to be In mo5t wretched condition.
In many places the floors of the drains had
settled from six to eighteen inches, Destroy
ing the level, preventing the free flow of
water, and. causing deposits OF filthy sedl-
ment, which, If allowed to remain, would con-
stantly threaten to disseminate the seeds of
disease. The frat thing done by the board of
health was 10 cause these drains to be
thoroughly cleansed throughout their whole
length and all their rami6catiOns, and this
work was done during the cold weather last
winter, and completed some weeks ago. On
the 18th of this month all the covers of the
tidal drains were ordered to be closed, and
to be kept closed until the return
Of frost next fall, and this order will be rigid
ly enforced. The next thing was to devise
plan by which the drains might be completely
flushed with Tide water once every twenty.
four hours, and Mr.. Barbot, the city engineer,
has taken measures which he thinks will fully
accomplish this object For this purpose, he
has rebuilt and repaired the flood-gates at the
foot of Meeting, Limehouse and Spring streets,
aud at each end of Calhoun street, go as to be
able to hold the water In the drains after they
have been filled at high tide until the tide has
gone down to it's lowest point, when the gates
will be opened simultaneously, and the water
will come rushing out with such lmpetus'a as 10
sweep away with it every particle OF garbage,
sediment aud filth that has accumulated In the
drains This plan is reported by Mr.. Barbot to
be working very well, but, if it should not
prove completely successful,
ANOTHER DEVICE
has been suggested, which can hardly fail to
succeed. This Is to have food-gates at inter.
vals along the line of the drains, and, after the
drains have been filled by the tide, to open
these sectional food-gates one ut time,
which will increase the number of washings
that each section of the draiRs will receive by
Just the number of sections into which the
drains are divided. The former plan of leav-
Ing the tidal drains full OF water during the
night. for use in case of fire, Is to be abandon.
ed, because vast quantity Of unhea' :hy mat
ter is thus kept stagnatlng, and the sanitary
efficiency of the drains is greatly impaired.
Ample arrangements will be made to keep q