Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-07-27
Cily improvements and Health.

City improvements and Health.
To the Union and American:
"The man is not" says Sydney Smith,
ssthe discover of an art who first says the
thing; but he who says it so long and loud
and clearly, that he eompels mankind to
hear him. e..
What say you to this, DR.. B? Important
truths have been repeated enough, only
when they are made to have a material ex-
istnece. said and repeat, that .the city
had splendid opportunity to make these
improvements, and with proper business
sagscitY; to have made $1,000,OOO by the
operation. Not acting on the advice 81 gave
in 1866, has caused the city not only this
terrible affection and the enormous expense
the city has had, but it has been an addi-
tional loss of S10000G00." / mean the
loss before the present epidemic.
How rldiculously extravaganza these big
figures, exclsims Mr.. Thoughtless and Mr..
Knowall! Not too fast. JUS. go with me
and see where q colony of beavers have
made thousand of acres of the best of
land. Go and see where New Orleans has
made and sold millions of dollars worth of
land, in front of the city, out in the rushing
waters of the mighty Mississippi, said lands
being now covered by streets and three
story business hoiises. Go to Eastport and
see where Barnum did the impossible" by
building beautiful city. Go TO Rochester,
New York, a city not as cid as Nashville,
and see canal boats crossing the Ge1esee
river in marble canal thirty feet above the
water of the rivers, and see rows of three
stony buildings extending entirely across
.he river ard built forty years ago, as ought
to have been done in Nashville. Brains will
finish the work before Thoughtiess and
Knowall have done crying 'imposslble." You
have brains enough, and good enough, only
wake them up and go and see what is done
in other parts of the world, and not be like
the Swiss peasant, who, to sell his ns1U in
yention, went to the city only to find that
his invention had been in use two hundred
years; but rather be like the East Tennessee
fogy who, after witnessing the magic power
of thought in Kansas, so lately inhabited
by indians, came back aud told his neign-
bors that the people Of Kansas "Were
hundred years ahead of u.s."
It is the right, it i, the duty of every city
to remove every nuisance thai is detTiment-
al to public health or morals, and il should
ever be borne in mind that whatever in
lures public health, of necessity degrades
public morals. The occupants of the low
and filthy parts of all cities must, Of physi-
cal necessity, have lower standard of NOR
atty than f they lived in high, pure at
mosphere. Clergymen and teachers can.
not be too well informed On this subject.
Faith, sublime, may rejoice in consuming
flames ii the lungs have pure air to breathe,
but no amount of theological truth and de-
votionai piety can triumph over poison.
Gus gase'. Fifty clergymen in the
"Black Hole of Calcutts" would
before midnight, do their most eloquent
with muscular power and the
deaths before morning would
show mons of the joyous triumph Of the
martyr in the consuming flames. 1t is the
solumn duty of all persons 10 aid IN secur-
ing pure air to breathe, cost what it may.
No other subject is so important because it
involves all Others, financial, social, mora,
snd religious.
But how could this great good be attain
ed and how could the city have made that
million of dollars with such large expenGi.
t2res on sewers, etc. Easily, by abaling
two great nuisancas. When in 1866 lad
Yised making a 'new Nashville" tie city
should have passed law requiring the
owners. of property In the valley along Lick
branch and Wilson branch to fill them up,
and in case they did not do it, the city
TO do it at the owners expense. All will
agree that these valleys are nuisances great
y prejudicial TO public health. All will
agree that the property in these valleys
would be worth four times as much if they
were filed up ten to twenty FEEL; and since |
1866 dirt enough has passed though them
to have filed them up. The city could fill |
hem at one-fourth of what it 6ould cost
The owners. The city was in a condition |
70 say: "Fill these lots up or we shall do it !
1t your expense; but if you will enter into
secured by mortgage on the pro-
perty, to pay US yearly in advance, we will |
DO it for two thirds of what it will cost you,
and give you ten years to pay it in. II you |
10 not make this contract, yo1 will be COM
oelled to pay he full price in ready cash."
The owners would save OEe-thiTd the |
expense of increasing the value |!
If their own property. The |
,ity would thus have secured an |
ncome of about s., 900, 900, which the city |
Gould have pledged as security for any |
amount of money she might wish to borrow |
md to create this income would have cost |
he city but trife, as Nashville had littls !
% do but to accept the vast quantities Of |
,arth that God by bountiful showers |
brought to her.
The first yearly instalment having been
laid in advance, and Nashville having thus |
,een put in possession of above 100000, |
he would be rea y 10 begin the proposed |
ystem of sewerage on Church street. and |
IS fast IS rock are dug up, use them in
building q wall near the river, across the |
'utlet of these two "valleys of DEATH" |
o as to stop al the wash as
t came from the hills, until it
las deposited all its earthly matter, and
ompel it to do this in twelve hours, by the
Ise Of = little alum. Then draw the clear
water Of into the river, through tenn ora
Y flood gate in these walls. Don't be
rigL.ened, gentlemen, I do not propose to
make q mosquito factory in front of the
tty, not being fond Of that kind of compa-
y. But do propose to make water run
p hill. The waters of Wilson's branch are
D be conveyed through a sewer Running
to miDgle with the waters of
lick branch, and the waters Of both branch
5 are to be conveyed to the river bel0lv the
ity, by g sewer beginning at point just
rest of the capitol, thence through the low
Gnds Just south of Fort Gillem to the river.
he ground is favorable. The plan is prac-
cable, comprehensive, economical and eff
'ctiVe. j. w. DoLBEAR.