Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-10-02


suggestive communications from " NJ |
and Omnibus
The suggestion of "a M in all its de- |
tails is a most excellent one, but one that I
was, in part, at least, made two or three /
months ago officially TO the city authOrl- /
ties bv the board of health. Had these /
suggestions been adopted, there would, I
no doubt, have resulted much good 10 /
the CITY. 1t can never be too clean; I
but there are some very remarkable .
facts in our sanitary condition just now
that forbid the idea that any amount of .
disipfection, street-clCanlngi etc. /
through the city generally, would have .
availed to save US from the
pestilence that walketh in darkness and .
wasteth at MONDAY" the life and .
strength of so many valuable citizens. 1
The first Of these conditions that l no. |
tice is, that for many years the health .
Of this city has never been better, with .
the single exception of the suffering
from vellow-feVer. Another fact is that 4
in MANY localities where the recent ep- /
idemic Of cholera was worst, there we
find none of this fever at all. While 1
cholera prevailed to a greater or less ex-
tent everywhere in the city, this disease
is certainly confined to a very limited
area.
From these facts we must conclude
that the condition of streets, alleys,
privies, etc. can have but little to do
with the origin and progress of this en-
demic II use this word in its strict and
literal sense), and We are forced to look
to the region where has been prevail
ing for some causes, not general, like
those we find operating elsewhere, but
specific. TO ascertain the true source Of
the disease.
Your CORRESPONDENT has taken the
pains to look with much care over the
ground where this disorder has sprung
from, and finds much that is peculiar,
and without its equivalent in other parts
of the city. 1t is true that we have here,
perhaps, narrower streets, more crowded
buildings, and older and more iN-venu-
lated than elsewhere, with population
tenanting them, poor, and vicious, and
more squalid than elsewhere, but not
different in any essential from the pOpu-
lation of the same locality in 1867, when
this region escaped yellOw-fever entire
lv. 1t is indeed believed that the gen.
eral sanitary state OF this part OF the city
is not at all worse now than then. But,
besides this state of this region, We ind
several conditions which strike the
writer as in all probability atiOrding the
true key to the pandOra-bOx that has
turned out such a swarm of evils upon
this section of the town. Happy Hol-
Iowa misnSmer surel y-is by no means
the only conceivable source of pestilence
hereabOUts, though certainly pestiierous
enough. We can only look upon it as
huge sewer for Market street, and the
little spring at its bottom, from which
its denfzens drink slow but sure poison,
not more deadly than many, many
Others a.oDg the course Of the great gen
eral sewer of the city, bayOu GayosO,
from which many hundreds Of our ne
gro and poorer white population get
their entire supplies of water. Besides
Happy Hollow, then, we have a large
em0ankment lately thrown up for the
construction of the Memphis and Padu-
cah railroad, and deep ditch made for
some purpose not known to the writer,
which run entirely through the navy
yard property, along its whole length,
or nearly so. And again, a large area
of earth has recently been brought
under the action of the sun by the re-
moval OF large part Of the rope-walk,
which was constructed some twenty-five
years ago by the government.
leave out of the estimate Of the fac
TORS. that might possibly be operative
here, the whole story of the government
cistern, and propose TO show how tue
conditions essential to the termination
of disease are supplied by the embank-
ment, the ditch and the newly-uncoYeT-
ed site Of the rOpewalk buildings, and
shall then hope TO suggest something OF
a remedy.
All this locality Is flat, wet, ami some
thirty feet lower than most Of the ad-
iacent grounds to the east. 1t Is IN
direct line Of descent for all the waters
falling upon the surrounding eminenees
toward the river.
Now, for many years, vast quantities
Of such organic matters as well as inor-
gauic, as can be dissolved out OF the de-
composing animal and vegetable mat
tiers that cover the surface Of the streets
abOte, have been accumulaung here un-
til the whole earth is filled with them.
Let US inquire how this is effected.
Water, falling upon the higher
grounds around, dissolves and wash
Is out these materials from
dust of the streets, which is the filthiest
of all imaginable things, the various
sinks, privies, stables, etc, etc, and
having percolated through the earth Ia
its descent toward the river, comes to
the surface loaded still with all these
materials Unchanged. Ordinarily, by a
rapid evaporation Of this water as it
rises to the surface, IhG poisonous exha-
lations thus eugendered pass OH into the
air in such small quantities as to pro-
duce no III effects. But let great heaps
of earth, thCs saturated with these rot
ting materials, be SrOnght suddenly un-
der the influence of hOt sGmmer' sun,
As has been dene by the digging Ct The
/ ditch, the building of the embankment,
or even the removing Of the buildings
aforesaid, and then such immense guam
titles Of miasmata, not malaria, are re-
1 leased As to poison all the heeircumambient
Air. aud 70 breed the pestilence that has
wrought sRch fearful havoc to life and
In the hest interests OF the city. Now,
I II has been my opinion all the while,
that no amount Of disinfeGtiOn o. clean
inc of cellars, alleys, etc, will avail 10
nut stay TO this destructive fever nnui
This locality has had proper attention
and the application Of proper dlsinisct-
ants.
Here. now, it seems 10 Ias are the
Droner Doints for the authorities 10 eE-
pend their money and their labor. In-
vest a few hundred dollars in lime, salt
and eoperas, and the sources Of disease
in the navy-yard grounds may be effect
ually smOthered. But what disposition
stall be made Of Happy HollOwf 7
think il Indispensable 10 be rid OF this,
too.
This course has been urged most
earnestly upon the city authorities, but
l they have not felt authorized 90 DO any
4 thing. What! 8 great corporation, ret
I authorized TO abate a palpable nuisance,
/ that is killing everybody near It! What
would the board of health OF New York
I or London do? They would not tolerate
! its presence an hour.
{ And to get rid of it, would not only be
a public benefactiOn buta blessing worth
life itself to the owners Of the miserable
huts, where they can only die If they
are permitted to stay there.
I sScdtter these people and they Viii
cease to die and to be buried at public
expense. But 10 the disposition Of it..
Let a fund be raised To pay for the few
miserable shsnties, and then apply the
torch and burn every board and shingle
10 ashes. After this is done cover the
vhols earth with coal-Oil aud set il on
fire.
Then follow with tbs lime, salt and
copperas mixture. All this done,
the fountains will be choked and
then the extensive disiDfection that
has been used by the private iaml-
lies aud public authorities, VIII, IN all
probability, suffice to put a check upon
this disease.
But leave things as they are, and We
may rest assured it will prove all Q
worthless expenditure Of u@e and
money to attempt disinfectiOn elsewhere,
while all the liVelOng day the sun still
sucks up from these mephitie beds the
poisonous HlidsDldtd that are to DO fained
back upon this devoted region With the
dews and cooling airs of nightfall
OF the quarantine suggested by " M
I .hink very iavOrably, and believe il
would te wise and humane measure.
From what ! have seen OF this disease
IN different parts " t.se city am forced
70 believe that every case tai has fallen
under 10y care has been eoptfseted IN
the infected district. Nowhere c,Se pu'
there have l seen . second case in the
same family, as would surely be the case
If there were other sources Of Infection.
or il were personally contagious. And
in this opinion ] ana sustained by many
Of the best medical men In the city.
Now, if this be true, as so many believe
and SO many facts attest, then 10 quar-
sntine efiectualiy every avenue leading
TO this district would certainly save
l. -. =.