Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-04-12
THE INSANE ASYLUM.
The Question Of Location at Humboldt
The Site DOnated-Three Thou
sand Acres Of Nearly Swamp
Land.
What g Federal Surgeon has 10 Say
about it-TestimOny for Humboldt
Not Word for Memphis.
The Minority Report Of DR.. w. E
Rogers, Of Memphis-Why he OPP
posed the Selection at Hum
bOldt.

=, We copy the following from the Nash
u vile Banner, and give it a place that
our readers may see how strong and
fOrcibly the claims Of Humboldt Tor the
location Of the West Tennessee insane
! asylum are presented.
~ Colonel G. w. Day, Hon. John A.
e Gardner, Of Weakiey, and Dr. w. g.
: Rogers, Of Memphis, appointed By The
: governor as commissioners TO select the I
e site for the West Tennessee lunatie ssy-
). lum, after carefully considering all the
advantages possessed by the various
! sites offered, came to the conclusion /
: Tuesday to locate that institution at
D Humboldt. The place selected contains I
e three hundred ecres, and is adjoining I
3 the corporate limits Of Humboldt. Ii is /
. on rolling ground. having all the pre-
) requisites desired for such an asylum
= IL is finely watered with freestone
= springs. The contract for the three huR-
/. dred acres has already been made, and
! the governor approval is all that is now
[ needed to make il a bona fde tTansac-
ton. Adjoining the land, included in the
I three hundred acres, are ten acres occu-
= pied by what Is known as Swsyne bar
= racks. These ten acres have also
f been offered for sale TO the commits
{ siOners by the parties owning the
land, at fair rates. The land is
under a continued lease at the pleas
ure Of the government. The buildings
now on it are estimated to be worth If
! teen or twenty thousand dollars. 1t is
t thought that as there is probability of
the government abandoning il by next
fall, it would not be amiss for the State to
purchase it in order that it may get the
use of the buildings on the erection of
the asylum. The price agreed to be paid
for three hundred acres is fifteen thou
sand dollars. The land is occupied by
several families, who have dwellings
upon It.
AT tie close of the war Humboldt had
only sixty inhabitants; now it has three
thousand. The city voted tax of ten
| thousand dollars toward the purchase of
the site, and that being insufficient, its !
wide-awake citizens contributed five ,
thousand dollars by private subscription, {
and will donate it to the State.
Humboldt is within one mile Of the ]
geographical center Of West Tennessee,
and is situated on the Mobile and Ohio /
and the Memphis, ClaTksville and Louis {
vile railroads, and in close connection s
| with quite 3 number of other lines pass 7
! ing through that portion OF the State. t
Colonel q. w. Day arrived here yes '
| terdsy TO officially inform Governor L
! Brown Of the selection of the site. Gov 5
eTnOr Brown says he viii visit Hum 4
boldt on the twentieth or twenty-first {
instant, to examine the site selected by f
the commissioners.
The following paper exhibits the adj
vantages Of Humboldt in point Of :
health: .
SwAVSE BARRACKS, HUMBOLDT, April Z. n
SIR-In reply to your inquiry, viz; to /,
"a l.. u
this command has been affected by the d
character OF the country i'm which we are b
located; whether by its climate, its soil, :
or its water supply, during the six years
of our presence here, would respect
fully refer you to the subjOined table, .
which exhibits in brief the number Of
cases of the more important forms of a
disease that have occurred in each year, 3
and also the number OF deaths that have :
resulted therefrom.
From it you will, with one exception, e
readily see the small percentage Of sick ,
ness that there has been to the mean \
strength of the command, and also the 2
small number Of deaths that have taken l
place.
1t will appear that there has been an
entire exemption from all epidemic dis y
eases, and also that there have been no p
cases Of sickness from contagious or in .
fectiOus causes. e
Pulmonary diseases have been Of rare L
occurrence, Of mild type, and not at =
tended with any fatality. q
The large percentage OF malarious ,,
diseases land among them should be u
classed the intestinal disorders demands n
some explanation, in order to arrive at n
y just conclusion in regard to their real e
frequency among US, and also TO what ~
extent they are attributable to lOc3l u
causes. ~
First-The actual number Of men tax az
en- sick is not so large as would appear, Pl
since it is only the number Of cases that "
is reported. The same men may be at
tackled sey sral times with the same dis
ease, particularly when he suffers from su
malaria, but each time he appears on III
the hospital reports a new case. This 81:
fact accounts for the large number Of pc
cases that are reported each year. fu
SecOnd-My record shows that 8 large SC
proportion Of the malariOus fevers have an
been imported and were not contracted re-
in this locality. For instance, in June, tn
1865, the command was ordered into OF
where it staid two months. tn
On IFS return the men were found to be ira
fully charged with missm, and there at co
once appeared on the sick report fifty an
seven cases Of malariOus fever, one Of be!
This instance was repeated in 1869 with frO
ike results. To these short exposures bOl
IN that paludsl region, should, there
ore, be attributed the numerous cases Cf
ever that occurred during the years IS COZ
SO rather than TO any excessive dovel- isti
'pment Of malaria in the region about 20
humboldt of
Third-The character Of the duties Of bol
ur troops peculiarly exposes them to pli,
niasm. Their night marches, made at sw,
lme when their power Of resistance is sw.
roken by fasting and fatigue; an ], too,
yhen the ,virulence Of the malaria is
+ eCuard dItv AT NIGHT ia snofbSr so,Irce JAG
4 exposure which is constant and una i1.sl
-Oidable.
This exposure would rarely occur to 20
my large body OF civilians in time OF asy
,eace; and il should be wholly svoided Tue
a any well-conducted and Well-regu- uol
atod public institution. Therefore, in Pc
udging OF the healthfulness or other No
wise OF this locality, il becomes necessa- pIl
Y for me TO largely eliminate this factor SoL se
rom my estimates. ~
The soil in the immediate vicinity Of ~
he camp is q light alluvium, interstrat- WI
fed with clay and fragmentary red VI "a
andstOne. Water percolates ln most -;
,Iaces with rapidity through it. The VI
ountry is rolling away from the bot 49, 49,
om-lAnd near the river, and is easily oa. oLS
Trained. - -
An annual rainfall Of some 81 inches S M@
.fiords water supply that is adequate -; -
or all demands ~
The water in this camp is drawn from IuI
wells which vary from 20 20 4S feet in We
epth. Ii is characterized by its soft, go
lat taste, and slight cloudiness. On no no
it yields go grains of solid p@'
natter to the gallon. This Is largely
OF argillaceOus sand, mixed I
With fine clay, which is readily held in AND
lspenison. 1reatej with nitric acid, it ma
ives no evidence Of calearious impreg- bee
alton. The amount of organic matter Fro
cid in suspension is very small. pro
This water 1 consider to be very pure, the
nd without doubt, to its use is to be at tiOr
-ibuted the exemption of the camp con
ON any severe intestinal disorders. locs
Among the people Of this vicinity, and diff
may include its medical gentlemen, nat
lere has long been a conviction Of the van
rejection which is afforded by thispu pro
ateY supply against epidemic cholera con
nd yellOW-feveT. Asiatic cholera has
ever been known in this region as an
1idemjc, although neighbOring cities,
WINS and their outlying districts have
peatedly been swept by the scourge.
1t Is certainly remarkable that with
le thousands who passed through Hum Leu
,ldt lsst June and July, in their flight
ON Memphis, and with the many who
lifted into the same place day after
Az, some Of them suffering from truef
choleric diarThea. no case
cholera occurred and again In Sep n
inaber, Of the thousands who led from ana
bearing with than The ms,
ernls Of the disease, and Of the five Cell
ases that were imPored into the town, tn4e
OF a single new e2fd dsssose, and Tie city raes
ntirelys escaped sgi,;liy epidemic for age
be second time. sex
With 81 4sase facts 10 view, thfnk WA
lat Hun; and It's vieiaiiy viii coEa- beal
are very fag0rably with any other city lie
the south for The excellence OF its Fali
lnitary surroundings sud 4 honesty lie
9ge that il Possesses very many points lar.
adRanlafe in the matter OF health IS (
q any place Thar L hRs been = s.
lffs 81 siei
e IJas'c..s a'ioe n !. -
- 6ta e4bCIfr - flff..t lr4f -. +