The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-07-27

crease have been in the months of April,
May and June. The indications point to u
falling off equally as satisfactory in July.
The deaths in July, 1887, were AZ whites
and IS blacks, Il total Of 105. There have
been only - deaths among whites so far
this month, and with only five days more,
it is not likely the deaths Of whites will rise
higher than %, decrease of over As per
cent.
THE CITYS BAD WELLS.
One Of the fruitful causes of disease, ply
sicians say, has been the surface wells, and
these are to be abandoned. Alderman My
ers. acting chairman of the city council com
mittee on water. said yesterday, that 1t is
the intention to begin at once the abandon
ment of the surface wells He thinks the
committee will be unanimous for the plan
of dismantling the wells, and not for filing
them up. Hydrants will be put in where
the committee deem it necessary, but there
are some localities where the pumps will
not be replaced Where applications are
made for a hydrant the committee will first
thoroughly investigate the situation, and if
it finds that the expense is not justified The
petition will be denied. 1t is not the inten-
ton of the committee to put the hydrants
in the site of the wells, but near the curb
where the waste water can readily find its
way to the sewer traps.
THE MEDICAL soCIETY's REPORT.
The action Of the council, and the report
of the sanitary commission, based upon the
recommendation of the health officer and
the report of the Georgia medical society,
has fastened the proposed abandonment of
the wells, and Alderman Myers says that if
there is any doubt about the purity of the
wator, its discontinuance should not and will
not be delayed. He expects to begin the
work of dismantling the pumps next week.
The Georgia medical society reported that
the surface wells are unfit TO be used, be-
cause, first, they are repositories for decayed
matter and dead animals, and the alllng off
in the use of the well water tends to render
the water less pure than when the wells
furnished the greater part of the supply for
domestic purposes; second, the society says
the waters contain organic matter.
FOURTEEN FOUL WELLS
Supt Miller of the water works has
handed in to the acting chairman of the
water committee a list of fourteen of the sur
face wells whose waters he claims are unfit
for drinking purposes He told MORNING
News reporter last night that when "A dry
well is found, sewer is near by, and it will
be found that tho sewer has drained it dry,
but that where neighboring sewer is
found higher than the well water the we'll
Is contaminated by the sewer.
Health Officer Drummer says that the diff
ference in the arteslan water and the water
of the public wells may be succinctly de
scrlbed in this way: THE artesian water
is used but once, while the well water is
used twice" By this he explained that
when the we'll water is used for the laundry
it is thrown out and percolateS back into
the wells for a second use. He does not
look with favor upon the plan of leaving
the wells for use in case of any emergency
that may arise The longer the water
stands the more unsanitary ii will become,
and its use would then be fruitful in caus-
ing typhoid fever, a type Of fever that is
rare in this section.
NEW DIsINFECTANT.
The health officer has been using a new
agency for disinfecting the more unsanitary
portions of the city. Bi-chloride of mer-
curry, or, as it is more commonly known,
corrosive sublimate, in the proportion of
one gallon to 800 or 1000 parts of water,
had been placed in the sprinking carts
and Harrison and Ann streets and Indian
street lane have been spriukled with the so
luton, which destroys all bacteria; in fact,
it is destructive Of all animal life, and is
powerful auxiliary TO the perfect sanitation
of any city.
The health officer reports the health aud
sanitation of the quarantine station excel
lent. A daily mail will be established be-
tween Savannah and the station and two
new mail sacks, patented something after
the style OF the leather mail pouch of the
United States postal department, have been
provided. The mail sacks viii be taken on
the Tybee train and left on the northern
part of the island, where 1t will be- picked
up by boatman who will leave the second
sack in its place, thus atfording daily COM
municauon The first mail will 20 down
on the morning train to-day