The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-05-24
THE COUNTY'S DRAINAGE
THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF WASTE
LAND ALREADY RECLAIMED.

= u
on the Vale Royal CenaI-The Mus
grove Creek Drainage TO Be Com
menced as Soon as the Present I'm
provement Is Completed-What the
System Contemplates.
A healthy sanitation is one of the pre-
requisites to the prosperity Of community,
but what shall b. said of a system that n
only brings with it the blessings Of health
but Ids vasts areas of arabic territory TO
the agricultural acreage of a county. This
is what the Chatham county drainage sys-
TEN has done
County Engineer Edward J. Thomas, IN
an interview with a MORNING News re-
porter yesterday, estimated that in the last
ten years not less than 10000 acres of land
have been reclaimed by the system of
drainage which has been prosecuted by the
Board of County Commissioners. Much of
this land is now under cultivation, aud low
living lands once Uninhabitab.e, although
dry enough for culture, but malarious
owing TO a lack Of drainage in adjacent
lands, are now among the heathiest local
tiles in the county.
STOCK RUIN THE bitches.
Mr.. Thomas gave a very interesting re-
view Of the drainage done in the past, the
work now in progress, and that which Is
contemplated next year. He took occasion
to say that the complaint of the imperfect
drainage in the neighbOrhOOd Of South
vile IS one likely to he common in all
parts of the county as long as stock is nj
lowd to run at large and damage the drains.
In the locality complained Il the bitches
run through pasture land whore cattle have
free access, to the great damage of the
ditcnes. Mr.. Thomas remarked tnat under
a different fence law this would not only be
obyiated, but the lands uuderSa no feGce
law would all be under cultivation. He has
treated the subject FULLY in letter 20 he
read al the next meeting of the County
Commissioners, and he did not like to an
ticipate in an interview what had been sent
III officially 70 the board.
MAP OF THE DRAINED LANDS.
Mr.. Thomas is at work, at odd moments,
preparing a map which will show all that
portion of the country lying between the
White Bluff road and the old Skidaway
shell road 20 the Isle Of Hope, which with
the immediate surrounding country, will
show all the drainage which has been done
by the county prior to March II last, when
the Vale Royal canal work began. The
map will also show the respective holdings
of property owners in the area tributary to
the territory drained. The Casey canal,
the most extensive system Of drainage in
the county Sc far completed will show in
the map This canal alone reclaimed not
less than 1900 acres Of land. 1t begins at
the Catholic Cemetery, and running south
wardly, empties into the Vernon river at
Hayners bridge. This canal is six and one
quarter miles in length.
WORKING on TIE VALE ROYAL CANAL.
Mr.. Thomas saws that the chain-gang is
nov working on the Vale Royal canal upon
which work began March II last The force is
working west of the water works road, and,
owing 70 the roots and stumps encountered,
the progress of the work is very slow. He
does not expect that this canal will be fin
ished before Jan. l next, and then, in the
very order of things, the Musgrove creek
system viii again be taken up and prose-
cutsd with vigor
The Central railroad, Mr.. Thomas says,
is building new floodgates to replace the old
ones which do not perform the work of re-
sisting the tides. These hOodgates are
trunks, with swinging or automatic doors
that open and close with the flow of the
tide, and when put in place will make the
drainage more efficient. The city is putting
in two fiOodgates in Musgrove creek south
of the Bay street extension.
THE VALE ROYAL AND BRANCHES.
The Vale Royal canal has been made the
proper width. 1t begins at the foodgate at
the mouth Of the canal, twenty feet at bot
tom and runs vest for about half a mile,
the width gradually diminishing till its
width Is six feet at bottom at Stiles
avenue, beyond Jasper springs Its
average depth, beginning at the 1oodgate.
is four and half feet, ending at the western
terminus with a width OF two and a half
feet.
Besides the main Vale Royal canal there
are two branches; one OF $500 feet, begin
ming at the water works road aud ending
on the water works property. The second
branch is 2,4O0 feet in length, and begins on
William Exley's farm and ends near Stiles
avenue, on the Stiles property.
Mr.. Thomas SAYS that the Vale ROYAL
c7nal and branches viii drain ,20J acres of
land lying between the river, the canal, the
Augusta road and McAlpn avenue He
says this land IS considered the best truck
farming land in the county, oue-ffth Of
which has not heretofore been cultivated,
owing 20 the swampy condition OF the coun-
try. From a sanitary point Of view, he
considers it great and commendabe en-
terprise, although the area Of arabic acreage
it has reclaimed makes it most valuable
agricultural acquisition 20 the county.
THE MUsGRovE CREEK SYSTEM.
The Vale ROYAL canal system Of drainage
is entirely distinct from the Musgrove creek
drainage The Vale Royal canal and
branches drain all the lands west of the
city Of Savannah. The Musgrose creek
drainage drains the lands south and south
west, even 50 far rs the three-and -a-half-
mile post on the Ogeechee road and the
tbree-mile post on the savannah Florida
and Western railway, and then running
southwest and draining all the swamps for
two miles southwest of the city. The lands
further south and southwest fnd drainage
In the Little Ogeechee river.
THE proposed MuSgrove system of drain
age said Mr. Thomas. twill drain an area
Of z, 500 acres, one-thlrd Of which has never
been under cultivation and is practically
uninhabitable. The Minis canal or Minis
swamp drainage, is a part of the Musgrove
creek drainage, and when Musgrove creek
is deepeued, the Minis canal will be con-
tnned farther southeast through the
swampS 10 the Savannah, Florida and
Western railway
Work on the Minis swamp canal was
stopped last year because of the lack of
sufficient outlet, the city authorities having
refused to deepen Musgrove creek The
Superior Court grand jury took action in
the matter and as a result the crock will he
deepened by the county. II is universally
regretted that the progress OF the work is
necessarily so slow on the Vale Royal canal,
for the reasons Mr. Thomas assigns, that il
will be seYel or eight month"; before the
MusgrOve creek drainage can be taken uA
NEhapa tsoe of aH