The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-11-20
REASONS FOR HOUSE DRAINAGE.
lines Mapped by DR.. Falligant for
raining Yamacraw and the Cid

Lines Mapped Dy LIT. ralllgant lot
raining Yamacraw and the Cid
Fort.
Editor Morning NetUs: All citizens of
Savannah who are familiar with the his
tory Of the early stages of epidemic vista
,6ns of yellow fever in Savannah, especi-
ollv general epidemics, will recollect that
+be earliest cases have usually appeared in
the district east of East Broad street Such
was the case in 1876; and you will recollect
that in the disastrous season of 1876 l adj
vised YOU privately of the existence of an
endemic type of fever with red watery
ewes in the tieighborhood of Randolph and
liberty streets some tCeekS in ddUnnce of
INV public acknowledgement Of the pres
rnce of yellow fever in our midst The
cases were then mild in character, and the
endemic nature of the fever was suspected
by me. because of the fact that three or
four cases would appear in a single house.
The Bilbo canal at that time was in a
horrible condition, not a single tidewater
having been let into it from November,
1875. until the epidemic was under full
headway, in August. 1876. During this
long period of nine months the river gates,
through which the fGtid contents of this
canal should have been emptied into the
river, had not been opened single time,
and the ammoniaco-putrid emanations of
this Canal were, III Ivy JuuSIHeLI, RledIl(
responsible for the appearance of that type Of
fever naturally exhibiting red toatery eyes
and flushed cOuntenonce, because these are
the very type of symptoms which that irri-
tating kind of poison develops.
| called upon the city surveyor, the late
John B. Howard, and upon the inspecting
chief of the drainage lines, the late J. K.
Munnerlyn, than whom no truer man,
nober character and intelligent official ever
and I erOt tho facts barniD Iata I'D
from them in person. They had again and
again called attention to the fearful condi-
ton of this locality; but unfortunately for
us, we then had a council VINO did not be-
lieve we could get yellow fever in Savan-
nah unless it ,oaS brought in, never mind
how filthy were our local conditions. Poor
Mr.. Munnerlyn was laid III the tomb-one
of the thousand victims to the pestience
his intuitive practical warnings had sought
to avert.
l mention these things not to excite angry
"reminiscences, but to Gull lessons of wise
sanitation from the grave of sad experience
Immediately following the appearance Of
the fever in the Old Fort, Yamacraw began
to contribute her quota to the carnival of
disease. Thus from the eastern and west
ern sections there came creeping toward the
central portions of the city the death-deal-
ing atmosphere of the pestience. Witt
these startling facts looming up with lurid
light out of the cauldron of past woes how
important it becomes that we SO map our
drainage lines as to bear away in the
cleansing waters the hot-beds of pestit al
effluvia from localities to which yellow
fever, whether of exotic or indigenous
origin, has ever shown a singular and tena-
ciuus affinity.
The line indicated by me on Farm street
will receive others from West Broad along
New, William, Margaret, Harrison, Zubly,
Pine, Bryan, Olive, Joachim NOW Bay,
Mill, Indian lane and Indian street. 1t
will drain Battery ward from West Broad
to Jefferson; it will furnish magnificent
drainage to the stores and offices on the
north side of Bay street, and it will equally
magnificently drain the portion of the city
east of East Broad from River street to
Smithville, beside giving an excellent out
flow to lateralS from the Savannah, Florida
and Western depot yards.
Now If the outlet for the general system
is carried from Bolton street, east of East
Broad, across the hill or slope south of the
river track of the Savannah, Florida and
Western railway to the right of this track
and by slight curve to a point about or
east of the intersection of Liberty street
prolonged eastward and across to the Bilbo
canal, it can there receive the other line
skirting the Northeastern border of the
hill between River and Liberty streets and
DOJn Uu6Se lines Will nave Iall enough 10
carry the sewage eastwards to HaberSham
creek the nearest point, st. Augustine
creek north of Causton Bluff, or behind
Causton Bluff to the Timber creek mouth.
The sanitary reasons | have above given
seem sufficient to enUitle this route to the
most careful consideration; and the Farm
street line itself offers an easy pumping
process for the district between Farm street
and the Ogeechee canal, because the guam
tity to be pumped would be small the
elevation limited, and the appliances for
this small work not very costly.
In regard to the eastern general outlets.
l Of course assume that engineers can cut
through banks or hill-sides, and fill up
hollow spaces, to such levels as will give
these general intersecting outlets the proper
grade fall; and that if it should be neces-
sary to raise the grade or level of the Sa-
vannah, Florida and Western river track so
as to let the Liberty street sewer prolonga-
ton pass under it at a proper level, this
also can be DONE Such things are not diff
cult, and have been dore before.
LOUIS A. FALLIGANT.