The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-24

Alderman Fslligent Defends HI:
Repeating Ordinance.

Alderman Fslligent Defends His
Repeating Ordinance.
Editor Morning Ne1Os: Several days
since a communication appeared in your
columns from one of tho sgners of petit
tion for the repeal Of sections of 76l and TS2
ef MacDonelis Code, which require |
persons hgvlng pTiyy vaults within 300
feet of a sewer 70 abolish them and make
sewer connections. The ordinance intro
duced by me for the repeal Of these sec ions
vas defeated. as you will discover from
the record, by the casting
vote Of the mayor Il is but
just TO the mayor and members of the
sanitary board 10 say that when my ord-
nance came u for discussion by them there
Ua' unanimous expression Of opinion that
good system of house drainage should be
put down by the city authorities as speedily
as possible, and that whenever such a sys-
tenn was constructed in any part of the
city taey would favor the immediate con-
nec:lon OF all AUDITING premises herewith.
Inc difference between their position and
mine is this: They think tina.
without such powers as the
above sections give, they would
meantime be crippled in any particular
case where they deemed it advisable to or
der the abatement of nuisances requiring
prompt suppression, whilst l think that
the remedy(9 is often AS bad as the
condition, and that when the city
burdens the taxpayer and property owner
with such heavy expenses as tbs application
Of existing measures causes, the benefits
should not only be commensurate with the
outlay. but, being Of a pretended sanitary
character, the city should knO,C that such
Work IS indeed sanitary before causing it
to be done
Now what are the facts? The facts are
that uader the present system the tax
payers are being made to pay five to ten
times as much for fraudulent sanitation as
they would have to pay for good sanitation,
but, as in many other matters. the CON-
NUDITY has been running in old ruts, aud
it is hard to drag them out of such ruts
Take, for instance, the house drainage of
block, or double block, bounded by South
Broad, Whitaker, Barnard, and
HUI streets. If one pipe ran
centrally down the lane from
Barnard to Whitaker street, and all the
houses on South Broad and Hull streets
connected with it, the quantity of water
coming from the large number of houses
would make a current and clean the pipe.
Beaides this, the flush emptied at some
point between Barnard and West Broad,
provided the same pipe were extended west
ward TO West Broad would thoroughly
| scour it. In addition, with such west
eriy extension, all the waters from the
houses on Hull and South Broad streets
between Barnard and W st Broad, would
give volume and increased cleansing power
to tle same current, aud Its work would be
good in a sanitary sense. will venture
tee assertion that there is not now a house
Grain from house on this line that IS not
more or less choked-from two causes, i'm
proper grade fall and lack of flushing. It is
simply impossible to flush these drains by
such means as now exist In almost every
house, aad the dozen or more extensively
constructed pipes on these lines do not &C
complish one-tenth the sanitary good one
proparlylaid line would cause.
These being inconbrovoTtible facts, why
add to such aoominatioas! We know what
is Infinitely better and enormously less ex-
peasive; then why not begin at once with
that which il good and less expensive, and
not waste our money and peril our lives
| wish that which is extravagant in cost and
deeterious In character? Just 50 long as
we continue forcing individuals to these
heavy burdens, especially for poor work,
| and work which we know to be unsafe, Just
| SO long win we be adding to the number of
| euenas to real sanitary work on the ground
Of their having beea forced already to heavy
expenditures.
! submit 70 the property owners of this
| city the serious question, which do they
prefer! To waste 81, 000,0 900 in continuance
| Of the unsantary work now going on, or 10
| get good sanitary work for one-ftth Of the
| amount or lessa
| There are class Of men in this city who
went nothing done-good, bad, or indiffer-
snt. They viii be found objectiug TO every
thing; but they represent nothing advan-
tageous TO the growth and prosperity Of the
oiSy, which is chiefly dependent upon its
health. And If the Intelligent, earnest,
progressive gentlemen, whose energies are
conferred on making this city the queen Of
the South Atlantic coast, wish to build on
sure foundations, the sooner they make
thor influence felt in favor Of securing q
wise system of house drainage and that at
once, the better for them and Savannah.
am no enemy of pavements, but the drains
belong under the pavements and should be
put down arst, 50 that pavements need not
be torn up in this necessary work here.
after. Council has expended over 500, 900
on pavements within the last twelve
months, ard the paving parties might wait
a little while until we make our homes
healthy with good house drainage.
| l.. A. FALLIGANT.