The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-11-07
PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE.
The Sanitary Condition of the
City Should be improved.

~ am glad you published that growl
about lights and police this morning."
said citizen to TIMES reporter yes
terday. 81 think it is good policy to
call attention to our shortcomings as
we'll as it is to praise our good deeds
Now, am an old citizen Of Roanoke, hav-
ing been here full four months, and yet
| am not certain of the names of some
of our principal streets. Some streets
have as many as three names, while
great many arc burdcned with double
names. This is not as it should be.
believe in distinctive names myself, but
If such are employed i'll street nomcn-
claturc, they should be Systematically
used, should run alphabetically, as
Albemarlc. Botctourt, Culpepper, Din
wi1dic, and SO on, so that IL cue might
always be had as to the next succeed
ing street in either direction. Then
your intcrsccting streets should be
likewise arranged.
If that is impracticable. and it APP
pears now to he SO, then name them as
they now are indiffcrcntly callcd-as
First avenue, Second street. and so on
designating the section of the city by
the compass points, but make the name
uoTmat-c. not, as now. have Il street
called by one Campbell street and by
another Third avenue. Let the Council
ordain that the numbered avenue is the
legal method of naming the streets run
ming cast and west. and then have the
II ,wspapcrs and business mon ilso the
| gal name to tho exclusion Of tho old or
village name. If the Real Estate EN-
change would take the matter up its
members could do much toward sim
plifying it.
Nor is that all. We are just ut the
beginning Of winter, and have ample
tine to do what am about to suggest.
Let the guttering of the city be heroic
ally treated. 1t is idle to wait until Il
sewerage system is adopted and put in
practice TO remedy these evils. Next
spring there will be population of
10000 within the limits of Roanoke
fully onc-third Of whom will be unac-
climated to our Southern climate. and
who, by reason of being unrestrained by
the ties of homo life TOR they will not
bring their families at tirst) will be
more or less careless of hygiene. These
will be peculiarly susceptible Of diseases
OF malarial and other natures. and if
the drainage of the city and its vault
age arc not corrected before the spring
solstice there is liable to he Il great
deal of sickness here next summer
''Of course it will he but partly due to
the causes of my present complaint, but
that will not he we'll understood by the
outside world. and reports will 90 out
which will rctard the citys growth for
much time To come. We have an elias
tic city. whose outer limits are mines of
regal wealth in minerals. within which
those minerals Will be converted. by The
handicraft OF man. into staples for The
world. but in this initial stage OF our
progress we must not he niggardly in
providing for the comfort and welfare Of
those workers. and particularly must
we watch over their health.
Mature has bestowed upon us an
cquablc climate. given us ~ bountiml
supply of pure water. sheltered us with
hills. and provided us with the means
vi amassing wealth, but We must not
hope that she will avert from us the
consequences of our own carclcssncss
She demands that certain laws must be
obcycd. and one of thcSc-an incXora bic
onc--is that sewage and focal matter
must not tester i'll Il summer sun. nor be
allowed 10 accumulate for ever so short
time. Let us make our cutters VERT
able drains. provide for frequent flush
ing and cleaning of them. and apply tho
knowledge which science has given us
III the treatment of focal matter and
we may laugh ut upturncd dirt and
view without alarm that disregard Of
the laws of hygiene which exists i'll all
new towns.