The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-01-15
DOING THE BEST THEY CAN.
Alderman Harris Stands Up For the
Quarantine Authorities

alderman Harris Stands Up For the
Quarantine Authorities
Alderman Harris, whose attention was
called to the criticisms of the workings Of
quarantine, said last night that there is a
complaint book in the Office Of the clerk of
council, and that anyone who has a gri-
evance should go there and lodge whatever
complaint 1t Is thought the occasion may
| justify.
Alderman Harris defends the ordinances
regulating the quarantine station. and
expresses the opinion that the health of the
city is always the first interest to be con
sidered.
Alderman Harris said to a MORNING
NEWS reporter last night: 1T is not my
| purpose to enter into a controversy through
the public press, but desire to make my
self understood as TO the quarantine ques-
ton. In the first place, the quarantine
station and It's officials are governed and
| controlled by ordinances passed from time
to time by the mayor and board of alder
men. These ordinances are very strict in
every particular, and in my humble opinion
| wisely So
Secondly, a clean bill Of health does not
| always show correctly the condition of q
vessel, and it would be folly for the quar-
rantlne officer to give permit to any cap
| tam upon his presentation Of such a docl-
ment. have, III many instances, known
very great discrepancy to exist between a
vessels bill of health and her log-book
II was misunderstood and therefore in
correctly quoted in saying that the health
| ana cemetery committee has decided to
allow no vessels coming from a West
Indian, Spanish or South American port to
| come up to Savannah and deposit ballast ,
The health and cemetery committee does
not control the deposit Of ballast. but the
sanitary board does, and that body has
decided that it is imprudent to allow any
ballast to come up to the city, at any season
/ OF the year, from any OF the above men
toned ports This. think. is a very wise
| step on the part Of the sanitary
board. Would it be well to deposit
upon our wharves in the city, during
| the winter, ballast taken from
| ports subject to outbreaks Of yellow fever
every year, and possibly full of germs
which only need the rays Of our hot sum
mer's sun to develop an epidemic?
| For the past year every effort has been
made to lessen the detention of vessels at
the quarantine station; every Improvement
| has been made that the city was able to
make. True, it was not very great i'm
| provement, but it increased the commerce
of the city considerably.
"In conclusion" Alderman Harris said,
81 wish to say that our quarantine is con-
| uuCIoQ III Iuo D6SU 1lbcI6olS u COuulbTC6,
always looking first and foremost to the
| health of Savannah
The friends of DR.. Harris say that no one
has taken a greater interest in increasing
| the quarantine facilities than he, and that
| it is largely due to his zeal in the matter
that the city is soon to enter upon the work
of constructing the new station at Cockspur
point, where fumigation will be prompt,
and where ballast may be discharged with
out delay, and as rapidly as modern
mechanical appliances can do the work.
| Health Officer Drummer says that much of
the complaint of masters as to the delays of
vessels, when sifted down, shows that YES
sells coming here not under charter want to
be given the preference over chartered
vessels to discharge their ballast. He says
that vessels coming under charter
to Savannah are rightly permitted
| to come to the wharves first, and
discharge ballast Seekers come to the roads,
and their masters don't know whether they
will bring their vessels to Savannah or go
elsewhere, and as soon as find they can load
here, they want to be permitted to discharge
ballast at once, and when chartered vessels
are given preference, they complain to the
| first one who will listen TO their complaints
| of distractions to commerce..