The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-09-01
NEW ORDER OF THINGS.
THE NEED FOR REFORM IN TIE
CiTY5 HEALTH DEPARTMENT.


Medical Director LeHardy's Report
to the Citizsns' Sanitary Assocla-
ton Advocating & Permanent SAM
tary Commission-Some Of the Evils
of the Present system OF Sanitation.
The Duties of the Proposed Commits
sion.
its quarterly meeting last night The ex-
ecutive council also met
The meetings were SHINY attended many
OF the members Of the association being alb
sent from the city. DR.. J. c. LeHardy,
medical director Of the association, submit
tel his semiannpal report. Il deals with
the drainage and other important duss-
tions, and is worthy of consideration by all
interested in the city's health. The MORN
ING NEWS publishes the report in full;
In pursuance OF the objects for which the
Citizens Sanitary Association was incor-
poFated, its officers have, from tue very be-
ginning, made strenuous efforts to better
the sanitary condition of Savannah and
the surrounding country By bringing be-
fore the public eye nuisances and other
evils from which disease might spring, and
by suggesting to those in authority meas
1res for the improvement Of the health and
comfort Of the people.
Works for promoting and preserving the
health Of city are necessarily OF consider
abls magnitude, requiring special knowl-
edge and much time for their prope. con-
sideration and planning, and still more
time for their execution. The policy which
has always prevailed 10 the city of SsYan-
nab Of leaving such matters to
the management Of the city coun-
Gil has heretofore prevented end must
continue TO prevent the e1ccesstul
completion Of any important undertaking,
because. the council beicg changed every
two years. the plans of one are superseded
BY those of its successor. and the work BE-
gun by one is neglected or changed by the
next. Aldermen are elected TO subserve all
the Interests OF the city. and cannot well
devote much time 70 any one interest. For
this reason many cities In this and other
countries have intrusted all works Of mag
uitude, requiring time and the expenditure
Of large sums Of money, 20 commissions,
which become responsible for the work
from beginning to end, and are not influ-
erced by the transient changes OF politics.
THE WORK OF A COMMISSION.
II is now high time, think, for those who
desire to see the future prosperity Of Savan-
nah put upon a safo foundation, within a
reasonable time. 70 unite in an effort 70
have the management of all her health
affairs given over % the care OF such CON-
mission, because experience has SHOWN that
health matters. though of paramount i'm
pOrtapce to every inhabltant, are little
thought OF excspt during the prevalence of
an epidemic or Immediately after ward. A
careful day to day observation of works
attempted in the line OF sanitation during
the past thirtysfive years in this city has
led me TO the conclusion that reform 10
the administration OF our health depart
ment is inperatively demanded.
Iu its report published eight years
ago the committee on canals and
drainage urged upon the city au-
thorities the thorough drainage of all
the lands surrounding the city. In
the words of the chairman, Col. John
Screven: The drainage Of the low lands
near and surrounding the city on three sides
bss been not merely imperfect and con-
stantly perilous to the public health, but
demonstrates after more than sixty years
experience that the system Of dry culture,
s0-called, is O failure, and should bs so
amended as TO render the drainage Of these
lands u matter of real and not of fictitious
sanitation" and similar recommendations
have been frequently repeated since, yet no
change has been made aud the low lands are
drained in tho same old fashioned way that
prevailed IL 1918, when the agriculture
ordinance was first enforced.
The NEED FOR REFORM.
There are the same open bitches daily
trampled by cattle and grown up with
weeds, requiring constant work to keep
them clean aud free, and they are never
free or clean. So it is that at this day we
find the lands opposite the city on Hutch
mons Island in sobby condition, and the
same condition is found on the eastern
slope of the bluff from Bay to Perry street,
and in the lands leased by the city from the
Lamar estate and from DR.. Lawtou. The
western slope between Frogtown and the
Ogeechee road, beyond the coiored peoples
cemetery, IS as wet now as it was ten years
ago. The drains of the Springfield tract
are either partly or altogether filed with
putrescebt water covered with a green
scum--aDd there are in the city this day
number of cases of malarial fever duo to
the imperfect drainage OF these lands.
A carefully laid system OF underground
drains so often recommended would have
removed this evil long ago.
In 1888 the sanitary association recon-
mended the paving OF streets with stone
blocks or Other pavements, which will pre-
vent evaporation from within, aud percola&
ton from without, together with the proper
grading of every street aud lane. This
should be commenced at once by the city
authorities upon the best and most APP
proved plan now in use, and pushed syste-
ma tically to completion"
Since that time the cobble-stone pave
ment lone of the worst pavements from a
sanitary or any other point Of view has
been extended on Drayton and Whitaker
streets to Anderson street. Three streets
have been paved with asphaltum, one Of
the best pavements extant, for this climate.
il properly constructed, made of good ma
terial and carefully looked after. A very
good pavement made of Belgian block has
been laid on jefferson street, between
Broughton and Charlton, but in pavements
of this kind, in order that they may be
sanitary and clean, such stone should be
scemented into bed of a3phaltum or other
Impervious material.
OPPOSED TO STREET PAYMENTS.
During the last eighteen months Henry,
Castor street and part of Hall have boon
converted into she'll roads, very pleasant to
ride over when kept wet. But she'll pave
ments are uDsanitary per Sc, since they alb
sorb all the soluble filth dropped by
animals, and they become dangerous the
moment they are allowed to dry on the
surfAce. The lime dust causing cetarrhs of
the nose and sore threats. and INITIATING
the bronchial tubes.
Had the work Of grading aud paving the
streets and lanes been commenced and
carried out since first commenced by you our
citizens would now be able to drive in com.
fort over the city without risk Of breaking
a wheel or an axle on the cobble stones or
Of being stalled in the heavy sand.
The removal of garbage in open wagons
and the dumOinC of IL in Droximitv 70 tho