The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-03-22
THE COUNTY'S DRAINAGE.
ENGINEER THOMAS REPORT OF
LAST YEARS WORK.

Tn6y ATS ONSTCon 5-InOQeao o
Acres Of Swamp Llo5 Bs:nS Re.
claimed.
County Engineer E. ]. Thomas report
submitted to the county cor mtsI oners a
their last meeting. is an iat rest Z review
a the drainage work done dursaz the las
year and that remains 10 be done.
At the beginning of the year all the able
bodied male COW lets at camp No. 2 wers
engaged in the construction OF the Dunde.
canal In II. ia work days about Is. SIS
cubic yards Of earth were excavated. and
about p. 600 cubic yards OF embankmeu,
were built an average OF ab)ut AZ cubic
yards per day per man.
During April, September and October
rainy weather prevented the convicts work.
ing IN the canal, and they were EMPLOYED
60 a considerable extent. on the Louisville
and Augusta roads. Two thousand four
hundred and eighty-four work DAYS were
expended in the construction of Bay street
extended TO the Augusta road. After much
trouble as to rights OF way, the road was
finished and thrown open 10 the public in
February. The construction OF the road has
demonstrated the fact that with the addi-
ton Of clay sandy roads can be much Inn
proved. On Bay street, where clay was
used, the surface. even during this long dry
spell, Is hard. On the Ogeechee road, and
The roads next of il. clay knobs crop out at
different points In the oed OF the road
This. or clay from the adjoining lands. can
be used economically and with advantage.
The convicts at camp No. were mostly
crippled or weakly constituted men, boys
and women. The most suited Of these were
engaged for the FIRST six months draining
tbe wet Hats and ponds east Of the CITY. a
good deal Of complaint having been made
as to their unsanitary condition. They have
been dried out by suitable ditobes, but the
cattle, by trampling tho bitches. are fast
destroying all tho good that was accom-
plished.
The road and bridge department spent
only 1888 80 during the year. This was
used in the construction Of new bridges and
repairing OF old bridges. in putting down
clay pipes where old wooden drains were
used, and for the piping aud brick work on
Bay street extended.
THE OUTLYING TERRITORY.
The territory about Savannah consists
chiefly OF swamps. varying in elevation
from to 10 feet, and of pIateaus varying
from Is to IS feet above the sea level; hence.
1t is not difficult Co carry the storm water
from the plateaus into the low lands of the
swamps. The drains for this purpose, while
IL
The peteaus are comparatively level,
bitches frequently having only a fan OF 10
Inches TO the mile. Such dit1hes, when dug
to proper slope, ~ horizontal TO nautical,
or even to l, through tbsse sandy lands.
soon become unshapely ami receive the CEN
sure OF the uniformed. The cause OF this
Is that the sandy SLOPES Of the bitches, at
times. become saturated with storm water,
causing them to cave, making them I'M
shapely aud forming bars to prevent the
proper flow OF water 1t can readily be seen
how little it takes 70 obstruct a ditch with
15-inch or less fall To the 100 feet Even the
weeds that accumulate in the bottom COT the
drains will do the damage. This can In
great measure be remedied bv having these
drains frequently cleaned out.
The greatest enemy to all good drainage
OF this character. the engineer says, is the
untring boot of the rowing cow, which has
no remedy until the oitizsns OF this county
realize the vast injury these COWS are doing
and at the ballot-box remedy the evil.
The chain-gang adds considerably to the
taxes; but as we muss have the convicts,"
the engineer odds. "wny not utilize
themP 1t we turn our minds eye
to the condition of things some years
oack, we find CuYler swamp q vast quag-
mire O. miles long. holding ssagnant water |
several feet deepits eutire length and width |
the year round. Those acquainted with the |
history OF this first county canal know the |
difficulties it had TO encounter aud obstacles |
to be surmounted, land holders refusing TO
give rights Of way and thereby turning its |
channel through a long sandy cut, which |
rendered 1t. even from the first, imperfect
This imperfection has been growing, sand
bars aocumulating, until the efficiency of
TUE canal Is much impaired.
THE CUYLER SWAMP DRAINAGE.
Ar the Eahrnary ha
sloners directed that the outlet, as hereto
lore agreed upon, through the channel of
tne swamp be FASTENED to completion, and
luis Is now being done. A large trunk is
also being constructed at the mouth of the
caaal-al of which will contribute to the
efficiency of the work.
While the Casey canal Is very impor-
tnt system Of drainage both to the county
and to the city, the Musgrove creek |
system is perhaps to the city the most
interesting. The one takes the storm wa
Ter from the city, and when it is gone the |
city hears no more about il. The other |
vi nrings the water to the city. and at times |
IL sand will be problem what to do with |
~ while the Musgrove creek drainage, as
~ now stands, the engineer says, is very |
imperfect and will never be perfectly setis- |
factory. While it has been of great bsne-
~ even as it Is, it can and should |
% improved he says, at once. |
iwo years ago, before the county dug |
me small canal and bitches through the |
a. MINIS and Cooper swamps, tributaries to |
snis tMusgrove) creek, these swamps were SO |
@yDed that man or beast was never known |
traverse them, and they were considered |
w tand owners as good as a fence. To-day |
oar are driven all over them. This drain |
sse Is yet very imperfect. The chief OBJ |
sacIes to its efficiency are the sand bars that |
INSTANTLY accumulate at its bottom near
v,"innett street and the meager waterways |
.ue oity has at its mouth. The county and |
wy jointly have this matter uoder consid- |
nauon. This canal and the Casey canal |
us ~ costly warnings to the county TO keep
:" canals or the hills and hillsides.
CAN NEVER BE MADE TILLABLE.
Inc very low lands of Chatham county,
We engineer says, will never be So thor |
U"asaly drained as to warrant them being |
We .'ou satisfactorily and safely for dry cults |
Se u mean,n ne adds, "such lands as |
Sa'e an elevation of seven feet or under |
1--WE sea level, above mean low water at |
NJ ny Fulaski, or an elevation Of AZ feet or |
Sader above mean low water in the Savan- |
49, a. river, and for two reasons. First, |
v',i during comparatively dry spell, the |
~ I'r III the Savannah river is frequently |
s.ssh, caused by fre5hets fl ON above, for |
az q time, that instead of water dis |
M sIhg from the low lands IL accumulates |
~. 'uem and renders them unfit for dry cult
,'or' viewing it from a sanitary point, |
io,ug water to cover the low lands for a |
n ~ week or more. During the last freshet |
,.n- savannah river we had no rain To- |
pa