The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1893-06-08
THE PoNTiNE MARSHES.
swamp Lands of Europe That Are til
Abode of Malaria.

of Rome, crossed by branch of the
famous Appian way, and breeding
malaria to so great an extent that they
have been regarded as crying evil for
two thousand years. The Pontine
marshes are to-day as great an evil as
ever they were. Capt. Won Donat, a
German engineer, has been making a
study of these breeding places of dis
ease with view to suggesting plan
for draining the marshes. They ex-
tend in a narrow belt from four to six
miles broad and twenty miles long al
most parallel with the sea south of
Rome. Sand dunes separate them
from the sea, and on the north and
east they are hemmed in by big hills.
Capt. Won Donat talked about them
last month before the Geographical
society of Berlin.
The first village on the northern
boundary of marshes is Cisterna,
hamlet at the southern base of the AL
ban hills. Here begins the reign of
what the Italians call aria cattiva, or
the bad air. The people of this hamlet
present a striking contrast to the
healthfulness of the natives north of
them. They are yellow, bloated, physi-
cally weak, with melancholy eyes, and
their every aspect is that of poverty,
misery and i'll health. The hamlets
farther south contain very few resi-
dents. Seize and Sermonetta suffer,
Notwithstanding their elevated posi-
ton on the hills, because they are ex-
posed to the draughts of malarious air
from the swamps. Even Terracina,
which is on a rock over the sea at the
southern terminus of the marshes, is
very sickly place, and the residents are
said to attain only half the usual aver
age of human life. On the other hand,
the little towns lying to the east and
south, just beyond the first protecting
mountain walls, such as Piperno and
Sonnino, are healthful places, and the
seaward slopes of the sand dunes west
of the marshes are also salubrious.
1t is of the greatest Importance that
this region be thoroughly drained. Be
tween the northern and southern
boundary of the swamps, along the
post road, through the center, live only
about thirty people, all of them with
yellow-gray skin and bloated flesh.
Their flesh has completely lost elastic
quality, and if one touches it with his
finger the dent he makes is some time
in disappearing. People exposed to
this deadly air lose all energy and am
bition, have not even any desire to
change their residence, are completely
exhausted with their little household
cares, and while walking on the paths
often fall asleep, and in this condition
now and then one of them passes into
the slumber that knows no waking
The air does not seem to have the same
deleterious effect upon the lower ami
mails. Herds of cattle and buffaloes feed
on the marshes and thrive fairly well.
What makes the evil all the more
striking is the fact that this wretched-
pess, poverty and sickness pervades a
region which is remarkable for the
luxuriance of its soil, the excellence of
its situation and the charming char
acter of the climate in the surrounding
regions. If the marshes were drained
very large population could settle
here, en- joy the best or health and turn
this ill-omened spot into paradise.
Capt. Won Donat says the infected
region is amply sufficient to support
five hundred thousand people, who
would be no more crowded than they
are in some other parts of Europe The
land itself is undoubtedly the most
fertile area on the continent. As it is
there is nothing to see but green
waste with few ruins of castles
which wealthy Romans in ancient
times had the temerity to build there
and wretched huts of the handful OF
people who still dwell among the
marshes.
1t was twenty-four centuries ago thai
the first efforts were made to drain the
Pontine swamps. Julius Caesar con
ceived the idea of boring a tunne
through the Alban hills, on the north
and diverting the water of the swamp.
into the Tiber river. This stupendou.
scheme never reached even its initia
stage. After Cesar, Augustus, Nerva
Trajan, Theodore and eighteen popes
among whom We're Leo X. and Sixth.
", grappled with the problem of drain
age. The first to accomplish importan
results was Pope Plus w, one hundred
and twenty years ago. At an expendi
ture of nine million francs he bull
large drainage works which accom-
plished some good. though ultimatel,
they fell into neglect and became al
most useless The work of Pope Piu
VI, however, is still important, for i
can be utilized to carry out a new
scheme of drainage, and will, to larg,
extent, reduce the cost and labor re
quired.
The reason that it is so hard to re
claim these marshes is on account O
their physical structure The surfac,
covering is soft, elastic peat from tw,
or three to seventy feet thick. Under
this peat reposes a stratum of clay
about foot thick. This CLAW under
lies the greater part of the marshe.
only few feet from the surface. anf
the water cannot permeate it. Tn,
surrounding mountains are largely des
titute of verdure. and all the moistur,
that falls upon them is quickly drained
into the marshes. After heavy down
pours the volume of water precipitate,
into the Pontine plains is immense