The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-08
TO DRAIN a BIG AREA.
a Plan to Put the oEeechee Canal t
Good US.

OOOQ U.S..
There WIS a meeting of a committee
from the drainage committee of the grand
! jury Of the superior court, of which Mr.
Martin Cooley is chairman, Mr. Kehoe
representing the county commissioners,
Mayor McDonough representing the city,
! and Receiver Conner Of the Central rail
road, in the Office Of Receiver Conner es-
terday at noon, to discuss certain propo-
sitlons with regard to the use of the
Ogeechee canal for drainage purposes.
Mr.. CoOley's committee has been giving
the county drainage a thorough inspec-
ton, and it was decided that some use
could be made Of the Ogeechee canal for
drainage purposes. For this reason Mr..
Cooley asked the commissioners to APP
point a representative to confer with his
committee and with others interested
with regard to it. Chairman Dale, of the
commissioners, appointed Mr.. Kehoe, a
member of the board, to represent the
commissioners in the matter.
NOT IN GOOD CONDITION.
The Ogeechee canal, in its present
shape, IS doing perhaps more harm than
good. The grand jury's drainage COM
hlAbbCC LOdilAcu LniS IdCJ. his Is bD6 uISJ
time IN some time that a drainage COM
mittee has been appointed from the grand
Jury and IL Is going into the matter thor
oughly.
The canal as it stands at present, is too
high to drain the swamp land through
which it passes, and water from the land
which is directly adjacent to it, percO-
lates into the canal but is not carried off,
as the canal is not sloped properly to af-
ford IL nnfIpt in q ,siv Tho rN1ar,
proposed, is to have the Ogeechee Canal
Company turn the canal over to the
county, which would put the convicts to
work to make it capable of draining the
swamp section through which it passes.
WANTS TO USE THE CANAL
The Central railroad, however, wants
the use of the portion of the canal be-
tween the first lock and the river in con-
nection with its wharf property, but it is
not able just at present to do that portion
OF the work which would make the canal
available for use. 1t would re-
quire certain amount. of dredg-
ing between the two points named.
The plan is to lower all the locks
of the canal and to properly grade its bed
so as to make it capable of draining the
section between the Little Ogeechee river
and the Savannah river. This work
properly done, it is said, would afford a
means OF draining thoroughly every
swamp between the Little Ogeechee and
Savannah rivers, with one exception,
that of Harden Swamp, which is too far
below the present level of the Ogeechee
canal.
WILL DO WHAT IT CAN.
These facts and suggestions were dis
cussed between the different parties to
the meeting. While nothing definite was
decided upon, Receiver Conner, it is said,
made known to the representatives, of
the county that the Central will prob
ably be willing to turn the canal over to
the county provided the latter will do all
the work necessary to make it drainage
medium The Central he said, was un-
able just at the present time to incur any
expense in making any repairs on the
canal or doing any of the grading.
The plan suggested, however, seems to
meet with the unqualified approval of
the county commissioners and of the com
mittee from the grand jury, which has
the matter under consideration. The
grand jury will undoubtedly give consid-
cradle attention to the matter of drain
age when its general presentments are
made.