The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-06-14
THE COUNTY'S WORKS.
Questions to Come Before the Com
miSSiOneTS Next Week.

The Convict Camps and the Drainage
Work to Be Discussed-The skida-
way Bridge to Be Settled-What the
Convicts Are Doing.
The county commissioners were to have
held their June meeting yesterday, but on
account of the absence of the clerk Capt.
John r. Dillon, who is confined to his room
on account Of sickness, and the fact that
only two of the commissioners, Chairman
Dale and Commissioner Chaplin, were
present, the meeting took a recess until
some day next week to be named by the
chairman.
This months meeting is expected to be
very interesting one, as there are many
matters to which grand jurles have
called attention that will come before the
board. Especially interesting will be the
matters Of roads, the convict camps and
drainage system.
The Skidaway people, too will bring up
the matter of the bridge from Isle of
Hope to their island, of which they say
they are just now very much in need.
They were ready to appear before the
board yesterday afternoon, and had a bid
to put before the commissioners for the
construction of the bridge within the
amount named by the grand jury, which
was $1,000 The Skidaway people are
very anxious to have this matter attended
to at the earliest possible date, as a
means of ready passage from the island
to the mainland is very much desired.
WORK OF THE CoNvIoTs.
Mai. Blandford was ready to submit his
report for the past month, but the meet
-, .
not read. He said that about 106 prison
ers have been employed on the drainage
work regularly during the month. A gang
of about twenty-five men from Camp No.
l are working on the drainage of the
White Bluff road, cutting outlet bitches.
Since the last meeting of the commission
ers about two miles of outlet bitches and
about four miles of side bitches have been
dug along this road. All the bitches
along the road have been cleaned out, but
there is yet to be dug about three miles
of side bitches and one mile of outlet
bitches before the work will be complete.
THE LAMAR SWAMP.
There have been thirty-six men at work
on the drainage at Camp No. 2. This
gang has now penetra TED about three
fourths of a mile through Lamar's
swamp. This canal is draining much
land which has heretofore been covered
with water and is opening it up to cult
walton. Camp No. has had an average
force of twenty-eight men at work on the
drainage. This gang has completed the
system of new drains near Fairview and
has drained the ponds on the Gordon
place on the Thunderbolt road The
drainage Of the Placentia swamp district
has progressed about half mile to the
south of the Thunderbolt road just in the
rear of Thunderbolt, Much has been ac-
s,1,, 1fcIa cd an hn nfrar in
tion, and the county within a distance of
four miles from the city limits is now
better drained than it has ever been
before
THE DRAINAGE WEST OF THE CITY.
In the matter of the petition of Jacob
Paulsen and others, for the drainage of
the ponds adjacent to the oar factory on
the Ogeechee canal and along the right
of way of the Central railroad as far out
as the Tenbroeck race course, Maj. Bland
ford says the section mentioned needs
drainage badly, but does not come within
the Jurisdiction of the county. AS ii is in
the Jurisdiction of the city, Maj. Bland
ford suggests that the attention of the
city and the railroad authorities be called
to the matter.
Maj. Blandford says the cattle are
doing great damage to the drains every
where in the county. Some of the smaller
of shape and filed up.
HOW CoNvICTs ESCAPE.
Last Monday there were two escapes
from the gang James Griffin, colored,
escaped from gang cutting a ditch
through the Lowell place, near the Vernon
race track. The guard fired at him, but
he disappeared in the bushes before a
second shot could be fired.
David Williams, colored, escaped from
gang clearing the right of way in Guy
Ter swamp. The guards cannot leave their
gangs to follow an escape, consequently
when one gets out of range or in the
bushes there can be no pursuit until extra
men can be obtained. This gives an es-
cape good start, and in this season in
the dense swamps it is difficult to find
them.
Maj. Blandford says as there is no re-
ward for the capture of an escaped CON
Wet, no one manifests any interest in it
except the guards. He thinks if there
were q small reward offered in each case,
the negroes themselves would inform on
such convicts and many more of them
would no a.apaptt1pa1