Evening star., 1895-09-05
A Concentration of Nuisances.

To The Editor of The Evening Star:
AS The Star is ever ready to welcome to
It's columns any articles tending to the
abatement of nuisances and the improving
of the sanitary condition Of the city, which
have so much-to do with "the issues of life
and of DEATH" I write you this commnnica-
ton in order to call the attention OF the
District Commissioners and the health Of
ficer to the very insanitary and disease
breeding state of things in the immediate
vicinity of South Capitol street, extending
from the Baltimore and Potomac railroad
on the north to that foul cesspoof of foster
ing filth. the Anacostia river. on the SOUTH
Allow me to locate a few of those air
poisoners to which have alluded. Directly
opposite the railroad round house on South
Capitol street is an immense manure pile,
suggesting foot hill in Its blgness on
the western slope of this huge dung hill
comes the James Creek canal, whose slug
gish, fetid waters are as black as ink, and
whose stencil is Sickening even to the
passer-by. Then here and there not lar
away are various unsavory dumps, whose
lurid smoldering fires at night remind one
of the place of torment for the lost. The
writer has had some sad experience of the
unhealthiness caused by these. noXious ex-
halations in visiting at all hours of the
night the afflicted ones who were suffering
from malarial diseases. Does not the ofH-
cial cry from the navy yard near by that
about one-half of the soldiers and sailors
assigned to duty there have been stricken
down In their young and vigorous MANHOOD
by malarfa1 fevers possess a terrible sig
nificance in this connection? DO not the
sufferings of these innocent victims of in
sanitary conditions plead for cleanliness
ard atmospheric purity? Let the District
Commissioners and the health officer drive
down South Capitol street to the Anacostia.
Let them go and stand on the NJ street
bridge where it crosses the James Creek
canal, keeping their eyes and nostrils open
while they do so. Then let them drive over
to the Anacostia bridge by the navy yard,
when the tide is out and the early frostS
of the fall have killed the rank vegetation
covering the shallow stream. and the whole
mass lies rotting and fostering in the sun,
and they will readily see that the short
coming at the mouth of the 9Th street
sewer is a part. but not the whole, Of the
evil. AS for the matter of adding another
nuisance to Southeast Washington by put
ting a garbage crematory at the foot of
South Capitol street, with its endless chain
of reeking garbage carts, I feel that such
q thing, under all the circumstances of the
case, is simply preposterous. Let all nec-
essary nusances, if movable, be outside
the city limits, and the unnecessary ones
be abated. Let the James Creek canal be
made a covered sewer, and the Anacostia
fats be reclaimed and beautified. How
ever brusaue and unpopular Gen. Ben. But
zens of New Orleans while military gov
ernor there, he is, after all, entitled to
their perpetual gratitude for driving the
yellow pestflence from their city by his
energetic measures of sanitary reform.
The writer of this knows of no nobler duty
for the honorable and popular gentlemen
who are at present the Commissioners and
health officer of the District than that of
seeking out the dark and insanitary spots
and making this city as healthy as it Is
beautiful, and in doing they will win
| many laurels from their fellow citizens.
SOUTHEAST.