The morning times., 1896-10-07
CAUSED BY POTOMAC FLATS.
Increase of Malaria in the
Army Traced to Them.
MEDICAL MEN SAY so
More Cases of Mularinl Fever in
Washington Barracks and Fort
Myer Than at Any Other Post in
the Country.

Fort Mycr and the Washington Barracks
have furnished the great percentage of The
increase i'll the cases of malaria in the
army during the year Just ended.
Tins fact is mace prominent in the re-
port of the surgeon general OF the army,
lust published. OF thlsthe surgeon general
says:
Although some of the posts In New
York, such rs Fort Hamilton, Already cited,
Fort Wadsworth, Willets Point and West
Point, contributed 10 the Increased rates,
the two posts on the Potomac River ut
the National Capitai-Fort Myer, Va, and
Washington Barracks. d. D.C.-were the main
source OF the increased rates, not only of
the Depart me nj OF the East but OF the army
as a whole, the former having l,0S2.59
admission OF 1907 noncfficiency per
thousand of strength, and the latter
1,079.S9 and 1871.
These rates indicate that the cavalry
force at Fort Myer suffered more than the
artillery ut Washington Barracks, but
this was by 10 means the case. for the
latter post is not credited with the whole
Of the record of sickness that belongs to
it. During the summer some OF the batter
les were Camped temporarily at Fort Mon
roe Va, for artillery practice, and the
recurring sickness among the men Of these
batteries gave Fort Monroe an admis 81 Oh rate
| of 1921 u for malarial diseases that were
| not Indigenous.
TOO LOW GROUNDS.
| Major Walter Reed. surgeon, United
| States Army, has Investigated the charic-
| ter. prevalence, and probable causation
of the inalaral fevers at the posts of Wash
ington Barracks aud Fort Myer. He finds
| that interInittents and aestivo -autuninal
| feyers prevailed at both posts, the pro-
| portion of the latter manifestations. as
|
| The blood. being greater at Washington
| Barracks. The record from 1871 Ia the
| present tinc show that nialar rial diseases
| prevailed with varying intensity during the
| whole of This period. and that as rule,
| while the percentage was higher at the
| barracks Than at Fort Myer. there was
| n remarkable agreement in the rise aud
| fall of the annual rates at both posts
| He attributes the prevalence at the
| barracks to the low grounds surrounding
| the site of the post-the bottom lands OF
| the AnacOstia river on the east, the POto-
| mac flats and the low grounds OF the Viz
| giuia shore on the west, the marshes
| across the Anacostia on the south, and
| the james Greek Canal in the Immediate
| vicinity of the post on the northeast. He
concludes that the water supply is not COLI
| cerned III the propagation OF these fevers
| at this post. as 1t is dra wn FROM the mains
| of the city OF Washington. while the citi-
zens in the vicinity OF the post who are
exposed to the influences OF the neighbor-
| ing marshes suffer considerably from ma
larial Diseases those who live in other parts
of the city are unaffected. although using
the same Potomac River supply.
From a close study OF the conditions at
Fort Mycr, he concludes that the fcvers
there are to be attributed to the marsh
lands of the Potomac valley, as in the case
| OF Washington Barracks. The water sup
| ply is shown to have had no influence in
modifying the prevalence Of the fcvcrS, is
1 they continue to occur during several
changes OF the supply and even during a
| period when the supply was boiled and
| filtered. He draws attention to point
OF interest developed by comparative
| study OF the meteorological conditions and
| the prevalence OF malarinI fcvers; that
the years having I he highest average tenn
perature for July, August. September and
| October, with lowest humidity for he same
months, are thoSci in which rnala rial disca ses
We're most prevalent
SPECIAL REPORT. .-,a
DR.. Reed, in his special report on the
Washington Barracks, says.
| This post occupies Il point OF land
known as Turkey BuZZard, or Iireeuleals
| Point, which is situated at the junction
| of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers. II
embraces, at present, SiNty-nlne acres oI
land. Its surface is nearly a level plane,
with the highest ground on the line formed
! by the main roadway, from which the
surface slopes gently to the Potomac River
on the western border, affording good
surface drainage on this side. The slope
of tile ground is much less on the eastern
half of the reservation, along which, for
| its entire length, the James Creek Canal
| flows Hence the surface drainage on this
side is not good, and this remark espe
cially applies to the northeastern corne
| of the grounds. The average height oi
Greenleafs Point above the water levc
| OF the Potomac River is not more than
twenty feet.
ITO the east of Washington Barracks
2 | there is an extensive tract OF low, badly
| drained land stretching along the igh,
| bank of the Anacostia River. On the
! narrow Washington channel of the west.
| ern side, and separated from 1t by the
| Potomac, is situated a recently made
| peninsula of low-lying ground-a continua
tion of the original Potomac Flats'-con
| sistipg of 621 acres of land, which is j t al
| times above the level OF the tides. and fol
the past five or six years covered with .
dense, rank vegetable growth. Farther
10 the west across the Georgetown channel
lie other extensive lowlands, forming tn,
western bank of the Potomac. In the i'm
mediate vicinity of the barracks, and ius
$ across the narrow James Creek Canal, il
a low-lying. marshy spot rather foul from
wage, of a few acres in extent, W hich Il
: exposed daily at low tides. To the i'm
mediate south, across the ADacostia River
$ there is an extensive area of ma rsh ground
whose dense vegetable growth is largeI.
exposed at low stages of the tide. i
. should be observed thatthe Potomac River
. which above the Aqueduct Bridge is
narrow stream with high banks, suddenI,
n | becomes much wider and of more sluggish
o current below this point, and hence an cX
/ pianatiOn is found for the forma ton @
much of the low-lying marshy ground
situated within and along this river a boy
and opposite the post of washington BaI
racks. r-'
: Il therefore conclude that the Source O
the malarial fevers al atWashiDgton BarraCk
: can he referred to the development Of tn
It specific Cause of malaria partly in tn
y soil upon which the post is located, and. 1
s Il still greater degree, to its development
:, in the extensive marsh lands lying in an
: along the Potomac and Anacostia rivers
q TYPO DELEG ATES MEET.
y Final Plans Made for Entertainment