Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-12-10

spots in the State, and. indeed, in our
country. and is dotted by the summer
residences of many of our most promi-
nent citizens. including retired army
officers. Unhealthy? It is prepos-
ferrous. And Jefferson Barracks, situ-
ated at the southeast gate to our great
city and enjoying equal sanitary ad-
vantages. is to be, abandoned on Rc-
count of its unheslthfulness! It is ri
diculonsly absurd. The mortality re-
ports of the different cities makes st.
Louis one of the healthiest in the
country, and this idle talk will have
little effect. No drum-head investiga-
ton will be permitted to cast this slur
upon our city and State without a pro-
test that will demand recognition and
fair treatment. There is, as I said,
something not of sanitary nature I'M
DERIVING this extraordinary movement
that must be brought TO light. 1t shall
be my purpose to see that Sanitary
Committee passes upon this important
| question before this arbitrary action
| is consummated.
There seems to be another hitch in
the proceedings locating the Rife
| Range in the Arcadia Valley. But the
hitch only means delay. Ifthose high
in authority in army circles can be
governed by right. truth and justice
the range is now practically certain
to be located in this Valley. A few
weeks ago it was thought that the deal
had been completed, all details ar
ranged and there was nothing left to
be done but the payment of the money
| aud transfer of title to the government.
| About two weeks, ago, however. a
| staunch friend of the Arcadia Valley.
| who makes his winter home in St.
Louis, sent word that the army sur
geous located at jefferson Barracks,
had made an adverse report in regard
to the location of the rifle range in Ar
cadia Valley, stating, in said report,
that the Valley was sickly and uu-
healthy place, and therefore an unde-
| sirable location. The report seemed
so ridiculous and absurd that it could
hardly be believed. A little investi-
cation, however, proved that it was
only too true. The army surgeon and
his assistant at Jefferson Barracks had
1
Valley to be a malarious and sickly
section. The fact that this Valley,
probably the healthiest spot in the en-
tire Mississippi Valley, should be de-
clared malarious, is enough to provoke
mirth were the possible consequences
not so serious. The friends of the
Valley, however, Immediately made
complaint before the Surgeon General
at Washington, who has since appoint
ed committee to investigate the mat
ter, and before whom will be present
ed the evidence showing the Injustice
done the Arcadia Valley by the Jeffer-
son Barracks, surgeons. If the COM
. mission is a fair one, and there is no
doubt but that it will prove such, there
can be no question of the result; the
rifle range will come to the Arcadia
Valley. The St. Louis papers are
claiming that the officers in charge at
Jefferson Barracks are using their in
auence to have that stationed abandon
ed as military post. These papers
also assert that the crowd that wants
to abandon the Barracks is opposed to
the location of the Rifle Range in this
Valley. In regard to this matter
AuCoNdS ACpNOtfC says ~ 10 BCS-
essary that a post OF the size of Jeffer-
son Barracks should have a shooting
range, and year or two ago meas
ures to provide one were instituted in
Congress. Seth w. Cobb succeeded
in securing an appropriation OF 3d.,
900 for the purpose, and Captain Chase
was instructed to look about for
suitable location for the range. And
much investigation he decided upon
the beautiful Arcadia Valley as being
in every way the most desirable. Ac-
cordingly the ground upon which the
range was to be located was rented.
1t should have been purchased out
right, for the money had been provId-
ed, but for some unknown reason it
was only rented, with the privilege
of purchase. Last summer the troops
were marched to the Arcadia Valley
, and there went into camp. For some
reason there was considerable sickness
among them. and when several of them
had been removed to the old hospital
at the Barracks, some cases OF typhoid
developed. From reliable sources
comes the information that Lieutenant
Colonel Henry did not spend as much
as on hour in the camp, although he
was guest of VIM. H. Thomson at
his summer villa in the vicinity. New
ertheless, aforementioned Henry
forwarded a report adverse to the
healthfulness of the locality. So did
Major J. b. Girard, the post surgeon,
who did not visit the camp at all. Now
, pretty nearly everybody in Missouri
knows that the Arcadia Valley has
long been famous as a health resort.
Resident physicians assert That during
years of practice they have never
: known a genuine case of typhoid or
malaria to originate in the Valley.
Lieutenant-ColonelH Henry and Major
Girard, however, held to the contrary
; and so stated in official reports"