The San Francisco call., 1896-06-21
GREAT FAITH IN
A WOMAN OFFICIAL.
President Sarah Shuey Gets
Down to Business at
Once.
TIDAL CANAL PROBLEM.
Two Cities Trusting to Her
Wisdom. for Practical
Relief
TEN YEAR OLD GRIEVANCE.
A Large District Depopulated Because
of the Existing Menace to
Health
TEN YEAR old GRIEVANCE.
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, !
Q0S Rroad uau Inna %

A task that men have failed to accom-
plish will probably be successfully handled
by woman The task Is the tidal-canal
problem, and the woman IS DIR. Sarah T.
Shuey, who was, last night, elected presi-
dent Of Oakland's Board of Health.
For many years the tidal canal, which
should be the great fusher for both Oak
land and Alameda, has been menace to
health. 1t has been permitted to fill with
sewage, and the Government appropria-
tions have been spent in deepening the
approaches to the harbor and not to dredg-
iGg the canal so that each tide would
carry out to sea the deposits of the two
cities. The canal is now menace Of the
worst kind to the public health, and is
daily growing worse.
The people of Oakland declare that Ala
media has created and Is creating the nui-
sance. and the people across the estuary
make similar charge against this city.
Considerable diversity of opinion ex-
lists as TO the best method of remedylng
the evil. Similar differences have
existed for many years. and each
year the number of residents in
the vicinity of the arm that cements the
two cities has greatly decreased. tits said
that altogether as many as 500 families
have been driven from the nelghborhood
since the exodus commenced. Alamedans
believe that tive-foot trench which would
connect the canal with San Leandro Bay
would flush it, but others differ. Engineer
Won Schmidt of San Francisco, who has
investigated the matter, says that trench
would do little or no good.
The Alameda Health Board, which for
merly maintained that the refuse from the
East Oakland tanneries was washed into
the canal and caused the stencil, are now
convinced that it is caused by the Fruit
vale sewer which discharges into the canal.
Experiments have been made with marked
barrels at the upper end of the canal. The
outgoing tide floats them as far west as
the Government bridge, but the next tide
carries Them back again. From this it
would seem that the accumulated sewage
for years has settled east OF the bridge.
The question of paying for the trench in
case it should be aug is another matter to
be decided TIE Alamedans say the Gov
ernment caused the nuisance and that the
Federal appropriation should be used to
abate it. Oaklanders are opposed to this
and object TO the money intended for har-
Dor improvements being used for any
other purpose. Another proposition is
that the nuisance should be abated and
that each city should pay one-half the
cost.
So long as the Boards of Health OF both
cities were composed entirely of men there
seemed no prospect of any intelligent
agreement being reached.
DR.. Sarah Shuey's first act as president
of the Oakland Health Board was to APP
point herself with Drs. Lackey and Beck
with, committee to meet the Alameda
board and reach some conclusion. They
will meet in few days and expect to
make practical report at the next meet
ing