The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-01
A GOOD YEAR FOR HEALTH.
HEALTH OFFICER BRUNNER DIS
CUsSEs SANITARY AFFAIRS.

]
the Sewage of the City Into the sa-
vannah River at Any Nearby Point.
He l. in Favor of Rigid Quaran-
tine and Advances n Proposition 10
Attack Yellow Fever in Its Lair.
The annual report OF Health Officer
| Drummer for 1895 shows that the death
rate in the city for the year just closed
/ was lower than for any of the previous
I fifteen years, with the exception OF 1884
The death rate last year. according to
/ the health officers figures, was
/ twenty-four per 1000 inhabitants,
/ fifteen per 1000 for whites, and
/ thirty-three per 1000 for negroes. The
rate is based up an estimated population
OF 5i,5O0-30.000 whites and 2i,5O0 negroes.
! The statistics submitted by the health
officer show that the death rate has,
with occasional variations, steadily de-
/ creased during the last fifteen years, the
| decrease being most marked during the
last five years. The lowest death rate
| shown was that of 1894, which was twen-
| ty-two per 1000.
! Some interesting figures are submitted,
showing the death rate in different sec
tons Of the city. The city is divided for
this purpose into four divisions, with a
| view to showing the relation of the death
rate to sanitary conditions. In the first
division he places all the territory between
the river, Anderson street. East Broad
street and West Broad street. The other
three divisions are the territory east Of
East Broad street. that west of West
Broad street and that south of Ander-
son street The population of the middle
district is placed al 30, OO0-22, 600 whites and
4t,-
at 4,J0-200O whites and $500 negroes;
OF the western district at 1900 900
whites and 5000 colOred, and the southern
district at 5,OOO-2,OO0 whites and 5000 col
In the middle district there were 475
deaths. Si6 white and 239 colored making
death rate of 10 per Loo to the whites,
ana IS Tor the colored. In the eastern dis
| trict the death rate was 10 per 1000 for
whites and 40 for cOlored. In the west
ee59n district the rate was 10 for whites and
IS Tor colored, and in the southern district
y was, whites, Y per 1000, and colored,
Or. Drummer attributes the varying death
rate OF the different districts to the SAINT
tary conditions, and the habits of the
PTsSS s low inhaedit ea,g those districts It's
,,iSata low ueath rate OF the
the fact that it is inhabited by the most
intelligent portion of the citys population
and that the sanitary conditions are bet
ter than IN any other portion of the city
The high death rate of the western district
is attributed to the large negro popula-
tion of the lowest class, and the fact that
malarial influences are well marked
The high death rate of the whites in the
| southern section is attributed to the prev
alence of malaria. due to the badly drained
lands south and southwest of the city
The lesson in this, he says, is that the low
lands south and southwest of the city
! should be thoroughly drained and the
citys water mains extended through the
southern district.
DR.. Drummer presents his views on house
I Ire d no Of 10Th Lilo
the subject. In the first place, he says
the present combination system of sewer
age was built years ago when hygiene
and sanitary engineering were in their in
fancy. These sewers he says, are neither
more nor less than elongated prvy
vaults" quoting from another on. the
same subject. They are good enough, he
says, 10 be used for the transportati ton
OF surface water, but as conVeyers of
they would be condemned by any sani-
| tary engineer. The sewers, he says, are
built OF wrong material, with no system
as TO general outlet and in some instances
constructed without reference to per-
forming the work Of a sewer.
when the work of house drainage be-
gins, Dr. Drummer says, our antiquated.
ill-built sewers must be abandoned so far
as house drainage proper is concerned
Their use for carrying off surface water
DR.. Drummer takes up the question of the
Quiet. lie takes strong grounds against
emptying the sewage at the mouth of the
where the water supply may be contami-
mated. 1t should not be at any point
! along the wharf front, he says nor should
II enter the Savannah river at any point
In close proximity to the city. The rea-
sons given for his position are as fol-
| lows: There would be pollution of the
| banks of the river, caused by the lodg-
| ment of sewage matter and that such I.
| pollution already exists is evidenced by
| the foul smell arising from the river at low
| water during the summer months. Again
| ~ Is not by any means certain that the
city may not be compelled to return to
| the river Tor its water supply. The his
tory of artesian wells on the sea coast
and the statements of the superintendent
| of the water works show that this is
not a far fetched statement
1T is with no feeling of unkindness, nor
Is It with any desire to cast any reflec-
| DR., Drummer that your health officer
| calls your attention to one most impor-
tant fact and that is this. In preparing
! for this great work you should have the
| best sanitary opinion as to what is to be
! done. Such an opinion cannot be obtain
! ed in Savannah. There is not a man in
! Savannah who is competent to give to MS
! the latest thought and, at the same time
! the practical experience necessary for a
| system of house drainage for this city if
| We are building for the future as well as
! FOR the present and If We wish for the best
results, The cheapest work in
| sanitation is the costliest and il the CITY
| is not able at this time to obtain the best
! sanitary advice this country affords she
| should wait until she is able to do 50
| age entering the Savannah river at any
| point between Fort Oglethorpe and the
| city your health officer protests.
| DR.. Drummer quotes extracts from reDorts
| OF distinguished medical men on the eff
| feet of polluted water in causing epidem-
| les both in this country and abroad Epi-
| denies of cholera and typhoid fever are
! shown to have been traced in almost
! every instance to polluted water supply.
! He concludes that II is almost impossibie
| to dispose of sewage in tide-water streams.
| He quotes AN eminent sanitary engi-
neer," with whom he states he has cor
( responded on this subject as follows:
| The project for discharging the crude
/ sewage of your city into the Savannah
! river at the mouth of the Bilbo canal is
/ deserving of only a most emphatic con-
| demnation. II suggest neither SANTA
/ tiOn nor good engineering
Now, what will occur when the
/ sewage of from $1,000 to 10000
/ people is turned into a stream CON
stantly changing in velocites and with
/ reversing currents? Deposits and sedi-
mentation along the city front and
| throughout the river below. No other re-
/ suit can be anticipated . Whenever
city anywhere has attempted to dispose Of
| sewage under conditions like those pro
! 1eCted for Savannah, and has given time