The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-14
A HALT AT BUCKHALTE
SHOULD NOT PROCEED AIM
LESsLY.

4
watershed Should BE Turned Upon
the Drainage of BuckhaIter.
Objection having been raised by County
Commissioner Kehoe to the drainage work
at Buckha.ter swamp, an informal confer
ence was held yesterday by the commits
sioners to look into the exact plans by
which the swamp is being drained.
Chairman Dale, Commissioner Lathrop.
chairman OF the committee on drainage,
and Mr.. Kehoe were at the Office of the
superintendent of public works for the pur-
pose of going over the plan as laid out by
the engineers.
Mr.. Kehoe had asked that the plans be
| delivered to the board of commissioners to
be passed upon as a whole before the work
should proceed, as no plans and
estima ties Of cost had ever been submitted
for approval.
When this point was raised by Mr..
Kehoe it was decided by the commission
ers to have an informal conference con-
corning the work. The engineers maps
of the work at Buckhalter were thorough
ly examined. No regular meeting was
held, and no action was taken by the
commissioners as a body.
What 1 am objecting to-" said Mr.
Kehoe to a Morning News reporter lis
that the work at Buckhalter swamp has
been taken uD on no basis which has
been approved by the county commission
ers as body. l did not know anything
about any plans which may have been
brought up several years ago, nor do 1
think such plans feasible. 1 hold that If
the work of draining so vast a territory
be undertaken by the county commission
ers at this time and all the county forces
of laborers be taken to that point and
concentrated, the plans for the work
should have been formally brought up be-
fore the county commissioners and pass
ed upon before the work was begun.
Il have been TO the court house to-day
and have seen what the plans for the
work are, and I must say that l do not
agree with them in every particular. l
do not believe that the two great water
sheds known as the Musgrove watershed
and the Buckhalter watershed ought TO
be mixed in the drainage of Buckhalter
swamp.
The Musgrove watershed is over on the
Savannah river side Of the divide which
IS an elevation between that and the
Buckhalter watershed, and the latter lies
within the lowlands, so to speak, of the
Little Ogeechee river Now the point
am holding to is simply that the Musgrove
watershed ought to be drained through
the Springfield route 10 the Savannah
river, which is the nearest point and the
drainage which is natural, and l hold
further that the BUckhalter watershed
ought TO be drained into the Little Ogee-
chez river. which is its natural watershed
l raised the point in the meeting of the
commissioners Thursday that the tide in
the Little Ogeechee river was one foot
higher than the tide in the Savannah
river. Why then, is it the best plan to
empty the waters of the Musgrove water
shed. which is on the Savannah river side
of the divide, into the Little Ogeechee
along with the drainage Of the BuckhaIter
watershed? There is no sense in it. The
scheme will be trying to take natural
drainage away from the nearest natural
point for such drainage and empty it in
TO distant outlet over an elevation.
More than this, l believe the nearest
natural outlet of drainage is the better
plan to adoDt for turning loose the waters
Of any swamp, both from an economic
standpoint and a practical view.
Il believe that the work that is now go
ing on in Buckhalter swamp is all wrong
| have never been able TO see, since have
inspected the work closely, why the entire
force of cOnvicts should have been nut TO
work there digging a great ditch without
any banks aimlessy working away at no
particular plan, as il would seem further
/ than the general hope that some day-soue
distant day-there may be a tendency on
the part of the water in the Buckhalter
swamp to become very docile and abide the
wishes OF those who dug the bitches
In making these objections to the pres-
ent system am not prompted by any mo-
tive save that of trying to do what is right
as understand my duty as a county com
missioner. l would be slow to oppose any
movement which may have been started
. mi na-
| the county board Of commissioners if l
thought that the movement was for the
good OF the people of the county.
Il know however, that the people Of
Chatham county have already suffered
great loss in expenditures for drainage on
plans which were drawn by incompetent
engineers. II by any engineers al all. |
certainly am not endeavoring to raise a
difference with the chairman OF the COM
mssioners. Ny personal relations with
him are too close for me to have any
feeling Of that nature concerning him and
the work that n being carried on at Buck
halter swamp. Simply from the stand
point OF member of the commissioners
upon whom fall right heavily the respon-
sibilites of the Office / am seeking to get
at the right of this business
81 believe the men at the headquarters
agree with me that IL would be q bad idea
to cut the watershed of Musgrove swami
.
age of the Buckhalter watershed when
there is a dividing elevation between the
| two, and the drainage Of the one natur-
ally tending towards the Savannah river
| and the drainage OF the other tending 20
/ the Little Ogeechee whore there is a tide
1 one foot higher than in the Savannah riv-
er into which the drainage of the Mus
I grove swamp naturally tends / discuss.
I cd the matter with them this morning
and | believe the authorities in charge
| OF the work agrees with me that drain
age should not be taken long distance
/ 10 be empted into an outlet where the
| tide Is one foot higher than In the nat.
ural outlet. whlch rs nearer to the water
I shed. All Of tho water OF the Musgrove
watershed, according 20 the man
| of Mr.. Blanford. naturally
| tends toward the Savannah river. and
/ all Of the water Of the Buckhaltor water.
shed naturally tends to the Little Ogee-
chez river as an outlet. thus making A
divide between the two This M
what ! mean when refer to tho
divide This being true. what is the sense
Of the plan 90 take the water OF Musrrove
swamp across that divide and try TO COM
] Ney the drainage away over into ptteb