The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-05
BETWEEN TWO OPINIONS.
COUNTY COMMISSIONER TO DIS
CUSS THE OGEECHEE CANAL

Naj BIandford Thinks 1t Can Read.
lily BE Used as a Drainage Mfdium
While SIr. Brown Thinks II Can.
NOTIFIED OF the Canal Several Feet
Above Some of the Swamps-Is tho
swamp Water Wanted Near tht
City:-The Question to Cone Up OF
Thursday. "
The question of the Ogeecnee lanai as "A
drainage medium is one with which the
county commissioners will probably have
10 deal in earnest at an early aaP. The
subject is now being gone into prety thor
oughly, and it is pretty certain to come
up for discussion al the DecemHr meet
ing of the board next Thursday.
1t appears that the question Is a two
sided one, and the commissioners will find
before them two reports on ue subject
one of these was made by daj. r. A.
Blandford at the time he wa county en-
gineer and the other will besuomitted at
the coming meeting by Mr.. N. f. Brown,
the present county engineer. The inter-
esting feature is that thse reports are
Numerically opposite.
Maj Blandford, in his reprts announced
his belief that II would be thoroughly prac-
ticlble to use the canal fol drainage pur-
poses. He thought that hginning at the
divide which is about eighf miles from the
city toward the west, all Tat section could
be drained into the Savannah river. To
do this, however, it WouI4 be necessary to
dredge out the canal 50 as TO lower its
bottom in certain PLACES where the
swamps are below thaElevel. This Maj
Blandford considered could be done at a
comparatively low cost and the drainage
of that section accomplished at much less
expense to the county tlan by other means
Maj. Blandford recently wrote a letter to
Mr. ]. r. SauSsy the county attorney, in
which he called attentiop TO his reports
upon the subjects and this letter will prob
ably be submitted to the board.
AT the same time, there win be sub
mtted to the board Mr.. Browns report.
on account of tie fact that some of the
swamps through which the Ogeechee ca
nal runs are five or six feet below the
bottom of the cahal, Mr.. Brown thinks it
would be imprac fcable to drain them into
the canal. 1t IL true that the county
dredge might be used to deepen the canal
and lower its bottom, but in his opinion
this would probsbly entail a larger ex-
pense than the work warrants In the
second place he GOES not believe that all
the swamp Waterfront that section should
be brought down TO the city, as it would
be coming to the mouth of the canal where
1t emptes into the river. Other objections
against the use of the canal for drainage
as such are interpdsed by Mr.. Brown He
suggests, however that the canal might
be used in part for laterals to more
practicable drainage system for those
swamps
Thus the board will have to contend with
dissenting opinions. What the views of
the commissioners are has not been made
apparent as yet. There has not yet been
any conference with the Central of Geor-
gia Railway Company with reference to
the use of the canal, though the Central
has indicated a willingness to confer on
this subject, through President Il. NJ. Co
mer, and reach some proper understand
ing with regard to it. The Central is de-
sirous of using the portion of the canal
near its outlet for transportation pur-
poses and in any agreement made wants
TO retain this right. The suggestion that
condemnation proceedings might be IN
stituted on account of the fact that the
company has not complied with the terms
of its charter in the use of the canal
has been made, though, q far as known,
1t has not yet been seriously considered.