The morning news., 1897-08-31

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| ham county should be provided, and ap-
propriated one-third of the state tax of
! the county for the year 1871 and appointed
special commission 20 receive the money
and construct the drainage in such man
ner as they should deem proper under the
control and supervision of the governor;
with power TO locate said drainage either
within or without the limits of the city
of savannah.
The commission, in the discharge of its
duty, confined the drainage to the imme-
diate vicinity of the city of Savannah,
and upon the exhaustion of the fund be-
came functus Ofiicio.
In the year 1878 the general assembly
passed a general act, whereby each and
every county in the state. whenever the
constituted authorities should see proper,
are authorized to establish and maintain
a system of drainage of the whole or any
part of the low lands thereof The act
ratified and validated all established sys-
TENS OF drainage. This act conferred no
power to condemn private property for
the construction of drains, and only au-
thorized the county authorities to acquire
the rights of way from the land owners
with their consent in considera ton of the
benefits conferred on them by the drainage
established. The power to condemn has
since been given.
In the year 1888 a special act was passed
for Chatham county vesting the control
and management of the drainage canals.
public drains and bitches in the county
commissioners. who are empowered to reg
ulate and control the manner of connect
ing with the drainage on the part of per-
sons owning lands adjacent thereto or
| through which the same may run, by
trunks, culverts, etc.
Authority was also given to the county
| commissioners TO compel all persons
through whose lands drains or bitches
have been dug by the owners thereof con-
meeting with said drainage canals pub
lie drains and bitches to keep the same
open and in good order and in harmony
with the general system of drainage in
the county" The county commissioners
were also authorized TO compel the owners
of toll roads to keep the bitches parallel
to or bordering on these roads open and in
good condition. These powers of the COM
missoners were not to be Constru-
ed TO deprive the corporate authori-
ties of the city of Savannah of the right
to have, hold, construct or maintain in
their own right any bitches, sewers drains
or other work anywhere in Chatham coun-
tY for the purpose of drainage in and
around the city for sanitary purposes nor
to deprive the said corporation of any
rights or privileges given them under sec
tion 1854 of the code or under any laws of
this state.
Under these powers the county COM
drainage which include the Casey canal.
ReDenne canal. Harmon canal. Hemp
stead canal Placentia canal, drainage in
the vicinity of the Isle of Hope, Minis
swamp, Lamar swamp. Dundee, Vale
Royal the McAlpin canal drainage IN the
vicinity of Pooler, Bethesda, White Bluff
! and Buckhalter. canal now being con-
structed, besides many laterals and
bitches
The enumeration of these systems,
though not exhaustive. is suffi icient to show
that the drainage of Chatham county is a
work of vast proportions. The large num-
Der of extensive SwampS traVersing the
county in all directions and the compare
lively small force of able-bodied convicts
under the control of the county commits
) siOners, make the progress of the drainage
slow and difficult
1t has been the practice of the commis-
sioners to have a general cleaning out
| of all the canals and bitches i'm the vi
| cinity of the city of Savannah every spring
| or early summer; and this practice has
been observed by the present board. The
| attention of your committee was called to
some of these drains which had been
cleaned this spring, but which now seem
ed obstructed by weeds and grasses. The
humidity and semi-tropical heat of our eli
mate promote the rapid growth of these
weeds and the enormous amount of work
to be done has rendered it impracticable
| to keep these drains entirely free from
vegetation; but the drains have, even in
their present condition, great capacity for
carrying off the water, and no case has
been brought to the attention of the board
where adjacent lands have been overflow
ed by the summer rains on account Of the
obstructed condition of these drains
1t is the purpose Of the county COM
missioners TO continue the construction
of canals and drains until every portion
IF ba Gh Of
drainage adapted to its necessities and
conforming to the natural drainage of
the respective watersheds. Until these
systems have been completed it will not
be possible to maintain perfectly clean
drains throughout the system; but it is
expected that when the heavy work of
construction has been completed it will
be practicable to keep the several systems
in good order and condition.
Very beneficial results have been at
tanned by the drainage constructed. Much
valuable and fertile land has been re-
claimed and made susceptible of cultiva-
tion, and the sanitary condition Of the
county aud city appreciably improved
In reference TO the public roads the
commissioners have to say that since
the control and mana cement of the public
roads has been committed to them,
continuous effort has been made to i'm
prove them. In September 1895. the work
was commenced on the Ogeechee road
and experiments made with various ma
terials. BY practical tests the commits
sioners have selected what is known as
Augusta gravel as the material best
adapted to the Improvement OF the public
roads.
Up 20 this time the following roads
have been improved to various distances
so as to provide the most sandy portions
with a hard. smooth surface:
Ogeechee road ......................5.5 - miles
Louisville road ......................4.7 Z miles
Augusta road ..............t........1.1m i miles
Bay street extension ...........,..1.4 4 miles
Schwarz avenue .....................5. miles
fsull avenue .'.'......s.......,....l.O % mile
waters avenue ....+................5.1 4 miles
Montgomery cross road ...........2.5 miles
lotdl '''s''''s.'s'ss's.'. '.s'......,.Zl.S miles
A new road has been established from
the intersection or junction of Estill ave-
nue. aud Waters road to Thunderbolt.
which viii be surfaced In tho same man
ncr as the above mentioned roads.
In answer to the question propoundcd
10y your committee in the hfth paragraph