The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-06
QUARANTINE TO BE IMPROVED.
NO TINE TO BE LOST IN MAKING
THE NECESSARY REPAIRS.

Chairman Reid of the HarbOr nnd
Wharyes Committee VIII Begin
the work MOndny-The Cost OF
Necessary Repairs Estimated at
S1.7OO-The Importing of Coffee a
Nut for the sanitary Board tn
Crack - Can. Charleston Import
From santos without Danger, ana
If SO. Why Not Snvannnhs
The work of placing the quarantine sta
ton in proper condition for the handling
OF shipping is to begin at once.
Alderman w +. Reid, chairman of the
harbor and wharves committee Of council,
said yesterday that he will go down to
quarantine Monday with a force of six
men to begin the work of moving ballast
out of the way in order that the supports
to the runs for removing ballast may be
gotten at and new supports provided. In
their present condition, Alderman Reid
said, the whole framework Of the runs
might be thrown over by a heavy wind
In addition to providing new supports
new planking will be put in in order that
the sailors in unloading ballast may do
so without the danger of having the rot
ten planking give way and precipitate
them upon the ballast below. Alderman
Reid estimates that all the repairs neces-
sary at quarantine at present will cost
about $l.700.
Considerable repairing will have to be
done to the wharf and new piles driven
along the wharf front for the protection
of the wharf and also for the safety of
vessels mooring there. a careful esti-
mate of the amount of work necessary to
be done will be made by the harbor and
wharves committee and bids advertised
for. 1t is the intention of the committee
to compete the work by May l, when the
close season begins.
Mayor Meldrim said in speaking of the
matter, that as the quarantine station
might be regarded as the gateway of the
city's commerce there is every reason why
1t should be maintained in a creditable
condition, both for appearance sake as
well as for material reasons.
so far as the city government is con-
cerned," he said, 1--WE shall do everything
in our power to remove every obstacle to
the city's commerce which may exist"
Mayor Meldrim's attention was called
TO the fact that a cargo of coffee had re-
Gently been imported into Charleston
from Santos by the Charleston Importing
Company. The mayor replied that he
had spoken to DR.. Drummer about il and
that the matter would probably come up
before the sanitary board at its next
meeting. All vessels arriving at Santos
at this port have always been regarded
with grave suspicion, being well known
to be one of the worst yellow fever ports
in the world.
This shipment of coffee from Santos
presents a double question Either Sa-
vannah is being deprived Of a valuable
trade by unreasonable quarantine restric-
lions or the Charleston authorities are en-
dangering themselves and their neighbors
by very lax quarantine. II is a well
known fact that for many years Savan-
nah enjoyed a very profitable commerce
in coffee. For forty or fifty years, the
firm of Weed & Co, Weed & Cornwell
and later Joseph d. Weed, supplied a
large territory with coffee imported dl-
rect from Rio, which trade was said by
those engaged in il to have been broken
up by the quarantine restrictions, though
It is also said that no vessel in the coffee
trade between Savannah and Rio ever
brought a case of sickness to this port.
The last cargo of coffee was imported In
1886 during the incumbency of the late
DR. Mcfarland as health officer.
Mayor Meldrim said, in speaking of CHS
subject, that he was Informed that the
conditions of the trade had changed and
that the importations of coffee to this
country are now controlled by the New
York Coffee Exchange. He understood
he said, that even New Orleans no lon
ger imports coffee from South America.