The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-13
A REFORM AT QUARANTINE.
SANITARY BOARD TO ESTABLISH A
NEW ORDER OF THINGS.

For Use-A New system TO Be
Adopted For DischargfnE Ballast.
The Sanitary Board to visit SnDelo
If Allowed TO Do So-Dr. lie Hardy's
Conference with the Druggists on
Free Medicines.
The sanitary board made its first visit
of inspection to the quarantine station,
since the election Of Dr. LeHardy as
health officer, yesterday afternoon.
owing to the fact that the recent reso-
luton of the board permitting members
of the board to visit the station during the
month Of May until the adoption of new
rules did not extend to persons not mem
bers of the board no one else was invited
to accompany the party. The members of
the board who made the trip were Drs.
IeHardy, Owens and Duncan, Mr.. W. 3.
Stinwen and Capt. T. S. Wylly. A quick
run was made and everything being IA
vorable, the trip proved a most delightful
one. The quarantine station was thor
oughly inspected, including the new work,
which has recently been done there.
AS result of the trip it is
likely that some very mate
rial changes will be made at the
station as early as possible. The Lidger-
wood trolley or some other system of rap
tdly unloading ballast is almost certain to
be put in The sulphur furnace which has
remained on the wharf at the station for
the last two or three years without ever
being used is to be put in condition for use.
The furnace will either be placed on
movable apparatus on the wharf or on
sloat on the river by means of which it
can be used to disinfect vessels in any
part of the channel. The old method
of disinfecting vessels by burning sulphur
in pots in the holds will necessarily be
continued until the furnace can be put in
condition for use.
One of the results of the visit to the
station was a decision that the board visit
the government quarantine station at Sa-
pelo for the purpose of learning what Is
the practice there in regard to discharging
ballast and disinfecting vessels. The visit
will be made provided permission can be
obtained from the proper authori-
ties and DR.. LeHardy will enter
into communication to-day with the
representative of the marine hospital
service here with view to securing the
desired permission. The members Of the
sanitary board have no desire to be put
in quarantine at Sapelo, which might be
the case if they should land there without
permission.
Copies of the quarantine regulations In
force at other ports will be secured Tor
information in revising the regulations
ba
desire Of the sanitary board Is to proceed
as rapidly as possible to put the station IN
good shape.
DIR. LeHardy. when seen after his re-
turn by a Morning News reporter, SAID;
''Our intention is to make the quarantine
the most thorough and the most safe, and
for that purpose to put 1t in the best con-
dition of any quarantine in the country
or on this mundane spere for that matter
The quarantine as Ii has been conducted
heretofore has not been a safe quarantine
although our people have been led to be-
lieve So
The money spent in putting the old runs
for unloading ballast in condition, Dr. Lee
Hardy says, has been wasted. The run
ways are up and down, up and down"
he said, 80 that 1t will require as much
effort to push an empty barrow back as
il takes to push the loaded barrow down.
1t is very slow method of discharging
ballast. Some method by which the bal
last can be rapidly discharged, such as
the Lidgerwood, is needed"
DR.. LeHardy's attention has been called
to the tramway system used by the guano
companies in unloading phosphate rock
and other bulk cargoes consigned to them,
and he intends making an inspection OF
these tramways at an early date.
Mayor Meldrim was invited 10 accom-
pany the party. but was unable to do so on
account of the business which has accu-
mulated upon him during his weeks alb
sence from the city.
Dr. LeHardy held a very interesting
conference at noon with the city physi-
clans and the druggist who are dispensing
medicines to the poor under city contracts.
He talked very plainly and told the drug
gists and the physicians that the present
system Of furnishing medicines to the poor
Is proving entirely too costly, and unnec-
essarily So and that they must devise
among themselves and suggest to him
some plan by which the system can be
worked more economically, and the abuses
10 which it has been subjected done away
with.
1t developed in the conference, so one of
the druggists present Informed a Morning
News reporter, that the druggists are not
in harmony with each other. Some of the
druggists, who have been making good
thing out of the city business in the past,
seemed TO be sore because other druggists
are getting the best of it now. In order to
avoid favoritism by the physicians to GER
tain druggists, 1t was suggested that pre-
ecriptlons should be filled at the drug
stores located in the districts in which
the patients reside. Dr.. Leliardy's objec-
tions were that too many costly prescrp-
lions were being filled, and too much pro-
prietary medicine ordered, when the ply
stefan giving the order could have filled
out prescription costing much less.
Tomorrow Dr. LeHardy expects to have
q meeting with the butchers and the green
grocers for the purpose OF calling their at
tention TO the unsanitary manner in which
many grocers keep their meats. allowing
them to become fiyspecked and covered
with dust. He will show them the neces-
eity for keeping the meats pure and clean
and win urge them to cooperate with
him By doing so In order that extreme
measures may not be necessary.
AT an early date Dr. Leliardy proposes
20 have a conference with the colored min
listers and physicians for the purpose OF
impressing upon them the necessity OF US
ing their influence with their people to
induce them 20 give more attention to
cleanliness and sanitary Jaws generally in
their persons habits ana habitations, in