The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-04
THEY WENT TO BUcKHALTER.
COMMITTEE OF CITIZENS WHO ARE
INVESTIGATING DRAINAGE.


Swamps, bitches and Drains I'm the
County-They VIII Meet Next Tues
day Night to Make Up Their RE-
pOrt-SOme Splendid Roads Are BE-
ing Constructed Through the
Buckha1ter Wilderness While
Drainage is Being Neglected.
The citizens committee has inspected all
of the bitches and drains around the city,
and yesterday made their last trip. which
was to the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Buckhalter
swamp. The purpose of visiting this far
away land, where the county commission
ers have taken all of the convicts that
are available for drainage in the county,
was TO see just what bearing this work
has upon the general system of drainage
in the county, and to study what benefits
can be derived from such an undertaking
at this time looking to the healthfulness
of the city of Savannah.
The trip to Buckhalter swamp was full
of interest, and the members of the COM
mittee had occasion to see plainly that
the neglect of the swamps and bitches
close around the city of Savannah is glar-
being expended away out at Buckhalter
swamp. Pernicious fever beds have been
found by the citizens committee in the
pools Of stagnant water that are near the
city limits, and yet the entire force of
county convicts, except the few that are
engaged in road work, have been taken
away from these places and put to work
at Buckhalter swamp, seven or eight miles
from the city-a swamp which naturally
discharges into the Little Ogeechee river
far away from the suburbs of the city.
The citizens who formed this special
committee of investigation, undertook the
work purely from the standpoint of rem
derng a service to the public at large in
reporting from an unbiased view the exact
condition of the drains around the city
and give some expression which may be
taken as a suggestion in the way of recon-
mending what should be done to benefit
the greatest numbers of tax payers. Those
who formed the investigation party yes
terday were as follows: Messrs. C. H.
Dorset. John H. Cavanaugh, A. w. Har-
mon, Capt. H. NJ. Branch, Capt. A. Nee.
Duncan and Mai. r. A. Blandford.
The committee left the De Soto hotel at
o'clock sharp in carriages furnished by
the Morning News and went out the Wa
ters road to Montgomery cross roads and
thence westward to inspect the Harmon
swamp territory. Between the Waters
road and the White Bluff road two of its
small tributary swamps are crossed by
the Montgomery cross road. At each of the
crossings a line drain pipe had been laid
to carry the water under the road. In the
opinion of the members of the investigat-
ing party these were entirely too small 10
meet the fulhlment of the purpose intend
ed, but be this as ii may, even though
recently laid both of these lines have been
broken and the first heavy rain may fin
sh the work of destruction.
For the first time, however, since the
citizens committee has been going over
the drainage of the county, they found in
the Harmon canal a clean drain. The re-
cent work which seems to have been done
here has put the canal in very good condi-
ton But, the Harmon canal, as is known,
is about six miles from the city. The mem
bers of the committee thought it a pity
that the canals nearer the city were not
put in this condition before the Harmon
canal, as they are of infinitely greater i'm
portance to the safety and healthfulness
of the city than the more distant canals of
the county.
After inspecting the territory of the
Harmon canal the party went out the
Buckhalter road. This roadway has been
virtually rebuilt from the point where il
leaves the Middle Ground road out to
near Chairman Dale's place, which is not
far from the work that is being done on
Buckhalter swamp. Just beyond the
place where the road crosses the Buck
halter swamp there has been great bou>
levard built on a spur of road track,
which has not until lately been consid-
cred a public highway, to be worked by
Ia hOnlp-
ward is entirely out of line with the other
road work in that neighborhood. 1t is a
great broad highway; and has been eX-
cellently graded.
This boulevard Is nearly a mile long,
and has formerly been nothing more than
a spur of a track, which was never con-
sidered a public roadway. 1t was the
best built dirt road the committee has
yet seen.
The committee found that there were
about fifty men at work on the Buck
halter canal above the Buckhalter road,
which is nearly two miles from the place
they should have been at work-the out
let.
The committee went down to the place
where the dredge was formerly a work.
They found that the dredge, which was
burned recently, has not yet been rebuilt,
and Is not yet at work, though the work
of construction is now being carried on.
place where the dredge is stationed.
1t was the general opinion of all the
committeeman that Buckhalter swamp is
too far away from the city for this work
to be carried on at a time when the
swamps and drains close to the city are
in such need They agreed unanimously
that this work should not be carried on
while drainage is needed so badly closer
to the city. and they think that the coun-
ty commissioners should correct the error
they are making without delay
IL was found by the committeeman that
there is new convict camp established
on the east side of the Waters road, just
the other side of Estill avenue. This
camp is perhaps. for the convicts. who
will be put to work on the new road to
Thunderbolt.
The citizens committee will hold a
meeting Tuesday night for the purpose of
making out the report for publication on
drainage. They will also investigate sew
eral other complaints concerning drainage
close to the city before they will conclude
| their work.
MEETING OF THE YACHT CLUB.