The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-21

Der of foreign laborers were landed mere,
who, being very poor, huddled togetiher ,l IN
the eastern and western suburbs,
WI There down. they with Ter0 a SOON Very ia
tai fever which lin some instances termi-
mated in black vomit, while the reslaehts
remained peculiarly free from any teVer
1T It was only then that council passed a
dry culture ordinance. Dry culture CON
tracts were made and carried into eHect.
In that ordinance may be found the FOL
lowing paragraph: 1t does appear 70
council that these measures Will nave me
effect of so amelorating the health OF the
city as to check, if not prevent, the raw,
ages produced by autumnal teVersi ana
render it a safe and healthy residence,
which from its high, dry and adVantage-
Gus situation, nature intended 1t to be.
When this ordinance was first enforced
QS1S) the rice fields were still in perfect
order, being thoroughly drained, they
were easily kept dry and the mortality
that year fell TO one in siXty-two--a mag
nificent result! Far beyond the eXpecta-
ton of the most sNngulne advocate OF Try
culture. But dry culture did not pay,
and the owners of the land failed to carry
out their contracts, and the following sea-
son the bitches nlled and were rendered
worthless by the trampling OF cattle and
by rank vegetation Every rice Planter
knows the rapidity of decay and ruin OF
the drainage of rice lands by one season
neglect; to this neglect may be ascribed
the great increase i'm mortality in 1919 and
1870 (Dr. j. }. w aring's report, page 10. Dur
ing the first eighteen years of the present
century the average mortality in SaVan-
nah was ! to every II inhabitants. In 1917
in 975; 1918, l IN 81; 1919, l In IL; ED ! IN
5 ITO; 1921, in 81: 1922 / in 80 10; 1923, in
80 1T report of dry culture committee
to council. 1920. In 1921 q board Of health
took under its special care the condition
of our streets and lanes, and great atten-
ton was paid TO cleanliness. The owners
of dry culture lands were induced to pay
more attention To- their contracts and that
year the mortality was only l In ~ CDR
w. G. DanielD.
1.-THE epidemic of 1920 followed as con-
sequence of the two years neglect of
this lack of drainage we add the filthy
condition of the streets spoken of by DR.
Daniel, the heavy rainfall 90 inches) and
extreme heat average 80 degrees) that
season, and the exposure, by the burning
of q large portion of the town, of hun
dreds of filthy privy vaults, to the SUM-
Is it to be wondered at that cases of fever
terminating fatally should have occurred
as early as May, and been followed by
one the most fatal, fever epidemic (yei-
low feveC this country has ever expert
enced 900 deaths in population reduced
to $1,000.
It was soon after this epidemic
committee on dry culture, and
that the dry culture ordinance was again
enforced. Under the influence of better
drainage and of the cleansing Of her
streets and lanes, Savannah again i'm
proved In healthfulness, and from 1920 TO
ls54 there was no recurrence of an cpl
y
brought IN through the shipping. from
neighboring cities or originated here, as
will be seen in the following quotations
taken from a pamphlet on bilious and yell
low fever written in 1855 by DIR. r. ID. Ar
mold, an authority of wide reputation
upon yellow fever and who was the
mayor of our city for number Of years:
During the fall of 1927 yellow fever broke
out in our city; 1t did not prevail extern
slvely, for coming late that season, its
mighty destroyer, frost, put an end to il
before IL had time TO spread.
From 1890 TO 1899. never saw case Of
yellow fever In the city. That year a
man came 20 the city from Augusta
(where there was an epidemic) and died
Of genuine yellow fever in the hospital a
couple of days after. . A short time
afterward patient from Charleston en-
tered and died. II is worthy Of
recollection that although these cases
were placed in the wards Of the hospital
hlled with bilious fever patients, there
was no propagation OF the disease. .
met with one solitary case
vomlt IN 1870: an unacclinated
foreign lady, who had not stirred out OF
the city during the whole summer. .
In March 1871 a case was brought to the
hospital from Demerara aud IN October
OF the same year a case occurred in my
brought at the hospital In the fall Of that