The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1898-12-27
WARING, THE MARTYR.
THE SANITARY EXPERT GAvl HIS LIFE
FOR HAvANA'S HEALTH
Before Death tie Offered the Best Possible
Solution CT .he Problem of How to Clean
Cuba's Filthy Capital

JUDAS FILTHY capital
The death. I'm New York City on
Colonel George Warning. the sanitary
engineer who contracted yellow fever
in cuba while looking Ia the hes,
means of its determination. may well
direct the attention of the War De
partmeut To the condition which will
confront General Lees army of occu-
patton in Havana ana its suburbs, ana
To the instant necessity OF bcginn NJ
the work which. if properly pushed.
may make Of Havana comparatively
clean city within Il twelvcmOnth.
IL is understood that Colonel War
ing'S report has been completed. 1t
will contain recommendations which
in the light OF his conspicuous profes-
sional ability can only Lee regarded as
Offering the very best possible sOlu-
ton OF the problem which. left UNI
solved. will mean diStrcSSful martyr
dom Of American soldiers ana con
tinual menace To the public health in
our Southern States.
The report will recommend that Ha-
vana'S sewage SHOULD Lee directed into
the Gulf Of Mexico. rather than into
Havana harbor ana that canal be
rut acruSS the narrow neck OF land
back OF the city proper. connecting
the open tide wat + of the Gulf with
the stagnant puddle which is named
Havana Bay.
That canal Is the only solution Of the
problem IL cleansing and Keeping
clean Havana harIor. Even the Span
iSh had long ISo come To an apprc-
ciaiien of this fact. and every sue
ccsSivc colonial government has an
nounccd it's intention 10 dig the canal
-'manHua."
Havana naturally l. healthy city.
II is situated on high. rocky ground;
ii is swept AT all hours 10y invigornt-
ing and malaria d!Spcling ocean
hrcczcS; It's water works system.
Splcndidly conceived and fairly wei
executed brings a Hood Of cl, an.
sparkling wafer from the limestone
hills far away from any pos siblc
source of pollution. ana the climate
during eight months of the year is
delightful
There should he no malaria in la
vana; no catarrhal or pulmonary dis
Scourgcs of smallpox and yellow fc-
yer might be quickly and forever pro-
vidcd against 10y the acts Of modern
sanitation.
But centuries of easy -going. dirt
loving. careless Spanish African civ
ilization have made of the town ana
harbOr Il vcritablc Sinkholc of infect
ion which will require Il lot OF clean.
ing UP before the thou shall not
measures of modern sanitary care
may become prcvcntivcly cfIicac,ouS.
The canal is the alpha pcrforcc of
the new regime.
Havana harbor is sheet of water
of thirty square miles of superficial
surface and variable depth. 1t is
landlockcd to that degree that il is
comparable To Il dcmijohn. The mar
row bottle ncck-thrcc hundred yards
wide gives access To the Gulf which
has less than four feet of mean tide
variation. This is not sufficient 20
cause Il rise and fall or more than six
Inches ut each turn of the tide, meas
uring ut the steps Of Ia Machina
wharf.
For three hundred years all the
sewage. ofral and garbage of the city
OF Havana have been placidly
dumped into this comparatively small
basin of stagnant water. The result
Is best described in the words or
Gunner Charles Morgan, United
States Navy. who had charge of the
diving operations In the salvage work
about the wreck of the Maine. Nor
gan sat with the writer one day last
April on Il barge alongside the Maine
with only the helmet of his diving
suit removed. He had just come to
the surface after prolonged prowl
about the Mainc's shattered hun.
1T is like diving through porridgc
when orc gets down two fathoms."
said lie at one fathom the waters
pretty clear; at TWO It's opaque; at
three fathOmS IL ceases To he winter
and becomes muck. through which
ono cannot sec foot and which fees
Shiny 40 the touch. And that's all e
two fathouis to ihc bottom. too"
The water Of IIavHha hnrbpr rs n
dirty yellow. in strong cuniradistinct-
ion IN the pcllucid blue of the our
water outside of MORO Point. When
the hot monday sun has warmed &C.
for an hour the always noticeable fc-
It'd odor becomes distinctly offensive
To the nos'rils. and physicians say
that no unacclimatcd pc.sJn can in
hale the poisonous fumes FOR a wctk
without impairment Of health.
,he canal, so long and 50 much
talked or need be less than four
miles long Its construction involves
no great difficulties Of engineering.
Its cost need not Ec great. for the
deeper cut necessary is less than
sixty feet. and The length Of any CON
siderable excavation less than half "a
mile. Such canal would turn the
rushing current Of The Gulf Stream
il flows six miles an hour past MORO
through this stagnnnt, Glth-soegy
basin. II would accomplish this mod.
crn labor Of Hercules in q week after
completion and keep conditions good
FOR all timo.- Sew York Journal.