The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-03
OPPOSED TO NEW CEMETERY.
MEMBERS OF PARK AND TREE
COMMISSION GIVE THEIR VIEWS.

Oh why the lily lie at an
Expense of Probably $4,000 TO
Purchase and Improve a New Gem
etery-COI. Mercer Expressed the
Views of Himself and CoIIeagues-
Chairman DafIin Says the New Lots
Are in the Most Desirable Portion
of Laurel Grove.
The announcement that the committee
Of the whole and the sanitary board would
take under consideration the communica-
ton of Acting Health officer FARRELL that
the further use of Laurel Grove cemetery
as place of intermeut would be men
ace TO public health, and urging the neces-
sity of taking steps to provide a new
cemetery, does NOT meet with universal
approval In fact, the announcement was
something of a surprise
To the members of the Park and Tree
Commission, which has directed the work,
only recently completed, of Increasing the
available space in Laurel Grove. the ac-
ton was a very great surprise. The men,
bers of 'the commission were under the
impression that they had provided suf-
| ficient room to accommodate the city's
dead for a number Of years to come. 1t
was at the urgent request of the Park
and Tree Commission that the last Coun-
Gil made a sufficient appropriation to per-
nit of this work being done, and the
members of the commission had been con-
! graduating themselves upon the success
which had attended their efforts to re-
| claim the unused portion of the cemetery
! and The satisfactory results of the work.
Chairman Daf1n was highly indignant
| at the suggestion to close the cemetery
| after ii has just been placed in condition
for years of use. To put the city TO the
expense of purchasing and Improving a
| rev cemetery site in The present condition
| of the city's finances would be an outrage
upon the taxpayers, he said. At Chair
| man Daffin's request Col. George A Mer-
Ger, who is also a member of the commits
| sion, prepared a statement of the views
| OF himself and Mr.. Daffin, and probably
the other members of the commission, for
| publication in the Morning News:
Co. Mercer makes strong statement
Of the situation and one which VIII be
read with interest. The statement Is as
follows
savannah, June ? 1s99-Edtor Morning
News. Dear Sir: A statement appeared in
your issue of yesterday well calculated to
tenuon of all conservative and public spir-
tied citizens. In fact, nothing Of more Sc
rious import has recently been brought TO
their notice. and irs solution may well
array this community into two differing
and even hostile ranks: This statement
was that the present sanitary board of Sa-
vannah has officially reported that SAM
tary safety required he present dlsuse and
abandonment OF Laurel Grove cemetery.
When it is remembered that the commun-
ity is now. under heavy burden of debt
with "A corresponding rate of taxation and
that further weiehty Obligations are now
being incurred for a system of house
drainage, the opening of streets, and other
pressing municipal necessities, can it with
any show of reason, be urged that TO ihese
burdens must be added the heavy cost of
procuring and equipping a new cemetery.
To purchase and prepare such a cemetery,
at all adequate to the growing needs of
such a city as Savannah, would demand
an outlay of from $4,000 10 100000. Should
not such a prospect give us pause, and
make us rather bear the ills we have than
fly 10 others that we know not of. Surely
all conservative and thoughtful citizens
should pause a the threshold unless 1t can
be demonstrably shown that such a
scheme is a present and pressing munich
| pal necessity. Ii is really contemplated IN
this new or reiterated scheme, 10 forbid
lot owners in Laurel Grove cemetery the
further use of their lots where burial
vacancies still exist. Is this in accordance
with their rights and their contracts OF
purchase? To deny them the right OF
blIrial among their dead must bring sad
ness to many now lingering on the verge
of life and 10 whom the pros
meet of even this mortuary as
ISOLATION with departed loved ones allevi-
ate the dread of dissolution.
But the present Heed of new cemetery
is palpebly not pressing. A similar de-
mand was made during the last admin
istratlon, but there were then sufficient
wise and earnest citizens to oppose it
successfully. The Park and Tree Commits
sion assured the municipal government
that by the allowance OF $1,000 they could
drain and reclaim sufficient land in Lau-
rel Grove to last the city for many years
| The city became convinced, not only
through the report of the engineer en-
ployed by the commission and other eX-
perts, but by the report of its own en-
gineer, that this was entirely feasible.
An amount was allowed. and by an ex-
pendlture of 81 900 sufficient land was re-
claimed to last The city FOR ten or fifteen
years, $50 valuable burial lots were added
to the cemetery. If the present city gov
eminent will make a further small al
lowance the Park and Tree Commission
can reclaim 200 additional lots of equal
value and the dead can be properly and
safely buried In Laurel Grove for twenty
years to come, by which time the city,
relieved of some of the financial burdens
under which it now staggers, can procure
a new suitable and SUFFICIENT site. The
new burial lots already reclaimed are IA
by q feet, can readily contain from nine
to twelve bodiess and these can be placed
at a depth of from So to 6 feet in thor
oughly drained and dry ground; and most
assuredly would not menace the health
of the city, or faint the salubrity of the
air. Twelve lots have already been sold
from the new reclaimed ground, and all
the rest will be disposed of to the large
profit of the city. Before the work above
outlined and its results are pronounced
failures very thorough investigation
should be instituted by all public spirited
and good citizens. But If an intelligent
public shall determine after full scrutiny
that new cemetery is a present need OF
Savannah why not procure the only beau
al il.