The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-10-24
RESIDENTS ON IT PROTEST
A PETITION TO THE AUTHORI-
TIES FOR HELP.
TWO IMPORTANT co NMITTEEs APPOINTED
The Penitentiary Asked to Fill up the Clay
Holes and the County Asked for the
Loan Of Some of its Conyicts
Co. = Eo,., Na,n
for a Few Days

IN accordance with q call issued laS
week, a meeting of land owners on Wal
nut creek was held yesterday afternoon
at the office of the Commissioner CT
Agriculture for the purpose of taking
some steps looking to the better drain
age of that stream
The meeting was attended by Gerald
Mccarthy, Job, 2. Wyatt, e. G. Gattis
George Shellem and c. H. Ballgh DIR.
X IL. Lewis, superintendent of the State
Board of Health, and DR.. 2. Il. Hines,
superintendent OF the County Board of
Health, We're also present by request.
Aftcr discussion oif the whole situation
with the health authorities, the follow
ing resolutions, drawn UP by Mr. Gerald
Mccarthy, We're adopted.
The first resolution is intended to Sc
cure partial relief by having filled UP the
clay holes dug by the penitentiary con-
vacts making brick. 1t follows:
TO the Honorable Board of Directors of
the North Carolina State Prison:
Gentlemen: The undersigned land
owners and farmers Ewing within the in
fiuence Of Walnut creek respectfully petit
tion that the health of themselves and
families and tenants is seriously injured
by malaria which the undersigned ai'e
advised is covered in good part by water
stagnating in the holes dug and letdt along
said creek by the directors elf the North
Carolina penitentiary in the course of
manufacture of brick by convict labor,
for the benefit of the penitentialy.
1.-THE undersigned, therefore, being n
tJ11lx atas1
of farmers and landowners interested, re-
quest that the directors of the State Pris-
on at once take efficient measures to
cause said holes to be filed up or thor
roughly drained so as to prevent the
breeding of malaria for the future"
The second resolution is intended to
enlist the aid and cooperation eff the
county in securing better drainage
for the creek itself, and is as follows:
ITO the Honorable Board of County
Commissioners elf Wake county:
Gentlemen: We the undersigned citi-
Zens of Wake county living ON, or own
ing land situated within influence of,
Walnut creek, peatrcn that the
board will Z permit : and /. order
the use of the county fec
one month or as long as may be neces-
free flow of water i'm Walnut creek And
also to dig as many bitches as may be
needed to drain low spGts back of the
main channel of said creek
1--WE are advised by the secretary of
the State Board of Health that the main
cause of the malaria ROW so constant
and injguious to the health OF those Ey-
ing along Walnut creek is the stagnant
30.
rains and sudden rises i'm the creek BY
obtaining a swifter current in the main
channel we expect to prevent most eff
the oyerhows caused by ordinary SUM
nler rains. BY draining the low spots
we expect to prevent the excessive breed
ing of mosquitoes and iq so doing to pre-
vent the spread of naAalia by these in
sects. The undersigned are also advised
by a competent engineer that the laldoT
of thirty men for thirty or forty days,
with use eff 200 pounds of dynamite will
probably execute the work Should the
county furnish the convict labor as here
in requested the land owners agree to
furnish what dynamite may be required.
These resolutions We're signed by Ger
aid Mccarthy, job F. Wyatt, t. G. Cat
It's. Geo. Shellem amid C.. III. Baargll
tentiary) resolution, the following conn
mittee was appointed: NJ Il. Leach, w
T. Howle ard job z. Wyatt To urge
action ON the second tor County Commits
sioner) resolution Gerald Mccarthy, A.
H. Green and James Robbins were manl-
ed as Il committee.
The Legislature of 1895 passed an act
lohnpter 1913. Priyat Ialws) providing for
tine better drainage eff Walnut creek
from where it crosses the Raleigh annl
Fayetteville road to where lit enpties into
Nerse aiver; but this law seems neve3
to have been regarded or amy ATTEMPT
made to carry out its provisions.
BY this act A. III. Green, w. G. Io-
church, w. G. Holman and w. T.
Bachelor were appointed commissioners
to superintendent and direct the work.
and, if necessary, employ onle or mere
overseers 1t was made the duty of
these commissioners to inspect the bands
ON both sides of the creek and they are
authorized to order removal, by band
owners, of amy Instructions, so as to
keep the flow of the streams free. To bet
ter insure this the commissioners are en-
powered to declare what is an obstruc-