The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-06-29
FoR DRAINAGE AT TYBEE.
Grand Jury Made Special Present
ment on This Subject.

At its session yesterday the grand jury
of the Superior Court made, as a special
presentment TO the court a report that
had been submitted by its Committee on
Drainage, which advocates the Inaugural
ton of work looking to improved drain
age and improved sanitary conditions on
Tybee Island.
The Committee on Drainage of the
grand jury consists of Maj. r. A. Bland
ford, chairman; Messrs. John G. Butler.
J. Z. Burgess and A. c. Harmon. The
report of She committee was adopted by
the grand jury and the presentment made
to the court at the conclusion of the ses-
sion, with request that a copy of it be
sent to the County Commissioners.
The committee made a personal visit to
Tybee and found that the drainage of the
island was badly in need of attention.
Some of the existing bitches have not
been cleaned out since they were dug, six
years ago, and are now filled with sand
and mud and overgrown with rank,
aquatic vegetation. Some others appeared
to the committee TO have received some
attention during the past three years
The bitches on the government reserva-
ton have been kept in excellent condi-
ton, but as they empty into the county
bitches their usefulness is considerably
lessened by the bad condition OF these lat
ter.
AT the north end of the island. about
quarter OF a mile from the railroad"
says the report, there is a large pond
of stagnant water, which the people in
the vicinity inform us is a graf source Of
unhealthfulness and a veritable breeding
place for mosquitoes. Your committee
have forgotten how many barrels of kerr
osene oil the worthy Mayor of Tybee is
alleged to use each year on this pond but
the number is quite large. and still the
mosquitoes continue to incubate there and
disseminate their malarial poison. On
the accompanying map this sheet of foul
water is designated Duck pond, and you
will perceive it can be easily drained
into an arm of Chimney creek by ditch.
six or eight hundred feet in length"
The bad condition as regards drainage
and sanitation of other parts of the ISL
and is noticed also in the report of the
grand jury committee. 1t is suggested
that a dixie or road constructed across
the narrow part of the marsh, with a
trunk at Horse Pen creek, would not be
very expensive and would prevent the in
flow of the tides through that creek and
the submergence of the salt marsh. 1t
is submitted that this improvement would
do much to better existing conditions.
1T would indeed says the committees
report, mot only be valuable sanitary
measure, but a very economical one, in
asmuch the bitches would rapidly dis
charge themselves into the deep channel
of Horse Pen creek, unrestricted by the
tides and require very much less atten
ton to keep them open and in serviceable
condition. Your committee would respect
fully call this to the attention of the
Honorable Board of County Commission
ers and urge its consideration, but wheth-
=
not, we would respectfully request the
Honorable Commissioners to send a force
of convicts to the island at an early date,
to clean out and regrade the existing
bitches and cut the others referred to in
the foregoing.
Your crnmittee are convinced il is the
opinion of every member of this grand
jury that the healthfulness of every part
of the county should be looked after, but
that particularly those portions by i'm
proving which the greatest number of
people would be benefited should have
attention first.
Tybee, at all seasons of the year. is
inhabited by quite a number of people;
an army post with its garrison. is located
there, and during the summer season
many of the residents of Savannah and
OF the county and of the state and ad-
joining states make their homes there he
sides the numerous visitors, coming there
for a brief stay from all parts of the
country. We therefore respectfully sub
init that it should have the attention of
the county authorities every year and
request that this body make a special
presentment to the court, respectfully
calling the attention of the Honorable
County Commissioners 10 our report and
recommendations and urging upon them
early. action thereon"
Inc report was signed by the members
OF the committee and Foreman E. A.
Cuts stated that it had received the an
proval of the grand jury ard was sub
mitted as a special presentment Judge
Falligant directed that a copy of the re-
port be forwarded by the clerk of the
court to the County Commissioners. and
this will be done to-day