The Savannah morning news., 1902-03-06

shown by your health officer in a pho
tograph taken of them, but nothing as
yet has been done to compel the re-
moval of them. That the Terminal
Company did not intend at first to OBJ
struct the waters of the canal is in
evidence in the files of the office of the
city engineer which shows a span
across this canal, and your health Of
ficer has failed to find where City
Council has ever given this company
permission to change it's plan of cross
ing the canal. 1t is a remarkable fact
that this canal should be built to drain
the low lands and the city authorities
allow distractions to be placed in it,
which may cause the canal to over
flow it's banks, and place the
Springfield plantation in the same
condition it was in just prior to the
yellow fever epidemic of 1876. Under
ordinary conditions these distractions
would do no harm, but should there
be heavy freshet in the river, and with
a spring tide and a northwest wind,
accompanied by heavy precipitations,
the Springfield plantation would be
flooded.
Commends the Quarantine.
The service rendered by the United
States government at the Savannah
quarantine station has been all that the
commercial and sanitary interests
could ask for. The officer in charge
of the station keeps in touch with the
city authorities, and if there has been
any friction with either the commercial
or sanitary world, nothing has been
made public.
Last spring, after endeavoring to get
the State Board of Health of South
Carolina interested in the smallpox ep-
idemic prevailing on st. Helena, Hilton
Head and other islands on the South
Carolina coast and meeting with no
success, this city applied for relief to
Surgeon General Walter. Wyman, U. S.
M. H. S.
He Immediately detailed an officer,
who was placed on tug, to examine
all passengers and to vaccinate all per-
sons coming from the infected islands.
Within forty-eight hours after this in
spection service was inaugurated
smallpox was discovered on board a
boat coming to this city, and after the
existence of the inspection became
known the islands which had been a
smallpox feeder to this city gave Us
no more cases.
In connection with the subject of
maritime quarantine it would be we'll
to state that from authentic sources
we learn that the maritime quarantine
service of Cuba will probably be trans
ferred to the Cuban hands.
Since Jan. 1, 1885, when President
Mckinley placed this important branch
of the government service in the hands
of the United States Marine Hospital
Service, the entire quarantine service
of Southern ports have been aided
commercially and from a military
standpoint by the organization at Gu
ban ports of a system of maritime SAN
itation, differed by competent, practi-
cal medical men; and expensive, mod
ern and efficient disinfecting plants
were erected and a new era in quaran-
tine was established on the island,
which for years had furnished the
Southern states IS per cent. of its yell
low fever epidemics.
Inspection of vessels. cargo and dis
infection of vessels have encouraged
passenger traffic and have made trade
possible with safety. Distinction at
ports of departure in Cuba has reduced
the time of detention of vessels
which places them at their ports
of arrival before vessels going to ports
north of Baltimore.
Should the conduct of this important
service be transferred from the United
States Marine Hospital Service to Gu
ban control it will be put a step back
ward, for no national, state or munich
pal quarantine service in this country
will recognize Cuban pratique. Your
health officer from a residence of about
two years in Havana understands the
conditions which will arise, and hence
this protest. n
In a separate table the health Of
ficer gives a statement of decedeq z.
aged 20 years or more. This showS
white males and Al white females
shows II negro males and 81 ~ 81
females. The greatest age attaife-
white male was SO; by a WY
male. 10S; by a negro male, "
negro female, 109.
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- II aYat