The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-11-26
GENERAL PREsENTMERTS.

Superior Court Chatham county:
The Grand Jury for the June term !
of this court submits its general pre-
sentiments:
The Grand Judy has examined, by
committees, the books of the County
Commissioners. treasurer. tax collec-
tor, sheriff. anhS magistrates of the
county; has inspected the public build
ings. visited the. public schools inves-
tigated the convicts camps. the cOun-
ty farm, condition of the roads. drain
age and bridges
TubIic Buildings.
The Jail is in excellent condition: il
has been lately painted and the i'll
terror masonry. of cell rooms white
washed. 1t is clean and we'll ventilated.
ard the occupants appear to be we'll
fed and comfortable. The cells. corri-
doris and the sanitary accommodations
seem clean and in good order and re-
fleets to the credit of the prison Of
ficials who are in charge. We note
that the hospitals are a late innova-
ton, and, in our Judgment very nee
essary auxiliary.
The Court House has been lately
decorated and the furniture cleaned
and vanished and the building we find
kept scrupulously clean.
Public schools.
We have investigated the condition
of the public schools and find the sys-
tenn thorough in all details We found
the general hygienic condtionsA of the
buildings very much improved. but
would suggest that when changes are
made in, the sanitary conditions in the
future that those inSuse sat the Cathe-
dral School be- auionted. as we eonsid-
er them the best. We also recommend
when the Board of Education are in
funds that suita BILE iron stair ways on
the outside of the school buildings be
erected when connecting rooms
and narrow winding stairs
are used for exit. We would
also advocate changes in the school
buildings that shall do away with con-
Meeting rooms and congested stairways
and bring them as near as possible to
the standard of the new buildings that
have been erected. We note with sat
isfaction the means. used by the super
intendent and principals to improve
the efficiency of the teachers force in
weekly meetings of, the Normal Glass
and the use of a splendid teachers Ii
brary, which has been collected by the
teachers without any expense to the
county.
Convict Camps.
We visited the main camp at the
County Farm, the temporary camp at
Bona Bella and Camp No. 2 at the
six-mile, post on. the Augusta road
and found the camps clean, the con-
Victs well cared for and well fed. We
partook of some of the food and found
it we'll prepared and good. Camp No
consisted of 1875 men, out of which
only seven men, all told, were sick, but
three of them having fever. At the
other two camps we found but six
sick. The sick and the well were
being cared for ins a manner far bet
ter than at the homes left by these
wards of the county, The eonyicts of
Chatham county. are humanely treat
ed well Jared, not bover-WOrked and
the sick properly cared for, and if the
system throughout THE state can be
worked on the Chatham county lines
we, as a. state, need not be afraid of
criticism. At the County Farm we
found them grinding cane. and ..were
told that they wouldfnalSe about sixty
five barrels of syrupJu The conduct of
this farm is7'an object lesson to tax
payers, and it Isl to be regretted that
they take so mGchi for granted as the
inforna ton easily Obtained would be
interesting and profitable. 'l
Roads, Bridges md Drains.
The Louisville roadawas found to be
in goods condition. = r. Ge
In the Ogeechee district we found
most of the roads in good curidition.Tr
The bridges have nearly all been re-
Gently replanked and thoroughly oveTe
hauled, with the exception OF those of
the section of the Ogeechee road lying
between the intersection of the Fort
Argyle road and thes Ogeechee river,
which are almost impossible
on account of being decayed
and torn up. The Ogeechee. road ought
to have a coat OF gravel, as the orfgi-
nal is almost entirely gone, leaving the
broken stone foundation exposed.
which is very rough and causes travel
ers to drive completely out OF it on
the sides where possible to do so. The
drainage canals and bitches are in
good condition.
The Augusta road we found, as well
as the bridges and drains, to be in
good condition.
Monteith road has had some work
done on it but is sim far from being
in good condition. AS this road is one
of the principal feeders Of the Savan-
nah market, and, as, we have been in
formed that beds of gravel in the vi
entity of the road can be purchased
at a low figure, we recommend that
the County Commissioners give 1t
coat of gravel. ~. ...4,..r
Telfair road has been put in good
condition for about 2lA miles from
the Louisville road. The southern end
of it is very much neglected, but there
appears to be very little travel on this
end of the road.
Dean Forest road has been very
much neglected: there are logs lying
in the right of way, and most of the
bridges are constructed of round pine
poles not very securely fastened down.
which makes them unsafe for travel
Travellers haYe to wend their way
from quarter to half a mile through
the woods and over logs to find a grade
crossing over the Seaboard Air Line
Railway tracks. Weyrecommend that
these bridges be relaid with planks
and the Seaboard Air Line Railway
be required to build grade crossing
at the point where MIR. Gugie Bour-
quin was killed, which is on a fine with
the road. r ~
Pine Barron road we found some
holes in which need attention.
All the other roads in the western
portion of the county, and the drain
age, are in fair condition. We note
with pleasure that the County Com
missioners have extended the Dundee
or Reed canal across the Louisville
road into the Telfair section filling a
long felt need for drainage in that
section, and that they are now clean
ing out q right Of way for a canal to
drain Pipe-Maker swamp.
The bridge al the crossing of the
Union Station Company's tracks
and the ogeechee road is a substantial