The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-04-13
WAR ON MOSQUITOES
WITH RELENTLESS FURY 1T WILL
BE AGAIN WAGED.
WAITING FOR AMMUNITION
PRICE OF KEROSENE ADVANCED.
But FIGHT TO BE MADE.

Director of Public Works Is Get
ting Ready for His Campaign
Against the Troublesome Mos
authorised Kerosene Oil in the
City CesspOOls With Great Sue
cess Last Summer-ThOse Who
Watched the Experiment We're
Unanimous in the Opinion That
the Director Won His Fight-It Is
Believed That an Even More Eff
fective Preparation Has Been
Discovered.
Despite the fact that kerosene oil is
more expensive than it was year
ago, the war that was ,waged last
summer on the troublesome mosquito
will be again instituted by the director
of public works. The sort of ammuni-
ton may be changed, however.
The director of public works has re-
ceived advices that phinotas oil IS
more effective, and if it can be pur-
chased at a reasonable figure it will
most likely be used. A year ago, when
ever a cesspool was cleaned a quanti-
ty of kerosene was put in
to the water. 1t is known
that the results justified the expendi-
lures and the same performance will
be gone through with shortly in an
effort to reduce the number of mos
quitoes in the city to a minimum.
Those who studied the situation have
stated unequivocally that there were
fewer mosquitoes in Savannah last
summer than ever before, and the
scarcity of the pest has been attribut-
ed to the use of the oil in the cess
pools. The phinotas oil is a special
preparation and is said to be the most
efficient product at present used in the
work of mosquito determination, and
at the same time is as economical as
crude petroleum. The concern that
handles this preparation has establish
ed special department that is in cor
respondence at this time with the di-
rector of public works. 1t is realized
that prompt action before the first
crop of mosquitoes has matured is nee
essary.
1t is now a matter of general knowl-
edge that where mosquitoes are num-
erous their larvae can usually be found
at a short distance, say within a few
hundred yards, and it may be safely
stated that in the majority of cases
every house breeds its own mosquitoes
in the back yards or in the adjoining
puddles, cisterns, wells, cesspools, hol-
low tree stumps, post holes, caves
troughs, water tanks, broken bottles
and other accidental receptacles.
Among suggestions that have beer
made are the following: Cover cisternS
and tanks required for everyday use
with double mosquito netting of fine
mesh; dump all standing water thai
has collected on the premises in recep.
tacles, such as tubs, vases, ETC.; change
the water twice a day needed in barns
chicken coops, kennels, ETC.; drain OF
fill in all drains or hollows on prem.
ises likely to collect water; keep GU
all high grass, and ground free from
leaves and refuse; pour into cesspoo1;
and vaults one quart of kerosene OIL
phinotas oil once in thirty days; xii
mosquitoes in dwellings by burning fresf
Persian insect powder. Burning this
powder out of doors will keep the mos
quitoes from the immediate vicinity
AS a cure for bites alcohol and glycer-
inc in equal parts is recommended.
The phinotas oil kills the mosquito
IN five and a half minutes, the crude
oil takes forty-five minutes and the
common kerosene one hour.
The phinotas oil, when thrown or
the water, sinks to the bottom, where
it undergoeS some chemical change
1t then rises to the surface in globules
and diffuses itself over the surface
Its odor is also less offensive thar
kerosene.