The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-01-12

ern point of the crescent, past the
docks, stations, hotels and the seat of
the American and other foreign colony.
Within this section the railroad COM
pany has made some effort at improve
ment. The level of the land has been
raised until it is about four feet above
sea level. The streets have been
graded and slight effort has been
made to provide sidewalks. The rail
road has also provided a sewerage
system for this section, with water
works, the supply for the latter being
drawn by gravity from a reservoir To-
Gated on Monkey Hill, about two miles
inland from Colon. In this section it
is possible for white man to live, for
by reason of the improvements made
by the railroad, and it's proximity to
/ the waters of Limon or Navy Bay,
the. pest of germ-c carrying mosquitoes
has been largely done away with.
There are also found here advantages
not enjoyed by other portions of the
city. The railroad has cultivated CO.
coanut trees, grass plots and beds of
foliage plants, so that the whole sec
ton has a nark-like effect.
In the Railroad Quarter.
The buildings built by the railroad
for the use of its employees are num-
erous and as comfortable as it is pos
y
to be. They are all of frame, built
in the bungalow style, with wide We
randas, and their surroundings are
pleasant. They are, too, furnished
with modern conVeniences, in
Guiding electric lights, the company
owning an electric light plant as well
as an ice plant, and supplying the pro-
duct of both of these institutions to
resident Americans and other foreign
nYc Of
this section of the city live all of those
persons that are not to be classed with
the native or SENTATIVE population.
Here are the consulates of the diff
ferent countries and the residences of
the consuls, the offices of the several
steamship companies that touch at
this port the residence and office of
the one banker in Colon, and the
homes of all of the railroad employees
Here, too, is the Hotel Washington.
i an institution owned by the railroad
! company, which, with it's annex, the
Garfield, furnishes the only accommo-
dation there is in the place for tran
sients who seek somewhat of comfort
and immunity from disease. Hard by
/ the hotel is an Episcipalian Church,
| built of a soft stone in an attractive
style, provided and maintained by the
/ railroad company. Farther up the
beach to the eastward is the home of
| the unmarried mechanics employed by
the railroad company. This home is
/ called the barracks, and is a great,
! barn-like structure, simple in construc-
! tion, but well supplied with baths,
reading and recreation rooms and COM
Portable sleeping quarters. Near the
barracks is the hospital, a commodiOus
building set up on piles a hundred feet
or more out on the beach. This loca-
ton gives to this section of the city
| the benefit of the sea breeze which
blows constantly from the Caribbean
and which tempers the torrid heat of
the day and night, making it possible
to live and work with some degree
J of enjoyment.
Over the Line.
But step lover the line"-for every
] thing outside of the railroad section is
! termed "over the line''-and wholly diff
ferent conditions are encountered. And
it is for the condition of this section
where pestilence breeds apace and
death stalks almost unrestrained, that
the railroad company is so largely to
blame. In all of it's half-century OF
control over this city the railroad has
made practically no effort to improve
the native quarter. Every foot of that
quarter belongs to the railroad, which
exacts ground rent from the owners
| and occupants of buildings; but, de-
spite its proprietorship, the railroad has
done little or nothing to minimize the
dangers to life and health that Turk in
every square foot of it. Long years
ago an attempt was made to grade the
| streets One or two of the thorough
fares are still in a fair state of preSer-
walton, but the major portion of them
have succumbed to the constant down.
pour of rain, and the grading has all
been washed away, leaving the swamp
which covers the island to encroach UNI
! restrainedly upon the city
| The result is difficult to describe so
| that its exact conditions may be APP
preciated. The buildings in this quar-
| ter are all erected upon piles sunk in
| the muck and mire of the swamp. Tn
derneath and all about them is mo-
rass, a vast eXpanse of black water
| covered with green scum. Into TINS
swamp goes all of the kitchen garbage
and focal matter from the homes of B.
900 natives. not one of whom has any
| knowledge of modern sanitation. In IL
breed the billions of mosquitoes that
spread yellow and pernicious teVers
and the other deadly diseases which go
to make Colon a veritable pesthole. In
it breed, too. the innumerable thou
sands of frogs whose croakng goes to
make night in Colon hideous.
For this section of the city there mas
been absolutely no attempt at Dram
age. Neither the city nor the railroad
company-the latter of which owns II
alI-have ever attempted the con-
struction of a sewerage system. nor
has anv effort been made to fill it in.
In. consequence every little depression
is a pool of stagnant water, with the
inevitable covering of a green scum.
These pools never have chance TO
dry up nor the morass to cease us
deadly work, for the rainfall-arnoullt-
ing to about 140 inches a year-keepS
them constantly replenished' ana the
growth of swamp grass is eVeryWheIe
abundant. 1t is amid such surround
ings that the native population liVes.
The railroad waterworks has not peeh
extended to this quarter. and the only
drinking water available to the people
is what can be caught during the rainy
season and stored in iron tanks
CristObaI Colon Point.
Ts II any wonder that people die here
in countless hordes from the most re-
voting and pernicious diseases! one
has only to go into this sectlon 10 dpc
nreciate the thorough malevolence OF
4hesa conditions. The small ponies and
iaclrasses that are used here as beasts
If burden stand kneedeep in this mo-
rass and browze on the swamp grass.
The dogs and pigs that are the con-
stant COMPANIONS of the children must
n1alxa their way through the muck or
crawl along the narrow boardwalks that
edoa the places most inappropriately
caiIed streets. and it is upon the We
randas built over this swamp and these