Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-11-24

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Jackson, Ga
My Dear Mrs. FELTON,: 1t is needless to
say 1 admire your columns in. The At
lanta Semi Weekly Journal. / have often
thought of writing you on different sub
jects. but now such an important one
has. presented itself, I no longer put aside
the task ff
The subject on which I am writing you
is of the Bib Power company darn at
Lloyd Shoals. Ca joining Butts and Jas
per counties, and which backs water for
miles and miles When they first talked
of its being built, man or men came
to see the landowners on the river and
they made such a nice talk to them about
buying the land that the company would
cover with water, that the people at
once thought they had good thing of
It, and signed a contract to that eff
feet. What then7 When they had time to
consider the matter, they felt they had
been deceived; they were sorry they
had acted in such haste. Those that
would not sell to them had the water
backed overN them just the same. Was
this right7 say mo"
These men made many visits to we
people They promised faithfully to clean
the reservoir. They laughed to scorn any
man who said 1t would ruin the country
to flood It. They promised to clean the
reservoir as clean as a mans yard should;
be, so the work began. Squads of ncgros
could be seen or heard at work. They
cut all timber that grew on the banks
of the river and where did it fall? In
the water. OF course, and left there to
sour and I'll the people with malaria.
They piled all brush where it was con-
venient and after some months had pass
ed they came back and stuck fire to these
brush piles. left them to burn and euin
all woods joined or was in reach OF the
IRE Again I say this was wrong.
They hammered at the timber until the
dam was completed Promises to the
people were forgotten and when the time
set to begin backing water came, they
backed water over everything that was
in the way at that time Logs by the
thousands, fine firewood, stumps, brush
and any other filth that might oe found
| III many ulllcS VI I1NCI Adn0 die iAOW Al
this pond of water, AS the water of
course is backed up we find each stream
that before you could step across is
NOW much larger than the river was in
the beginning All this timber is washed
to these streams and there it stays as the
result of this pond.
| All who are in reach (and that is
long ways) have been sick with shiIls
and fever This state of affairs ser in
in August and continues to the present
time Think, kind friends, what it means
| to a family of six-wife, husband and
four children, and when at times one vas
hardly able to get. another drink Of
water Each one has suffered untold ago.
ny, and my baby who rs hardly year
told, has never beeh wen and at this
writing he looks ~as if he would never
have another drop of blood in him. After
| chills the high fever caused the two
youngest children to have commissions.
| Now this was what it has done to me
and NINE as the saying goes. 1t q as
been as bad and worse, too, since for
most every family that | know or can
hear of as far as the pond reaches. Many
tell US that from the waters edge for
| five miles distant in Newton and Jasper
counties the people are sick. A good
many have lost dear ones and what does
| that mean to us? know of one woman
who died; in two weeks time her daugh-
| ter who was the mother of IA children,
was buried One man, just two miles
| from US, has lost his mind as the result
of the dreaded disease. My fathers fam
lily, brothers, neighbors and friends alike,
| have suffered.
| We have Il negroes on our place this
year: every one except girl who lived
away with an aunt tuntil here of iate),
has been sick not able to do anything
at all as you might say. One negro man
got so iii as to sleep two days and three
nights without ever waking. This can be
proven by two doctors who waited on
him.
Our cotton is all going to ruin, as the
! largest part of it is still In the FIELDS.
The ground is covered with seed sprout-
ing, and so much rain up to the present
time that l doubt it's bringing Z cents.
No help to pick it could be obtained, for
those that could pick at all picked their
| own first. 1 was born almost at the place
where / now live and am now 2S years
old and have never known a time when
there was a chill on this river or the
mosquitoes bite at night The past sum
mer and fall, If we did not have nets
/ for our beds and keep them tightly closed
we could not sleep for the dreaded
pests.
The power company is busy selling and
furnishing power Boosting of big sue
cess they care nothing about what loss
to people they have caused, just so The
business grows and they prosper.
| we have been asked the Question, If
| things are in such a bad state Of af-
/ fairs, then where is your newspapers? 1t
| is this which has caused me to write
you to let the people know the presi-
| dent OF the concern has fooled the people
into believing they have done as they
! promised the people of Butts, jackson
! and Newton. They would do great
things. We read the statement of Mr..
Massee that the pond was cleaned to per-
i lection.
| Hoke Smith says he ordered the pond
cleaned, but it is still the same. You
are smart woman and l believe you
| can help us solve the problem. What
must we do? Mr.. Howe, another sweet
4 tongued man, tries to make we people
believe the pond does. not cause. 1t.
They had pamphlet printed on the
mosquito and malaria stating, of course
that the mosquito had TO first bite per-
soon with malaria, then bite you before
there could possibly be a malaria germ
in your system. If I had one of them l
would send it and let you read for your
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