The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-02
Two Physicians So Report
To State Health Officer
w. II. Sanders
TO MAKE SANITARY
SURVEY OF THE LAND
DIR. Sanders Will Visit Camp on the
Co0sa River Saturday and Will
Inspect Conditions--County
Health Officers to Meet

Montgomery, January 1.-(Specia1.)-
Reports to the effect that there is an
epidemic of cerebro- spinal meningitis
at Lock 12, on the Coosa river, where
the Alabama Power company is con-
structing an immense dam. are entirely
without foundation, according to the
positive information furnished DR.. w.
H. Sanders. state health officer, by
two physicians of Chiffon county, one
of whom has made a thorough inspec-
tion of the camp.
Late this afternoon DR.. Sanders had
a long distance telephone conversation
with DR. o. e. Wilson of Clanton, who
had spent the entire day in inspecting
the camp. Dr. Wilson was at the camp
at the time he talked to DR.. Sanders.
and informed the state health officer
that there was no sign of cerebro- spinal
meningitis among the men at work at
that place
DR.. Sanders earlier in the day had
talked to DIR. .2P. l. Hopkins, former
health officer. of Chiffon county, at
Clanton. From DR.. Hopkins the same
information was received DIR. Hopkins
said that last week two negroes of the
county died of the disease. but that
he was confident that no one at the
camp of the power company had cere-
bro-spinal meningitis.
+ According to Dr. Sanders informants.
a number of negroes OF the camp had
gone home for the holidays, and their
sudden exodus is believed to have been
largely responsible for the rumor that
they were fleeing from the scene of
their labors.
DIR. Sanders has taken every proper
step to ascertain whether or not there
is any truth in the rumor. When the
report reached him on Tuesday night
he Immediately got in telephone COM
munication with DR.. V. j. Gragg, who
succeeded DR.. Hopkins as county ply
sician. DR.. Sanders asked DR.. Gragg to
keep in close touch with the situation
and make a thorough investigation of
the report. From all three doctors the
same information was receivedr-that
there was no cerebro-spinal meningitis
at the camp of the power company, and
that no fears were entertained that
such a disease would visit the place
Sanitary Survey to Be Made
Steps will be taken by DR.. Sanders
tomorrow to make a sanitary survey
of the land which will be inundated by
the reservoir of the Alabama Power
company. The lake will be about IL
or i miles in length. and it's width will
vary from a few hundred yards to a
mile. Parts of four counties will be
inundated by the large lake, Chiffon,
Coosa, Talladega and Shelby
DR.. Sanders will leave Montgomery
on the early train Thursday morning
and will go to Talladega Springs, where
he will be met by the county health
officers of the four counties whose land
will be partly inundated. DR.. Sanders
will be accompanied from Montgomery
by DR.. Glenn Andrews, a member of
the state board of health.
Several days will be spent by the
party in making a sanitary survey of
the land to be inundated, a precaution
which Dr. Sanders considers wise in
view of the fact that the large lake
will cover in the neighborhood of 40, =
900 or $4,000 acres of land.
In making the sanitary survey, Dr.
Sanders and his assistants will have
the cooperation of the officers of the
Alabama Power company, who have
provided every facility for the under
taking.
DR.. Sanders will spend Thursday and