Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-07-28
CIVIL SANITARY DISTRICT ABOUT
CAMP DODGE is
PLANNED.
MUST CARE FOR CITY
OF $4,000 PERSONS
District to Include Five Townships and
Three Incorporated Towns Within
Vicinity Of cantonment-l peetion
Diseloses Fact That Thorough Clean
Up 10 Necessary.
Special to Times : Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines. July 2s.-The establish
ment of civil sanitary district, in
GLIDING five townships and three in
4orporated towns within the vicinity
bf Camp Dodge. as we'll as the camp
itself, Is now being planned by the
federal health department in co-opera-
ton with the state board Of health and
the county and municipal authorities
in Polk county and Des Moines. The
purpose of the district sanitation plan
would be to eliminate. insofar as mod
ern methods can do so, the possible
tiles of the spread Of disease among
the $4,000 men in the cantonment camp
and the large civil population living
in the vicinity Of the camp.
Among the methods which will be
employed to make the district sanitary
will be the following:
A sanitary survey Of these Ave town
ships and towns in Polk county, which
are Croker, Jefferson, Madison, Say
lor. and Webster townships, and the
incorporated towns Of Ankeny, Grimes
and Polk City.
The doing away with open vaults and
other places where flies, maggots and
other harmful insects may breed.
The development Of first class
water system and sewer system within
the camp.
The inspection Of the wells in this
sanitary district area, with view to
shutting off all possible sources of ty-
phoid or similar ailments.
Create City Of $4,000.
Government experts familiar with
camp development declare that pop
ulation Of $4,000 people will develop
in the vicinity Of the camp. The camp
much of the time. When the first
draft men 90 a similar number, who
may be called on the second draft, may
go in camp there. It is hard to be-
lieve that population Of $4,000 will
come to live in this territory surround
ing the cantonment, but this Is pre-
dicted by the government men. With
the exception Of the three towns Of
Ankeny, Grimes and Polk City, all
small, the territory is farm land.
Major e. D. Graft, chief sanitary en-
gineer for the government, declared at
a meeting Of government state, county
and city officials, held in the state
board Of health rooms yesterday, that
the territory around Camp Dodge had
"all the makings Of a Chickamagua,"
where, during the Spanish
war, whole regiments were practically
incapacitated through disease. He said
that the same thing might happen at
Camp Dodge, which would mean that
more and more men would have to be
drafted TO take. the places Of the men
who would have to be removed because
Of sickness.
Thorough Clean Up Necessary.
whole regiments were furloughed
because Of sickness" said Major Craft.
1.-THE same thing Is very apt to hap
pen here. In fact, I have already made
preliminary survey about Camp
Dodge, and I gventure to predict that
unless there is thorough cleanup
in this territory and a sanitary zone
established, there will be epidemics
break out in the camp within ninety
days after 1t 10 formed. have found
open vaults, breeding places for flies
and maggots, sufficient to infect the
whole camp and bring on typhoid
fever, meningitis and other diseases"
It was decided at the meeting that
the state, county and city would share
with the government the expense Of
establishing a sanitary district and en-
forcing rules to keep it clean and free
from disease infection sources.
An order was adopted by the state
board Of health. which, among other
things. stated the following:
Therefore, be it ordered by the Iowa
state board Of health, that the civil
townehips Of Croker. Jefferson, Mad
ison, Saylor and Webster. civil town
ships located in Polk county, Iowa, and
the incorporated towns Of Ankeny,
Grimes and Polk City, towns located
within the townships enumerated, shall
constitute ciyl sanitary district,
within which district the several local
boards Of health shall cooperate with
the authorized representatives of the
United States public health service and
the National Red Cross and the local
boards Of health of the several local
health jurisdictions included in the civil
sanitary district hereby established and
defined, which district may be redis-
tricted or enlarged by said representa-
tives at any time when deemed neces-
sary to properly control the conditions
affecting the public health"