El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-03-07
.SNE[TERTOWN
TRANSFORM
Spring Cleanup Led by the
Army and County Off
GERS. Gets Fine Results.

! Perhaps the most thorough spring
| cleanup going on anywhere in the
] southwest is underway in the denseIy
I populated adobe settlement between
the car tracks and the river bank in
the smelter section, where a dirt and
filth accumulation of years is being
wiped away by owners of the land and
''shacks,' cheerfully assisted by the
Mexican natives, all under the super
vision Of Maj. John T. sprague, dis
trict sanitary inspector; county health
officer DR.. VIII Rogers and VIII Hord.
Of the county health department.
Some weeks ago a Herald represen-
tative accompanied the county officers
on tour Of the shelter town and was
astounded by the enormity OF the
fllth piles and the tremendous task
It would be to clean up. The officers
busted themselves at once, however,
and owners Of the shacks were told
the place must either be cleaned I'D
or destroyed. The alternative was in
reality that the owners must tear
down part Of the settlement, or sub
init to the officers demolishing the
entire section
Decide First on Streets.
Every one agreed and the cleanup
started The health experts decided
~
through the settlement and so the
first shacks to be condemned were
those huddled in streets, and these
we're many Hundreds have already
been torn down and so foot streets are
now common, some of the roads being
wider
Next in line came all huts and mud
shacks that were in such a condition
that they could not be made sanitary.
These, too, numbered dozens. The test
he
1lclent windows in house to admit
Gods sunshine. then the house could
stay Otherwise, it must be torn
down.
Diaries and Hogs Go.
Diaries were next in line. There
were about a score in the town. In
every case. the dairyman had a small
yard, surrounded by densely popu-
lated "shacks," and with no drain
age or sewage outlet. Clearly, these
could not remain, and consequently
Private cows are allowed to remain.
provided a fly proof stable is built
and kept clean Hogs must 20 under
all circumstances.
Mexicans Welcome Cleanup.
Maj Sprague and the other officers
are gratified at the spirit of coopera-
ton manifest by the Mexicans them
selves A Herald representative made
the tour of the town Wednesday af-
ternoon with the officers and at every
turn, Mexicans ran out of their yards
and begged to be told what they must
do to make their places clean. 1t
seemed they had been unconsciouslv
awaiting a cleanup for years and now
welcomed II. Men, old women and
children all Joined in the work Of ere
ating more sanitary conditions. Not a
murmur OF protest was heard, al
though in many cases. demolition of
shackS meant putting the families al
ways large, out in the street. In fact.
so much is being done that if the same
cleanup were to take place in an
American community, the officers
would meet shotguns and injunetions
by the score.
Settlement Gets Air and SUN.
the advantages gained are present
and future, because before rebuilding
the Mexican lessees of the ground are
consulting the health officers. How
should they rebuild? they ask. ANY
way, they want, provided the new
snack contains windows and doors so
that air and sunlight may enter, is
the answer
A few things remain to be done
One or them is a system of street
drainage. This will have to be at
tended to, the officers say. Another
is the installation of community toilets
in cases where the tenants paw rent
Tor single rooms and are unable them
selves TO erect individual toilets. All
toilets erected must be flyproof and
the MeXlcanS seem cage to be in
formed how to make them such.
Manure heaps and other rubbish
accumulations have been and are be-
burned.