The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-12-30
THIS CITY BUILT
WHILE YOU WAIT
Fourth Largest Town In Alabama
Full Grown in One Year.
HAD A MODEL GOVERNMENT
Permanent Settlement Around
U. S. Nitrate Plant Presented
Unusual Problems.
HAD A MODEL GOVERNMENT
BY eARRET SMITH.

The fourth largest city in Alabama
: peopled with 25,000 souls Of divers
races and religions, uprooted from fa
scattered communities In every par
OF the United States and Canadi
sprang into being almost overnign
around the great new government am
moniuni nitrate plant down on IA,
open cotton and corn fields at Muscl,
Shoals on the Tennessee River durin.
the last year of the World War. Here
was problem In city building. munic
lpal government and community wei
fare that has seldom been equalled
and the success OF its solution has
never been excelled.
The job was In the hands of the Air
Nitrates Corporation which had been
organized under the direction OF the
Ordnance Department to build plant
and city at Muscle Shoals. Early In
January, 1918, this new town mad a
few temporary buildings and a popu.
lation of 800. This had jumped BY ihc
middle Of August to more than 2lOOO.
A population multiplied by 10 In Z
months.
In the management Of the new
towns and army environments thar
sprang up during the war the ola.
time evils that attended the growth or
mushroom cities have been avoided
by the application Of modern welfare
systems. But nowhere were condl.
tons more difficult than Mt Muscle
Shoals. Here was a malaral region
threatened at the same time with
other deadly disease epidemics. Trans
portation was lacking. No nearby
labor was available and the general
labor shortage. was at its most acute
stage Costs of labor and supplies
were leaping over night. Furthermore.
Muscle Shoals differed from all The
other new war towns inasmuch as II
was to be permanent
NSW government devised.
The managers. besides city govern.
ment, had to handle the entire retail
business of the town. A camp super
visors department was put in charge
of the maintenance of all buildings,
fire protection and sanitation. The
camp supervisor looked after every
thing from the mending Of lock to
the remodeling of groups OF buildings
or laying sewers or steam mains For
the bachelor contingent commissary
department was necessary
The business department managed
the stores. canteens, motion picture |
theaaers, pool parIors tailor shops,
dry cleaning establishments barber |
shops, newsStands, a hotel, II vegetable |
farm and a hog farm where 1000 hogs |
were raised on the wastes from eat.
ing places. Ii maintained a slaughter
house where these hogs were put
through the regular packing house
course. Ii operated laundry which |
cleaned 7,493 pieces day. Then
there was a real estate department
that rented and managed the family
quarters and a housing department
which assigned to quarters everybody
executing the families.
Under separate jurisdiction from It's
community director were the police.
The health department, ID churge OF
a physician from New York city.
started with a small Office In one OF
the temporary buildings. and was
soon fun grown and splendidly
equipped. Conditions were favorable
10 disease. The winter was the
severest on record in northern Ala.
lama. The men were compelled 10
work either in deep snow or mud above
heir knees. As result a pneumonia
.pidemlc developed among the Negrt US
hat spring. Later in the year
Uphold epidemic was Threatened
Moreover, the site Of the plant was IN
he heart Of the malaria district But
he pneumonia epidemic was checked,
he typhoid threat nipped in the bud,
md malaria stamped out.
A Health Record Established
The little first-ald hospital present
Y grew Ia a complete modern institu-
ion with a nurses home and sep
rate disrensary for dental, eye, ear,
lose, throat, genito-urinary clinics and
surgical dispenSary for tirst-aid
cork
During the eight months when the \
eQh rate was not affected by The in
uenza and pneumonia epidemics tae
eneral health rate was ia per thou
and per year, which is lower than in Q
lost cities in The same latitude and ?
Innate, and the pneumonia death rate
uring The epidemic was lower than .
! most army cantonments
Much ~ the success Of the health
j. due TO the establish. 2
lent Of the Muscle Shoals sanitary
lStrict by the United States Public p
Iealth Service. 3
The education and welfare depart. Il
lent also had a vital work 10 perform. !
here was a school population II over
600. The Secretary az War created
he cammunigs organization branch
| tire Ordnance Department s-ss''fis;-::... !,
ith advice and aid OF some of the St
reatest school men Of The country. n
described the courses IF study and
Acrnltea tesrhers from the b..,si g.