The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1919-12-26
THIS CITY BUILT
while YOU WAIT
Fourth Largest Town in Alabama
Full Grown in One Year.
HAD A MODEL GOVERNMENT
Permanent Settlement Around
US. Nitrate Plant Presented
Unusual Problems.
HAD A MODEL GOVERNMENT
BY oARRET SMITH.


The fourth largest city In Alabama.
peopled with $4,000 souls OF diverse
races and religions, uprooted from far
scattered communities In every part
of the United States and Canada
sprang into being almost overnignr
around the great new government am
monitor nitrate plant down on tho
open cotton and corn fields ut Muscle
Shoals on the Tennessee River during
the last year of the World War. Here
was a problem In city building. munic-
ipal government and community well
fire 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 nad
few temporary buildings and popu-
lation of 800. This had jumped by the
middle Of August to more than BLOOD.
A population multiplied by 20 In Z
months.
In the management of the new
towns and army environments thar
sprang up during the war the old
time evils that attended the growth or
mushroom cities have been avoided
by the application of modern welfare
| systems But nowhere were condi-
lions more difficult than at Muscle
Shoals. Here was a malarial 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 ut 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 an It
was to be permanent.
New Government Devised.
The managers, besides city govern
ment, had to handle the entire retail
business of the town. A camp super
| visor's department was put In charge
| Of the maintenance Of all buildings,
| fire protection and sanitation. The
camp supervisor looked after every
! thing from the mendng of a lock to
the remodeling Of groups of buildings
| or laying sewers or steam mains. For
the bachelor coatingent commissary
department was necessary.
The business department managed
the stores, canteens, motion picture
theaters, pool parlOrs, tailor shops.
dry cleaning establishments, barber
shops, newsstands, hotel, vegetable
farm and q hog farm where 1000 hogs
were raised on the wastes from eat
ing places. 1t maintained a slaughter
house where these hogs were put
through the regular packing house
course. 1t operated laundry which
cleaned 7,493 pieces a day. Then
there was a real estate department.
| that rented and managed the family
quarters and a housing department.
which assigned to quarters everybody
excepting the families.
Under separate Jurisdiction from its
community director were the police.
! lne ucDutthtnty Situi 30 ~
physician from New York city,
started with small office in one of
the temporary buildings, and was
soon full grown and splendidly
equipped. Conditions were favorable
to disease. The winter was the
severest on record in northern Ala
bama. The men were compelled 10
..,x-s. ~tts,c ;,, 1ao.~ o,,0x., Or mud ahnva
their knees. AS result a pneumonia
epidemic developed among the Negroes
that spring. Later I'm the year a
typhoid epidemic was threatened
Moreover, the site of the plant was In
the heart Of the malaria district. But
the pneumonia epidemic was checked
thentyphoid threat nipped in the bud
and malaria stamped out.
A Health Record Established
The little first-aid hospital present
ly grew to a complete modern institu
ton with a nurses home and sep
arate dIspensary for dental, eye. ear
nose, throat, genito-u urinary clinics and
surgical dispensary for frst-ait
w~k.
During the eight months when tht
death rate was not affected by the In
fiuenza and pneumonia epidemics tas
general health rate was 12.4 per thou
sal per year, which Is lower than II
MIST cities In the same latitude ant
climate. and the pneumonia death rar'
during the epidemic was lower thar
In most army environments.
fSuch Of the success Of the health
administration Is due to the establish
ment OF the Muscle Shoals sanitar,
district by the United States Public
Health Service.
Tho education and welfare depart
ment also had vital work to perform
There was school population Of ovc'
1000. The Secretary Of War creates
the sCmmunity organization branci
Of the Ordnance Department which
with advice and aid Of some Of th'
greatest school men of the country
prescribed the coursss Of study aps
pscruited teachers fBea ths bss> q
tabllihed systsnaA