Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1920-01-08
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 GARRETT SMITH.

The fourt1 largest city in Alabama,
peOpled with $4,000 souls of diverse
aces and religions, uprooted from far
catered communities In every part
of the United States and Canada
.prang into being almost overnignr
around the great new government am
monium nitrate plant down on the
open cotton and corn fields at Muscle
shoals on the Tennessee River during
the last year of the World War. Here
was prR,leu in city building, munic-
ipal government and community well
fare that has seldom been eQualled
and tie success of its solution has
never been exceiled.
The job was In the hands Of the Air
Eitrates Corporation which had been
ors snized under the direction of the
Ordnance Department to build plant
and city at Muscle Shoals. Early In
January. 1918, THIS new town had q
few temporary buildings and pOpu-
lation OF 200 This had jumped by the
middle of August TO more than 21,OOO.
A population multiplied by 70 in Z
months.
In the management Of the new
towns and army cantonments that
sprang up during the war the old.
time evils thai attended the growth Of
mushroom cities have been avoided
by the application of modern welfare
systems. But nowhere were condi-
tons more difficult than ut Muscle
Shoals. Here was malarial region
threatened at the same time with
other deadly disease epidemits Trans.
portatiOn was lacking. No nearby
labor was available and the general
labor shortage was ut it's most acute
stage. Costs of labor and supplies
were leaping over night. Furthermore,
Muscle Shoals differed from an the
other new war towns inasmuch as II
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 mending of u lock to
the renodeling Of groups Of buildings
or laying sewers or steam mains. For
the bachelor contingent comnissary
department was necessary.
The business department managed
the stores, canteens, motion picture
theaters. pool parlors, tailor shops,
dry cleaning establishments, barber
shops, newsstands, a hotel, q vegetable
farm and hog farm where 1000 hogs
were raised on the wastes from eat.
ing places. 1t maintained n slaughter
house where these hogs were put
through the regular packing house
course. 1t operated laundry which
cleaned 7,493 pieces day. Then
there was real estate department
that rented and managed the family
quarters and housing department
excepting the families
Under separate jurisdiction from its
community director were the police.
The health department, in charge Of
a oh yst clan from New York city,
starte,f with q small Office In one Of
the t. unporary buildings, and was
soon full grown and splendidly
equIpp, Il. Conditions were favorable
TO dis, use. The winter was the
severest on record In northern Ala
bamn. Ihe men were compelled to
work eItl Wr In deep snow or mud above
their kue as. As q result a pneumonia
epidemic developed among the Negroes
that spri R. Later In the year Q
typhoid epidemic was threatened
Moreover. the site Of the plant was ln
the heart Of the malaria district. But
the pneuu Ania epidemic was checked,
the typhoi Q threat nipped in the bud,
and malar % stamped out.
A He; nth Record Established
The littl first. aid hospital present.
" grew to a., complete modern institu'
ion with linurses' nome ana sep
arate disp, usary for dental, eye, ear
nose, thronI genito- urinary clinics and
. surgical dispensary Tor hrst-aio
work.
During Il Ne eight months when the
leath rate was pot affected by the In
luenza am ! pm auvonia epidemics the
general he; ilth I ate vas 124 per thou
sand per y ear, ' ,hiclS M lower than In
most cities in II le sime latitude AND
climate. rnh the l'meul ooaia death rarf
Turing tlie' epidernic was lower thnn
n most arr aly can,,M,men ts.
Much Of the sues cess ,'f the health
fion Is du e to the estabiish
nent 0f I nc Musch shoals snnitar!
district by the Unh ted StHtes fubi't
Health Service.
The education - M welfare depart
nent also had VII Ill work to perform
There was Il Schoo ] . opnlatiDn Oh
1000. The Sccretrhry OF War createo
he community ~ .xgm ,ization brsnch
II the Ordnance Dep artmsnt which
With advice and aid AZ some OF tht
aHu'S, >il."y r,4' y T." ""an'ry
'rrsrriI~d the o,.,.,.<a 4 -cidy ah'
r"rnited racts r. la,ut, ,tr hrsr IS