The Holt County sentinel., 1920-01-09
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.
by GARRETT SMITH.

BY oARRET SMITH.
The fourth largest city IN Alabama.
pcopled with 5000 souls OF diverse
ruc"s and religions, uprootcd from far
scattered communities In every part
Of the United States and Canada
sprnnE into being almost overnignr
around the great new government am.
inonium 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 n problem In city building. munic-
lpnl government aud community wei.
far. tint has seldom been rlriaIled
and the success NJ It's solution has
never been cxcclled.
The job was In the hands ~ the Air
Nlirnics Corporation which had been
organized under the direction OF the
or'lnHnc" department to build plant
aud city ~ Muscle Shonls. Early In
january. 1915 this new town nnd q
few Temporary buildings and n popn.
lntlon of ;1D This had jumped by the
middle Of August Ia more than "a .OOo.
A population multi piled by 20 in 7
months.
In the manager ent NJ the new
towns aud army environments thar
spinng NJ during tho war the old.
thu" evils that attended the growth OF
mushroom cities have been avoided
10y the application Of modern welfars
900. IN.as
lions more difficult than NJ Muscle
shoals Here was n mnlarlnl region
threatened NJ the same tim. with
other deadly disease cpidemics Trims.
p0r'ntion was lacking. No nearby
inbor was available and the general
labor shortage was NJ Its most ncui.
stage. Costs Of labor aud supple.
were learing over night. Furthermore,
Muscle shoals differed from all IN.
other new war towns inasmuch ~ it
was 10 be permanent.
New Government Devised,
The managers, besides city govern.
mcnt, had 10 handle the entir, retail
business OF the town. A camp super
,lsor's department was put In charge
~ III. maintenance OF NIL buildings,
IRE protection and sanitation. The
emp supervisor looked after every
thing from the mending OF lock to
the rcmodeling OF groups OF buildings
or laying sewers or steam mains. For
the bachelor contingent commissary
department was necessary.
The business department managed
the stores. 'anteeDs. motion picture
ihrntcrs, pool pnrlors. tailor shops,
dry cleaning establishments, barber
shops, ncwssinnds, n hotel, II vegetable
farm and n hog farm where 1000 hogs
we're raised on the wastes from eat.
Ing places. II maintained u slaughter
h0us" whore these hogs were put
through the regular packing house.
course. II operated a laundry which
cleaned 1,i03 pieces day. Then
there was n real estate department
that rented and managed the family
quarters and n housing department
which assigned to quarters everybody
excepting the families.
Under separate Jurisdiction from Its
community director were the police.
The health department, In charge, OF
physician from New York city,
started with small ONCE 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 to
work either In deep snow or mud abovs
their knees. As result q pneumonia
epidemic developed among the Negroes
that spring. Later In the year q
typhoid epidemic was threatened.
Moreover, the site Of the plant was In
the heart OF the malaria district. But
the pneumonia epidemic was checked,
the typhoid threat nipped In the bud,
and malaria stamped out.
A Health Record gstabIIshsd
The little nrst-aid hospital present
ly grew to a complete modern institu-
tion with nurses home and a sep
arate dispensary for dental, eye, ear,
nose. throat, genito-urinary clinics and
q surgical dispensary for nrst-sid
work.
During the eight months when tho
death rate was not affected by the In.
iiuenza and pneumonia epidemics tae
general health rate was 12,s per thou,
sand per year, which is lower than 10
most cities In the same latitude and
climate. and the pneumonia death RATE
during the epidemic was lower than
In most army environments.
Much OF the success Of the health a.,
10 due to the establish,
ment OF the Muscle Shoals sanitary
district by the United States Public
Health Service.
The education apd welfare depart.
nent also had vital work 10 perform,
There was school populeoopa Of over
LOCO The Secretary Of War created
HE community anRa nisa fann heancn