San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-12
Fire Department Cooper
ating, With Health
Officers.
A CITY.WIDE CLEANUP
Breeding Places Destroyed
and Public Is
Educated.

Health Service, who is waging re-
lentless war ON mosquitoes in San
Antonio. DIR. Chandler expressed
himself as being very well satisfied
with the results obtained in this city
and particularly emphasized the eff
ficient help and cooperation given
fire department. Chief Sarran Of
fered DIR. Chandler the services of
all firemen during their off-shifts,
thereby placing at the disposal of
the expert five helpers from each of
the sixteen stations.
These fire department assistants
have been carefully trained by DIR.
Chandler and his assistant, X. l..
Turner, also Of the U. s. Public
Health Service, as well as by the city
health officers, J.. n. Neeley and
Ernest Medley, who are assisting in
the city-wide cleanup campaign.
Each man who is engaged in the
work has been instructed as to how
and where to look for the breeding
places Of mosquitoes and how to i'm
press people of the city with the dam
ger of harboring receptacles in which
they may breed. Small pamphlets
published both in English and Span
ish are given the inspectors for dis
tribution, telling of the danger and
the means of prevention.
Anti-MOsquitO Ordinance.
DIR. Chandler and Mr.. Turner ar
rived in San Antonio about the first
week in July, and within a few
days made an inspection of the city
and presented data to Mayor TObin,
which resulted in the passing of the
anti-mOsquito ordinance on July 6.
Immediately the city was mapped out
in twelve sections and the training
of the assistants began. The first
and was completed on August 3, in
cluded GOO city blocks and resulted
in the elimination of more than 5000
breeding places.
In the poorer sections of the, city,
the survey proved that 90 per cent
Of the blocks contained breeding
places of mosquitoes, with an aver
age of seven places to the block,
while in the section of the city where
better cared for homes We're found.
60 per cent was the average. with
approximately two breeding places to
the block.
One of the greatest harboring
places was found to be the jardinieres
where wild hyacinths and other water
plants are grown. 1t was difficult
in several cases to make the owner
realize what a certain breeder of
disease mosquitoes he was harboring
beneath the flowers the Mexicans
know as "Queen of the Water" At
least thousand plants of this kind
were destroyed and the watertthrown
away. The addition of sand TO
absorb the waste water makes il
perfectly safe TO keep the water
plant.
Another favorite breeding place for
mosquitoes is in old automobile tires
left standing against the wall until
waste water has accumulated in
them. Cans and bottles, with little
water in each, are. also ideal places
for a mosquito family to grow and
develop, one-half inch of water being
all that is required for a breeding
place.
Bad In Parks.
One of the worst mosquito locali-
ties in San Antonio was found to
bt aht IhtAlIun StlllttlltIl near lut
Alpine drive in Breckenridge Park.
There had been much complaint by
the tourists in the camp yard of the
park of the mosquitoes for which the
river was blamed. On inspection it
was found that having no water sup
ply each of the Mexican families liv-
ing in that locality was keeping sew
| eral open barrels of water for
| domestic use. Each barrel harbored
literally millions, of mosquitoes. OF
the barrels found 1874 We're stocked
with fish and go were emptied.
Fish. according TO DR.. Chandler.
are one of the surest safeguards
against mosquitoes and at least 200
| of the shallow wells that cannot be
screened in the Mexican part of the
city have been stocked with the
same tiny minnows that are used for
bait. This has proved most effec-
tive. No water that has fish in it
will ever be found as a breeding place
for mosquitoes and no anxiety need
| be felt about sloughs and ponds if
they contain fish.
Persons living at the end of West
Commerce street made much COM
plant about the numerous mosquitoes
in that neighborhood and reported
| that they came from the lily ponds
which are called Elmendorf Lake.
On inspection the lake was found TO
| be full of fish and therefore mosquito
less and the mosquitoes come from a
sewage pool and old water tank in
the immediate vicinity. During the
campaign twelve or fifteen Thousand
| feet of bitches have been cleared out
and drained.
War on Two Kinds.
A mosquito fight is being waged
particularly on two kinds of mos
| quitoes-the dengue fever MOSQUITO.
which only breeds in containers and
never in the ground and is a day
biting mosquito mad the malaria
type of mosquito which only bites at
night and only breeds in the ground.
The average life of q mosquito is
only about two weeks and his range
OF flight is rarely more than 10O
feet from his breeding place so the
cause Of mosquitoes is almost GER
tain TO be found on the premises SC
annoyed. Anyone who has beer
troubled with mosquitoes is urged tc
communicate with the health depart.
ment of the city that inspection oil
his home may be made and the evil
condition remedied.
DIR. Chandler has been doing re
search work in this connection al
Rice Institute for the last year. II
addition 20 his work in San Antonio
! he also has charge of similar clean