Evening star., 1948-11-25
Sanitary Officer
Hits Conditions
In ST. Mary5
Row Sewage Thrown
In County bitches,
DR.. Waters Says
By ]. l. Michoel
Special Correspondent Of The stor.

LEONARDTOWN, Md, Nov. as
From sanitary standpoint, St
Marys County is "one of the worst
in Maryland"
This was the statement today OF
DR.. George E. Waters, deputy State
health officer for the county, who
said conditions now are worse than
year ago when he made his orig
inal findings. Some of the condi-
tions listed by him are:
Raw sewage is being thrown on
the surface of the ground and in
bitches along certain public roads.
Reaches and rats are plentiful
In many eating places.
Cooks and ood-handlers have
long fingernails which are bound to
collect germs and dirt-and washing
facilities are far from adequate.
There are so many so-called bar
rooms in the county that the exist
ence of a real bar room is hardly
justifiable.
Glasses Dipped in Bucket.
an some bar rooms there IS no
running water-there is just a
bucket of water in which the glasses
are dipped-but not actually washed.
Each crew who works continues to
wash or rinse the glasses-and their
hands-in this same water. Some
operators, claim they change this
water once day.
Many persons who have come
from various sections of the country
are living under worse conditions
than slaves. These persons are
writing home and telling of these
conditions.
Health Is none too good in
Southern Maryland and it is be-
cause the residents continue to
tolerate existing conditions"
Population Increase Cited.
Health problems have become
acute in St. Marys County largely
because of the rapid increase in
population in the last six years
In 1910 there were an estimated
$4,000 people in the county. whereas
there now are from $4,000 to 10000.
The increase is due in large meas
ure to the establishment in 1912
of the Naval Air Base at Patuxent
with its 1000 to 5000 personnel.
Unable to find housing near the
base, servicemen and civilians on
duty there have spread out all over
the county. Buildings, commercial
and residential, have sprung up like
mushrooms and in the rush sani-
tary precautions have had little con-
sideration.
While there are no sanitary QueS-
tions at the naval base proper, there
are problems in the heavily popu-
lated areas nearby. Two of these
are Lexington Park and Patuxent
Park
May Cut OFF Sewer Service.
Both communities have water and
sewage systems, but sewer lines from
each terminate at a disposal plant
on the base Recently, according to
reliable sources, naval authorizes
have informed operator of the Pa
tuxent Park project that it may soon
become necessary to cut off service
to that area.
Leonardtown. the county seat,
and Piney Point, where the Navy
has a torpedo test base, also have
water and sewage systems. At those
places, conditions are good. accord
ing to county health authorities.
Except for these communities,
'1ack of sanitation is serious
matter in every section of st. Marys
County" DR.. Waters said. 1T would
be virtually impossible to point out
any one area and say this is the
best or the worst"
DR.. Waters, who came to his pres
ent post from Virginia in May
1947, said he intends to make an
all-out effort to correct these con-
ditions He added that he realized
some of the people would. in the
beginning, misunderstood his posi-
tiof.
Says Condition Must Be Remedied
But" he declared, no conscien-
tious public servant could remain
silent in the face of such a situa-
ton. 1t must be remedied, and I
believe the majority of St. Marys
County citizens want it corrected,
but many are disinclined to say so
openly.
Every so often. men and women
come to me and whisper, Such and
such a bad situation exists here or
there-but don't say I told YOU
The graveyardS of St. Marys
County are being filled because peo-
pie are afraid to talk"
Recently, however, the sanitary
problem has been studied by
committee appointed by the Leon
ardtown Lions Club. To Attorney
Robert Wigginton. who heads this
committee, DR.. Waters sent letter
welcoming the clubs support.
Two Places Mentioned.
An idea of how much such pro-
gram is needed may be gained from
conditions found at two places
pointed out by Harlan Stahl, sani-
tartan for st. Marys County
One, near Great Mills, is COM
bination bar, lunchroom and cock
tail lounge for Negroes. Here a
sewer line from the building, laid
above ground. runs serpentine fash
ion to concrete septic tank about
100 feet away. The septic tank out
let was open. Mr.. Stahl said no
disposal lines had ever been laid.
Discharge from the septic tank
flows into marsh, which begins a
few feet from the tanks outlet.
Water in a well adjacent to this
establishment, Mr. Stahl said. is con-
taminated. He added that the pro-
prietors had informed him they do
not use the water for drinking or
cooking.
The other was at st. Georges
Island, in Lower St. Marys. The
island Is accessible from the main
land by crossing an up-and-down
bridge, built much like a roller
coaster track.
In what was once hotel, but now
Is an apartment building, live Navy
enlisted men on duty at the Patux-
ent base, and their families.
La