CONVICT LABOR FOR ROAD WORK. 91 
digging in the same place twice. Furrows made with the ordinary 
plow are entirely satisfactory. In cold climates the trenches for 
winter should be about 2 feet deep, and a sufficient number should 
be dug before the ground freezes. They should be filled with earth 
as soon as the ground thaws out enough to permit it. 
Privies and Pits. 
A great majority of convict camps use privies and pits for the dis- 
posal of human excreta. At only 4 camps out of the 30 at which 
some form of pit privy was in use was there any attempt to manage 
the disposal of excreta along sanitary lines. At three of these 
camps sanitary fly-proof privies were in use, while at the fourth a 
trench 2 feet wide, 12 feet long, and 12 feet deep was provided with a 
latrine box and the contents burned out each day with kerosene oil 
and hay. 
At the other camps, insanitary privies of varying degrees of filth 
were provided, while flies were present everywhere and had easy 
access to the accumulation of filth. At two camps where men were 
confined in cages toilet seats had been placed over holes in the flooring 
and pits dug 4 feet deep and 18 inches in diameter to receive the 
excreta. The cages were not screened, nor were the pits. Over this 
mass of sewage human beings lived and ate their meals. At other 
camps where the men were locked in cages a tub was placed on the 
ground under the cage to receive the excreta. The tubs frequently 
contained a little disinfectant, but at only one camp was any attempt 
made to protect the excreta from flies. 
At several of the largest camps, pits about 6 feet long, 2 feet wide, 
and from 4 to 6 feet deep were provided for 50 men. A pole, sup- 
ported on cross logs at the ends of the pit, was used as a seat, while 
burlap or canvas surrounded the pit to afford privacy. There was 
no overhead protection. 
These pits are objectionable because they are freely accessible to flies, 
while the filth may be carried quite a distance on scraps of toilet paper 
and on the feet of the men. In order to make pits as unobjectionable 
and harmless as possible, it is the consensus of opinion among Army 
sanitarians that the pits should be boxed and converted into closed 
vaults, from which flies may be excluded. The pits should be as far 
as possible from the water supply of the camp, and so located that 
they will not be flooded in rainy weather. Drain ditches should be 
dug around them or on the side from which drainage water might be 
expected. Pits should be about 2 feet wide at the top and about 6 
feet deep. When they are filled to within 18 inches of the surface 
they should be covered with earth and other pits dug. 
