The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-07-08

pour that New OF would be humid II extinguilhed
the candle but after applying the candle three or
four times the vapour that iued began fafh.
We then tied bladder over the mouth of the barr
rel which the vavour foon filed, and then tying
firing round the neck of the bladder above the
| ze took the bladder off.
As we could NOT conveniently make experiments
upon the vapours while it in the bladder, the
next operation was to get it into vial For this
purpofe took vial of about three four ounces.
filled it with water, put cork Nightly into it, and
and introducing it into the neck of the bladder,
worked the cork out by getting hold of it through
the bladder. The water then emptied itief into the
bladder and the air in the bladder attended into the
vial We then put the cork into the vial and took
the vial !, ON the bladder I, then in convent
ems condition for experiment.
Weput lighted match into the vial, and the air
or saPosr in took fire and blazed up in the
ota chimney on fire. We extinguiihed it two or
three times BY topping the mouth of the vial, and
putting the lighted match TO it again, it repeatedly
took fire, till the vapour lpsn and the vial be-
, came filed with atmospheric air
Iheie two experiments, that in which fome COM
buitibe iubanee (braches and leaves Of trees) had
been decompounded by water in the mud, and this
where the decomposition had been produced by fire
without blazing, thew that fpecies Of air injurious
| to life when taken into the lungs, may be genera
ted from fubfance, which in thcnlelses are HARM
| lefs.
il IS by means hmar to thefe that charcoal, which
is made by fire. without blazing enits vapour def
tuftve to life. now apply thcfe cafes,
and the reafonng deduced therefrom to account for
| the cauie of the yellow fever.
Firtt, the yellow fever is difordsr produced
! by the climate naturally, it would always have
been here in the hot months. The climate is the
| lame now as it was SO 100 year ago. There
was no yellow fever then, and is only within the
lat twelve years that fch diiorder has been known
in America.
Secondly, the low grounds the flores of the
rivers at the city, where the yellow fever is annually
generated and continues there about three months
without fPreading, were not frbea to that dforder
IN their natural ate the Indians would have for
| taken them; whereas they were the parts mott fire.
querted by the Indians in all feafon. Of the year on
account of hhery. The relult from thele cafes is
thatthe yellow fever is produced by ome new crcum-
tance not natural to the country in its natural ate
and the quetton is what is that circumstance
1t may be fad, that every thing done by the white
people fnce their e.tlenent of the country fuch as
building towns, clearing LANDS, levAling hills and
filing up vales, is circumstance bit the yell
low fever does accompany any of thofe new cir
cumttances. No alteration made the dry land pro-
duces the yellow fever. We mutt therefore look TO
lone other new Circumstance, and we come now to
thoic that have taken place between and dry be-
tween land and water.
The ihores of the river at New York, and alro at
Philadelphia, have of the vaft ncreae of
dergone great and rapid alterations from their
| natural Rates within few years. and it is only in
fuch parts of the flores where thoie alterations have
| taken place that the yellow fever is produced The
parts where little alteration have been made
either oil the EAT North river, and which CONT
nue. in their natural fate, nearly TO- do not pro-
duce the yellow fever. The fact therefore points to
the caufe.
Behdes feverai new freets gained from the river
by embankment there are upwards of eighty new
wharves made fince the war, and the much greater
part within the lalf ten twelve years; the conie-
quence of whici has been that great quantities of
filth combu9ible matter depofted in the muddy
bottom of the river contiguous to the fhore, and
which produced no i'll efe while expofed to the air
| and waihed twice every twenty. four hours by the
tide water, have been covered feveral feet deep
with new earth and fhut up, and the tide excluded
is in theie places and in thefe only, where the yell
low fever is produced.
Having thus fhewn from the circumstances Of the
cafe, that the caue Of che yellow fever is in the place
where it is produced rather in the pernicous va
pour iHuing therefron, | go to thew a method of
contributing wharves, where wharves are yet to be
cnnaru9ed, the lhore of the EAT river at Col
aer's Hook, and alto the North river, that will
not generate the yellow fever, and which may ALTO
point out method for removing it from places al
ready infected with it. Inffead then of embanking
gu, the river, and rafting fold wharves of Garth on
the mud bottom of the fhore, the better method
would be to conltrua wharves on arches built Of
ftone. The tide will then flow in under the arch
by which means the ihore and the muddy bottom will
be wafhed and kept clean if they in their ma
tural fate without wharyes.
When wharves contributed on the fhore length
ways that is, without cutting the lore up into ips
arches be eafily turned, becaufe arches Joining
each other length ferve butments to each o.
Their; but when the lhore is into lps there can
be no butments. In this cafe wharves can be form
ed on lfone pillars, wooden piles planked over
the top. In either Of thoie cafes the fpace under
meath will be commodious ffieer or harbor for
in,a boats, which Can go in and come out always
except at low water, and be fecure from forms and
injuries. This method beides preventing the caufes
of the yellow fever, which Think it WILL will render
the wharves productive than the prefent me-
thod, beeauie of the fpace prelerved within the
wharf.
offer calculation of the expence Of conaru6-
ing wharyes on arches piles; but on general
view, believe they will no, be 70 expcnfve as the
prefent method. A very great part of the expence
Of making fold wharves of earth is occalioned by
the carriage Of materials, which will be greatly redn-
ced by the methods here propofed, and nill more 70
the arches to be contributed of cat iron blocks
fuppofe tina. Of cat iron blocks will 90 as
far inthe contribution of arch as twenty tors Of
fone.
" by contributing wharves in fuch manner that |
the tide water wah the lhore and bottom Of the
river contiguous the fhore, as they were waihed
Al. H..