The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1850-07-27
The Board OF R.aIth-HorribL. Revelations.

Tn Tuesday, the 10th inst, as our readers are
aware, meeting Of the Board of Health WAS held,
the Grs, meeting of the present year. The Board
of Health consists Of the Mayor and Common
Council, the Mayor being President The third
sectiun Of TILE I, OF the Health Act, passed last
April, rune;-
The sessions Of the Common Council when acting
Board of Health shall b. with closed doors, ex-
sspt when otherwise ordered by said Board.
Now, in order to exclude reporter from the
meeting, it was pretended that This section COM
PEELED the Board of Health to shut out the press,
whereas it merely gives them the power of ex-
GLIDING or admitting. Why the press was exclu-
ded we shall presently show. II will also be seen
how far they have succeeded in keeping out of the
columns Of the Herald, information so deeply
affecting the public interests. They will probd-
bly, learn, 10 their cost, how the people
relish star chambers, or secret juntas, in thus
free republic country. Meantime, We may
observe, that when this Health ACT was passed,
we predicted its failure, just because the Com
mon Council were made the Board Of Health.
We knew that they cared not for the health of the
city, but that they would just act they did last
year-neiiher do any thing efficient thenselves,nor
permit others TO do it. We also knew that they
were not competent to be a Board of Health, and
that il board Of well qualified physicians thu
the nature Of the case required, and which is the
practice in other cities of The Union predicted,
for these reasons, that the law would not work
well and also, because the act takes the power
out of the hands Of the City Inspector and divides
the responsibility among many, that there is no
knowing upon whose shoulders TO place il.
Three mouths have elapsed since the law estab-
lished them Board Of Health, and they never met
ill the 10th, though the complaints of the filthy
condition Of the city, were loud and continual.
They would not have met even then, but that
the City Inspector cited before them the pro-
pr,eoTs of bone boiling establishments and persons
dumping manure in the city, according to the fol-
lowing clause of the first section Of title third
1t shall BE- the duty Of the City Inspector. on COM
plant being made 10 him. or whenever he shall deem
any busness trade or profession carried on oy any
persons in the ty OF New ork dstrimeatal
To the public health notify such parsons
10 show before the Board Of Health, nc tune
and place to be specified In such notice. Why the
al ould not be- discon,inu1d removed which notice
shall be noiic Of not less than three dsyt except
In Of epidemic p-stcuc- the Bosro Of Health
may. by general order direct shorter time not less
than twenty four hours) and may be served by lea
virg the the place of bus residence Of
the parties t. be sfs ctsd thereby. Cause may be
shown by sfhdavit, and the order OF the Board Of
Health shall be- final and conclusive thereon"
The City Inspector was driven TO this course from
the fact of one of the judges, Meeks, ofths Ninth
ward deciding against him in the of Mr.. Mead
man, against whom the City Inspector proceeded for
keeping II bone boiling establishment. The judge
decided that il sufficient that the City In
specior should deem any thing nuisance He must
prove it by other witnesses. For this the CITY To-
spector was not prerared and he thought it better
L.... al. lx.f
Health, in pursuance Of the foregoing section, espe-
cially there is appeal from their decision. A
meeting Wat fixed for day in the previous week
but the Board Of Health postponed the matter to
more convenient season. They met, at length, on
Tu, sday evening, with closed doors, and instead Of
acting at once on the matters brought before them.
they appointed II committee to report, and thus they
have STAYED off action for another while. That
the reader may see the urgent nature Of the cases
that have been thus postponed, we submit the fol-
lowing extracts from the afhddvits sworn to by
nearly one hundred persons. The horrible revela-
tons they make will show how the health of this
city has been neglected, notwithstanding the large
amount snnualiy paid to keep il clean xad
healthy -
Mr.. Issse W. Ayres, one Of tho proprietors Of the
Chelsea iron Works situated twenty SIKH street.
between Tenth aSd Eleventh avenues. hes swsrn
smUAvu ID Ne mpioyr loo hs estAbhennir
that the space of ground m mrdiately opp,
polite to hit estab shn-nt. manure IL dumped With
other corrupt substsnc~s emitting horrible enuvis;
that the wind blowing It, ~hch would others wise
be hesit by and refreshing with the
poison. we'll that which arise. from the stagusut
water all sIouud that offensive to thss~ns-s
and bears d-aih. instead Of healing its wings Mr.
Ayr.. concludes by s~esripg that IL Is = nuisance
which ought 10 be abated
MIR VIM Ksm, y in his sidsvit In reference
to The same nuissnc., that an exceedingly offensive
Il. mel from the rotten aud decom posing
there; sud that the men IN his employ m.nt eompl~in
OF the ~. neh sometimes almost insun-rsbte Aut
he rcneud by swearing that the health OF she neigh
bVIbvod H. injured by this manure.
III. for, man en- pIoyed In the Chelsea Iron Works
thst the Who'll. atmosphere la the vicinity Ia
hI.d with the foul odor ana that II Is not only delete
In lite effect upt the heal OF the mpoyed,
but hat 1t renders thsir life . burthen TO them
The employ I'd la the iron works. aud the
In the nsnufsctory OF Mr. Ktmeys. have ALEC sworn
stda,us cotrvborating IN. foregoing, aud declaring
that the stencil 10 perfectly horrible
| nr.i'r,nce to tie boue boiling sstablishm"nt OF
MI ohrri.on In forty.txi srr.t between fenth and
Eleventh svenu.s ana Of Mr. M.admsu in Forty tourth
street, b.h the Eleventh sv-uu. Jabsk Iistbs~ay sui
Hemp Hughes swear they ar. very Injurious TO the
b. ah comfort ct every p.rsoD living near them.
a. they cannot have ~ndO~ 10 the most close aud
sultry ~.sth-r. without making their families .icK.
Evn winter. In. Ia Boety seventh street.
could not Keep thrir dinIsrs On their stomschs In
| con..qu.Lev ~ the .fhuva arising from said bone
| fsrtotns They therefore hcrye that said nuisance
should be removed. -ithout delay
In relation to Gsrrisons bou.- boiling estsblis hmeot
In Ferry siItb street Nr Cn-r-r t'itn.r tnst
h. h. Obliged ssep the Of his house shut in
tn. hottest weather In order to- sssp out the very
of, p,i,. fiuvia That " producers upon d-ppnant
bsuss d',truyinR hts spp'tiir snd his confort aud
Joy n Of living In tbst vicinity; that IL affects
h., tanily VA = INK manner, that me stench som.s
dr.c " rop tbit ng establish ment; and That
the water in ~hich ssid oou-r arr ool.d u tbrows
cot aud p-rmit "a tn run upno adjoining property,
ana so~.d to ftagbs.. and corrupt the yb~rc;
| that Opponent cannot msgiB- worre stn;h than
that sri-'Bs irrm said establishment, aod that it L.
,ickepps o.sdy. aud dts u-tiug smell drpon.
bli II tv be- prJudir.l ~ hit h. zlth that
bis family aud that he lives Of tn imam Ia
that ne hborhood endangered by the .n.tsnc. of
| taid bon.. boiling e~ishii-hm Uncut.
| Mr. tcitnri concludes by opposing that he would
/ reusoy,. ~ his ctrcums tAucss permitted MIN
| Mr. a. Ellie s~.Ar- that families residing IN tne
vicinity of 'h. s'or. .pi,n.d bone boiling establish
tssr thy pl.ns t. hin ~ tse stencil
D britthg thsr.from Hnd wssing their lives exceed
iusly omfcrtsni- thai deponsot hs. often smued
IN. fiuvia bmseIf aud nun1 " to be very sek-ning
and dsxustiog aud n. bsl'-vst from his expert