New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-10-24
DIR ISLAND CITY AND IT'S ISLANDS.
TX. Ward. and Randall. Islands.

DIR ISLAND CITY AND ITS ISLANDS.
TX Wards and Randalis Islands.
ofWsrds Island seventy.nine acres only owned by
the CORPORATION Of our iand City Exclusive OF the pub
Il, roads it contains two hundred and sxtytwO ceres
nneyfve of which the properly Of the Commssioners
ofrmeraon The remainder il private property public
inn and few farm houses the only attractions which
the private part Of the island presents The land mostly
unoutvaied and that which TILED appeared to Us to be
unskinfully treated
Oftbe seventy nine acres purchased Potters Field
one acre alone is enclosed We remember that when we
read forhe frst time that fascinating book, by Defoe-he
History Of the Crest Plague Of London, We we're much
sbookd at s account Of the manner 10 which the victims
of the pesterce buried. They were eced en- nGss
from tie dead cart into the grave But II was not TINS
fac was the assertion thar hundreds were buried in one
p that was astounding and revolving we certainty
did not then think that we should ever see mammoth
crave in Christian country Yet such monster PIT "a
used 1T the Potter Fields and in i our city poor and The
inmates ofthe city Institutions ore Inferred french Two
hundred feet in length fifteen in width, and fourteen feet
dfep dug and into packed three thousand collins IN
ex and sometimes egh tiers Between each tier there Is
few inches Of soil The upper tier Il about loot
NOT moreom the surface Of the ground On me tOp OF
tits corpse heap is placed five or six feet OF earth We
were informed by w0rkingmen engaged mine Island te
the stencil arising fTem the trench Whch u n e-eh IN
use was often almost uncomfortable. We visited 1t N the
morning There was only slight smell The sun, how
ever had not reached the meridian. We were informed
ct the emigration institutions which are at considera
bic distance from the enclosure that IN the heat oil me
urrrner sosce especially at night the stencil arising
from the putrd corpses perceptble in all their bnhd
ngs This field has been used for little more than ono
wear Only one pit j. fun VI contains upwards of three
thousand bodies The second pit already holds four hun
bred collins
Perhaps it is necessary since there exists in the Anglo
Saxon mind absurd prejudice against burning dead
bodies-that these trenches should be used But why
should they be re used Why should the dead be disturb
ed in State in which dissection is Illegal and when the
81 prbiq
possible AT present if the relative Of person. deceas
cd whose body buried in Potters Field, ascertans
the number Of his late relatives coffin and can procure an
order from the proper authority and is easily obained
he forces the employed in attending upon tho trench
LIT every coffin until the that wanted be found
Frequently is this dgraCeful and pestence breeding
oJ Grafton performed. Last summer, in instance up
wards OF trO hundred collins removed and six days
spent in seeking for tie body Of man who had bsen
inferred for FIX weeks. Inc PuIrid Vap9rs wnch lll,
work created poisoned the air for great distance around
the scene Of the removal.
From sixty to eighty inferred in the Poers Field
On these facts which are known t. very few, shall
make no comments Ofcourse, it must not be forgotten
that in a county OF such limited extent IA ours, II Is ne
cossary derGud the dead of their Inmenora Preroga
tive of six feet Of earth for last and narrow home
On the question of dissection, which has lately been ably
discussed by Of the most eminent members OF the
medical profession, would state fact only which
shows the absurdty Of the laws relating to il in State
is illegal to procure bodies for dissection yet the med
cal colleges required TO explain the science osnrgey
Before describing the buildings OF the Commissioners OF
Emigration, let complete our account OF the Institutions
under the control OF the Ten Governors.
Randas Island contains one hundred and thirty eight
acres, nearly all of which are under cultivation Thirty
owned blythe Commissioners of the House
Of Refuge large edihce designed, we explained be-
fore to relieve Blackwes Island of some Of is inhabi
ans in of erection, and expected TO be finish
ed in the month Of July next
The Nursery Establishment IL the great attraction at
Randall Island There ten hundred and fifty eight
children in IT at the present moment Seven hundred anu
fifty nine are boys Three hundred and four girls.
In the Hospital there one hundred and twenty seven
boys and hundred girls The majority afflicted with
diseases Of the eye. There fewer confined now than
there ever were before at this of the year
The Institution is divided into twelve separate build
ngs which all situated at considerable distance from
each other The given for this announcement and
absurd arrangement is that ii fire to breaK ut II
could not spread and the children would still have shelter
very precautions precaution We advise our country
readers to adopt it Instead Of building four roomed
framed house erect at each end of your farm In
case OF IRE The three rooms would Mrs T00dles said
" be so very hand, YOU know
VI The reiye structures there employed as hospitals
,wo play yards two a. dormores two one a. quar-
antine one kitchen, as school house ana threo
for wardens Offices and rooms Twenty are occn-
pied by parks ornamental shrubbey Fairgrounds aud the
budings The remainder are pasture and falow land.
The schools under the care Of a male and female
teacher each Of whom is provided with three assistants
There are five hundred BOYS and hundred and thirty
i've girls in attendance The majority OF the children are
of Insb birth
The following is an account of last week consumption
Three thousand two hundred and twenty loaves oi bread
eight hundred pounds of salt beef two thousand eight
hundred pounds of fresh beef hve hundred and fifty
pounds OF rice five hundred pounds of Indian meal two
hundred and eighty pounds OF crackers sixty pounds Of
four thirty six pounds of tea thirty pounds Of cof
zee ninety eight pounds OF brown sugar fifty pounds Of
mutton twenty pounds OF butter eighteen pounds Of
lard hundred aud eighty pounds Of soap; twenty
rounds q soft soap four quinals Of Goldfish six hundred
pounds rice thirty nine pounds ninety eight gal
Ions OF moass6s hundred and fifty seven gallons Of
milk eleven gallons Of oil and fifteen eggs.
a sci
aims at in the infant department Of his house Of Industry
tie educ alton and proserV alton If INDECENT infancy from
dtmoralzng influences The children the offspring Of
parents who too poor to support them and too igno
rant 10 instruct them Ii is the most noble OF the public
institutions have and described that belong to oa
Island City and its Islands.