The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-06-22

THE OFFAL CoNrRAcr-MoRn ABOUT BARREN Is
LAND-During the administration Of the late City In
spector DR.. White, contract made by direction
of the Common Council with VIM. B. Reynolds, for
the removal of blood, ohl, bones, and dead animals,
from the city, as q measure advantageous to the
public health-the operations of certain bone-bol-
ing and horse skinnng establishments in the upper
wards having during the prevalence of the cholera
in lS49 been the of riots and outbreaks, from
the fact then made evident that these places were
promotve Of the spread of the epidemic and the d.
rect cause Of the death of q number Of persons
where these places were located and where the NOR
talty was greatest. This consideration alone, with
out the undoubted oensiyeness at all times of these
factories, required that sanatory measure, they
should be suppressed within the limits OF the city.
The Common Council accordingly, after a examina-
ton of the various plans and places submitted, and
after very other measure failed came to the concu-
sion that Barren Island the only eligible place
To AXE these refuse substances to, and authorized
contract to be made by the City Inspector, which
was accordingly perfected, and the operation Of
which has been highly beneficial to the public health
to the present time, notwithstanding the embaTass-
ments continually made by the persons who formerly
carried on this business in the city.
These parties have endeavored to cast reflections
on the parties concerned in the contract, and in
duced Mr. Flagg, no doubt honestly, to refuse to
make further payments until the validity Of the
tract shall be settled by legal decisions but the ma
ure of the contract requires that its operations shall
be continued until the decision be rendered, or that
other means shall be devised to remove these sub
stances during TIE present season, without reestab
fishing these pestilential dens.
The parties who were engaged in this business
formerly are now endeavoring to prevent the con
tractor, Mr. Reynolds, by every means, from carry
ng on his contract in the hope that, if successful,
no other person daring to take contract, they may
be enabled to resume their offensive but lucrative
business. The last means resorted to for this pur
pose, was mob violence, by which they at
tempted to destroy the boats, barges boxes,
fences &C., Of the contractor. Property OF this kind
amounting in value to between 600 and 81 900 was
destroyed by two hundred persons at the wharf
at the foot of Thirty street, East river, on
Thursday night last, and threats having been ex-
pressed that if any attempt should be made to take
these refuse materials from the city, the property
and perhaps the lives Of the persons engaged in the
work would be destroyed. 1t is imperatively neces
sary that these substances should be removed from
the city, and that the lives and property Of those
gagged in the work should be protected against all
lawless outbreaks. The Board Of Aldermen last
evening unanimously voted reward OF five hundred
dollars for the detection and conviction Of the rioters
of Thursday night last.
Some time ago we gave an account Of Barren
Island and the peculiar business which Mr. Reynolds
had established there at an outlay Of over seventy
thousand dollars. Now il is fact that by his indus
try and enterprise he has made 1t source of consd
cradle profit and that at the same time, monstrous
nuisance has been removed from the city. Several
plans, it may be remembered were devised for the
removal of oa and dead anmals but they all proved
Intellectual till Mr. Reynolds made his contract with
the Common Council, by which he agreed to
clear the city of all such nuisances. The amount
was not specified in the contract, but it to
the expense of removing the offal, &c. to Barren
Island where Mr. Reynolds was to be allowed the
privilege of doing what he chose with them after
that. contract had previously been made, we un-
derstand with Mr.. Coles, but as he failed from want
of the proper means, the contract was given to Mr.
Reynolds who has up to the present time fulfilled all
its obligations. Now, it is hardly fair or honorable,
to allow others to step in for the contract when is
found that he has succeeded in making it profitable.
If he is deprived of it he will be at loss Of seventy
thousand dollars while the city will have no guaran-
tee that the work will be SO faithfully performed by
another Let there be fair play and no double deal
ing in the matter.