New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-05-21
THE QUARANTINE COMMISSIONERS.

To ae Editor II The y. y T''s9se
Sir: THE TRIBUNE Of May 10 contains the first
apology which has yet been put forward publicly br
the action Of the Quarantine Commissioners. 1t
abouuds WIKI un,ru;h and sophistcal reasoning, and
could have appeared sufficiently plausible to be pub
li-hed in the form wa- only because YOU had prev-
ouslv taken too little interest in the subject To make
any investigation OF the circumstances under wnich
the Wolfe farm became the property of the state.
To explain the secrecy with which the preliminary
steps in the speculation were taken It s ntnatedtnat
the Commissioners would not have been able 70 puI-
ehsse land in the vicinity of Segulnes Point had II
been known that il 10 be appropriated to Quaran
tire purposes Immediately afterward 1t Is asserted
that tie people Of the vicinity are IN favor OF tue
Quarantine q, that point. Which OF these statements
j. true | am known to you ~ one who has resided
for several years in the vicinity Of Segulne Point.
am not one Of the few oyster capitalists whom
Won have been led 10 think are the only opponents
~ tLe Quarantine. | have not the smallest Pc
cnnary interest in the oyster business. | have no
persoral friendship and scarcely an acquaintance
with any one who owns an oyster or an oyster ciat
The ONLY persons interested in this business, which In
wolves property the amount 81 at least 300 O0o
mostly belonging TO poor. Woodworking, sober, in
dustrious men, in every way deserving your respect
and cOnslderation-the only persons Interested IN
ths propertv that have cOnversed with on the sub
iect are some of the shore-boatmen some fifty OF
whom live with their families in the vicinity OF the
proposed site of yelow-feyer Hospital. have
taken some pain, To inform myself Of the sentiments
of these men, and of all other classes OF residents IN
the vicinity and you thathe assertion OF your
article no nearer the truth than that the slaves on
the Mississippi plantations are contented with their
lot and would not take freedom If 1t were offered to
them. If your informant can ind one man living
within FIVE miles Of Seguines Point who does not eX-
pre,s indignation with the Commissioners, and deter
pation to resist ard prevent the OF tho
Quarantine at Seguine's Point, he VIII do wen 10 I'M
nodiaely inform against hm as the probaoe lhcen-
a.. Iasa si..un of Nrl. he
offered reward OF 5000.
II is ntimated tina; after a careful survey and con
sderaton OF other proposed sites and plans Tor the yell
low fever hospital, the Commissioners, driven TO
their wits end adrotly sent agent 10 the owner OF
the rosition which they had concluded TO be the most
desirable with instructions TO jockey him into selling
the property for sum much less than it was worth,
by the lie honorable Commissioners that he WAS the
go-between of a " Brooklyn gentleman who intended
10 make use Of il az a country seat What refresh
ing instance Of official economy would this have been,
were il true Unfortunately, the agreement for the
purchase of the property Is recorded on the book OF
The Clerk of Richmond County almost Immediately
10Th March after the Commissioners received their
official appointment 1t is also web known that the
former owner Of the property made visit to Albany
before the Commissioners were appointed, ana there
il the strongest presumptive evidence OF bargain
having been effectively made for the property at that
time
To show all the other inconsistent and false state
pepts which YOU have been led TO make would re-
uure more space IMAM nave u rgnt 10 ask OF NOu
.bould Ike to inquire on what ground it is urgel
that such structures lhulks as floating hospitals,
adequately moored on what you describe elsewhere
as "irstrate holding ground, forvessels ul-masted
and rugged, and furnished with only the ordinary
ground tacklel would tend to spread rather than
coniine Infection. should like you to consider in
what respect such structures moOred five miles from
the nearest inhabited land as they may be with entire
safety would offer less security against the spread of
disease than hospital planted in the midst of popu
lous neghborhood having hOurybusiness necessities of
dealing with New York City should like t. have i
more clearly explained in what respect it is more
polite to locate the Quarantine at Seguine Point than
al COpev Island, for each Of the Ieasons which are
given in Your article against Coney Island apply with
greater force 10 the locality accepted by the Commits
-ioners. The only argument, In fact, contained IN
vour article which viii bear examination is that the
villages nearest COney Island were ravaged by yellow
fever last year and the Commissioners are interested
to insure that the carnage should be transferred 10
other points this year. II the people OF staten
probably succeed but il Is perfectly practicable To
secure efficient quarantine without subjectlng
any portion Of citizens to the alternative OF re-
beiOn death. This IL Is the duty OF the Commits
sioners to do and trust your influence will not be-
granted to pallae the great crime of which they
DESTROYS TO make the State guilty; at least not again
at the expense of libeng class OF men than whom,
as whole there is in the State more deserving
10 be hOnored BY all friends OF labor, s0briey and fru
gality. If you had seen the invariably neat we'll
ordered and improving cottages and small homesteads
the smiling tdunLes WHICH OCCUPY tue
psrt of Staten Island and which are destined by the
Commissioners to be desolated and that be assured
without the slightest necessity, by the fever which
they were appointed TO guard them against you never
could have been imposed upon in this respect, at least
as youhave been.
| have lived ten years among them, and until this
Quarantine difficulty have seen no evidence OF that
desperate and lawless character which you attribute
to them. From the Oysermen | have met with
nothing but cyity kindness and the best good neigh
borshp am quite the whole story Of Mr.. NOltes
oyster-bed is not told.
The Quarantine cannot, by any possibility, be
effeetually maintained at Seguine's Point Ii the
structures the Commissioners determined 10 erect
escape the vie lence of outraged aud desperate
people the establishment will doubtless be proceeded
against and broken up nuisance by the County
authorities. The Commissioners know, and one Of
them has declared in my presence that the Point IL
very far from being proper safe position for Quar-
antine purposes. The Quarantine Physician, after a
survey Of it, has publicly made a similar admission
The people Of New York should awake TO the danger
with which they are threatened
Resrectfully SOUTH SIDE.