, 1864-07-08
the CHICAGO RIVER.
Sights and Smells -Investlgation-The' two
has been Done in Bridge
port-Rhst Renaihs, and Must he
Observation-Disclosures
fng Ont

powers that be in Chicago are moving in Sanit,r,
matters; looking after the improvement Of thu
River. Public opinion On the subject has ton lone
resembled the etream ltself-lain dormant, MOVING
but d1cau'ly along, II Ut ali, and subject at times
TO spasuo odic motion, which is soon terminated
The evil has been borne aboutlong enough, that Ii
now generally conceded. For long time paet
people have s.u1ed their uoaes at the smell, then
cured the stink said something ought to be done
whole subject Like the soldier who was narttsIjS
aroused when Qneen Nab crphsed The br1dre NJ III,
nose n her tiny chariot, they toss awhile then tal]
The history Of the nuisance IL not lengthy m.
The banks Of the Chicago river hare been CHOSEN
Naturally enongh Is the location Of the nanufa cfn
sss sosp ., GRpjs, RGj9a bssf tsox gn
gas, which may be quoted as the exports Of Chi.
cago. T was too used pe1forcc as the great sewer
ln1o winch Au the other sewers run there being M
n,ae. ,spparnt method Of getting I'D Of the exe-
u not TIL within the past three yeafa that the eyij
mas 0ecnme serious one. Since then the civ hRs
1ncIeaeed nightly, and her business has dereiopcd
with unprecedented rapidity. The nrst wear sfler
the breaking ont Of tie var. her products more
than doub ed, stimulated by the enormous de,nani
Seated lor war supplies, nnd BY the uncertainty oi
drove neR o tc which
p!oyed IN those places. Packing houses md othsr
PLACES. sprang up as If By magic along the banks
q nc nsss. and those previously there augmented
theif working capacities. Then came the nuisance
IN The rseE. 4 perfect asalalehe OF tith vas
poured down into its bed, and owirr to the 1ark
Of current, it was permitted to lie there for
mon9ns aati! sTept out By tteehet Everybody
cshimed, something mnat be done," but what to
DO Was the question:. The peculiar difficulties At
lending o9r situation seemed to some to forbid
The cleansing the rver> and others differed exceed
ingly as to the means to be employed. In coase-
quence, little has been done. W hsye had smoii-
ing committees at work, chen14 analyses ineti-
tuted: we have seen excuslone out into the Lake,
along the river, OF on its banks, taken in tors'
hacks, hnpeies and on loot. But they have hiia..
erto amounted to nothing beyond an outcry. The
dtsCuEsion-Fome hare thought drcau,ily. Others
talked sharply, but 1t has all end ed IN soke-and
After having lain perda awhilc, the subject Ia
aCain asita1cd. The Committee has been appoiuts +
ed BY the Common Council, which, acting In c5nc
With others, has made the Grand tour, and viii. nc
Committee previously appointed ignored its duties
20 signally that another has been commissions
ed )ei ns hope they will givn rest til some nd
river 1T place for human beings to liye by, That
It is not 80 nov. few will dispute The al blow
Ing from the region Of Bridgeport is well known to
and tbe ali and water from he NoTth bSanca@ws, ,
cannot tell Let any one travel along the Milwau-
kee Railroaa, when the wind is blowing from the
hla nossrls in the vicinity Of the 1stt1esies then
let lin pay visit to The numerous cabins which
arc found there, and sac the tenants yornIt now
and again when a passing vessel stirs m the
waters he will need no o4hcr description.
We have already spoken In receEt issues OF the
1rauch, Of 1te ewi milk sud cow sheds OF its ntar-
nant putFid contents called by some ''~ater'' aud
The acres on acres OF abominable filth which there
lies rotiing IN The sno, teeming with untold my
1lads Of seEmin within, and pestllence and dcath
without. We hare been the more thorough on that
branch Of The subject. becanse the nnisancc ia e-
ply lntoletable and nothtns ,s being done to reas
carry OF the ewin from ttcir dtstillery is worse
Than nothtng-g1santic undertaking though it be-
The ground IL becoming corrupted over wider
Glea the trees are being killed Cd from huudftdf Of
ae1ea, and the stencil is ten umes more diffused.
i Each dssttllsIs company, while protesting to keep
tseif vile ftu ont Of tie river does not do so; the
slender embenlment which divides their eloushs
With few shoycls1ul OF earth In the morning,
IT a aoctns insult 10 fraud. and fraud to injury
With The South Branch It is different. Til re-
discharged into the river. Now efforts are msde
At 1elnedytng the evil, which, il in some cases
aeortise. and in all inefficient at least merit or
Even At the WORT: the nuisance was not 60 bad aa
that Of the North Branch. The deposits were
principally made N the winter season, when the
Iyer was covered win ice and the spring freshets
earned great portion Of 1t away, after which
nothing more was done during the summer. Then
tHo winters ago the packers removed q good pot-
aou OF tnel DUAL OUTSIDE Of the city limits, and
much o. II vas buried by themselves though q
Great dea! vas LEFT uncovered till e3rthed hg the
htldeEelI hands, under direction of the Health
1tcer; Last year aHangements were made with
me- Up ali the oa ia tbc vork on na 10 10
hand, though, from the immense Quantities thrown
On their and the comparatively unprepafed
nuisance WAS not entirely obrlated. The bio
Nas carried there and mixed with lima and pyp-
fnn, destroying its o1ensiEe properties, and con
veTttng II into valuable manure. Tens Of tho1-
ssnds Of tons Of tank refuse were carried there
and saturated with euphu1ic acid, then mixed
with plaster, completely dcodorlxtns 1t. The Ut
post efforts Of tue Aessre. Nahl Tefe, however,
yttrtolic acld 10 deodouze all, and hence GONE
smen remained, hut IL ts believed that arrange
ments have nov hetn made which will secure an
ample EupplY Of the rial for the most extend
ed operations Of next winter. The manure thus
made Is very valuable, and sells readily In the
East where the land has been more exhausted by
to The. bert imported guano The cause of all this
annoyance In the past IL thus fruitful source or
proht; and the Fame is true Of most other Ills
turned into blessings By the aid oithat knowledge
used brings happiness In its ttain.
rS ise hsse 'es e9n 10 On the Soh th
present nuisance, but we could afford to witt for
he relief which We all would zee coming. There
Into the liver In city Ike this, and we must bar
the es!l or adopt measures to gel rid oft. But NE
have the right TO i1eiet that individuals OF nrms
that can othetwtse be got lid o and they cannot
ca1ry OF their operations without pesiliug the
heath Of the city they should be forced to move.
But We DO not counsel this Wholesale eviction; we
believe tlat It IL quite possible, IL not easy, to
clean up as they 20 along. and Iniltster to the
wc2lth 81 the city without sowing the eeeds OF dis
ease and death In It's midst They can do this, and
they will not Willingly then they should be forced
to do it.
Some OF the packers tn Bridgeport have not done
their duty and should be made to tos the mark !;
the great majority OF them have, however, shown
tie most pralseWorthy willingness to AID in ali
practical measures for the prevention of nuisance
The chi evil in bEideeport Is the rendering estAb
lishments; the places where thew boil down hogs
WHO have died OF disease, into crease, and turn 1t
Into soap and other kindred products. They work
u eummer, and It Is their operations which cauee
the present emell from those classic regions We
do not wish to assume the responsibility Of de-
1nandine their removal, but We wouid nave the
rule VIGOROUSLY applied. II they cannot carry on
nuisance they should be made to move elsewhere; !;
but we do not sec Why they should not be able to
effect radical changes In their manner of w5rktnR
them to say that they do not c1ute the nth now
lying IN the South Branch; that has been drawn
up dom the North Branch, By the action Of The
humping works which feed The Illinois and Mich
There Is one abominable nuieanee which must
be abated-the Scanlan slough. This is ditch OF
neatly cne and a hali mflea In length, tpiuing
round among the packing and rendering houses
and nl;ed with AM lmal refuse. It is q trightiui
place get inferior IN point Of horrible proportions
to ihe ooFe On The North Branch and i may be ss
BY tlofe ministeriug 10 the necessities Of our
providing food for us-Ehi1e the North
Branch bogs hare been produced In the manuiac-
t tgre q 8 spirdl Of eTil, The greater portion Ct
has been proposed to Ill up this slough This
viii be waste Of labor and materiAt. Il should
be eFeJsed ont and deepened; not many ycarss
there will be valuable dockase. and amply repay
the Investment required In making it
The North Branch must be dealt with, AZ We
p pens must be kept away from he livcr, and The
dslets mnkt take their sw,ll of into the county
Of construct drama or aeWera 1t their expense
1t 1beir own expense. dig ont The dith from those
slougls which they have been enRaKed In making,
and thus make room ior valuable dockAce pro
These preventive measures being adopted, We may
thin provide for the formation oil current In both
branches OF the Eiyer to casry of the sewerage
this current ehAu be formed and maintsined hiss
beer fruitful theme Of discussion In the past and
possibly will be yet 5or some time to come. We
The subject.
BUILDING E TIE CTTY-PRoGREse or 1HpnovE-
xEKT.-At no time since the settlement otCh1cago
has tie number Of building improvements been 90
great and Of = character 60 respectable as At the
present. Go where you will, in any direction from
the Court House, In each grand division Of city,
you Elll find gong On the process Of pulling down
10 build larger md the erection Of houses, stores
and manufactures; and this in spite Of the depse
ciation Of the currency and the enormous yslue OF
material and tie scarcity OF labor. Upon Nichgan.
" Wabath and 1ndian2 avenues stately dwellings are
rearing their marble fronts churches are pointing
and structures, which year or two
piled down to make way for dweilihgs stu more
eleEunt and expensive. The time was, and that
NOT very remote, when Michigan Terrace vas point
I'd At Hith pride a. the perfection Of architecture