, 1864-07-28
THE CHICAGO RIVER.
1 eEaptes Of Nl,h-The Cause and its Rem.
eay-u.W the Nuisastt Mafas TAX
What They Would Ds-DutJ Of the
Common Council.


euced in regard to The condition Of the Chicago
r,er, and another luH seems 10 threaten rs. The
river hns formed the eubject OF nine days dis
cuesion, and nov bids fair to be dropped some.
thing afrer the fashion OF hot potato which ID
shout too warm to hold. 1t ie scarcely matter o
~onder that we should shrink back appalled, 1t the
magnitude Of tho evtk und doubt cur ability to
cure 1t. The nuisance has been suffered to increase
50 long, and to increase 30 enormously, that the
Aegean stable nolhing to 1t; Indeed The ehances
are that had that celebrated stable been subjecsd
to the oE Of tue Chicago river, 1t would have been
woIssed By the uansSction. The state Of the river
could not be worse. We're y ever one Of those
"purllng stresms" once tsmtd In poetry and song
20 the abode Of the beautiful It has lonr since lost
that character AID become elongh Of Dcsponi
Mhae9 easts the Pall o. desponucnt feeling on all
inrit. " N'%1''1'@ - '''s f0''''''S " '''pf''-
a great many lnan are like the darker who OWL
sause when the weather va ane d. poof ap2I an De
need mendtn', and when It fafned 1t was loo wet
to 40 fsopls IN chicago are good deal ike
til!ars a1e at work, and ,housands Of c.iIons Of
liquid filth arc hourly poured INTO tue channel of
the river: An enteEy Is raised, and TIE story then
ot taeir bueiness operations: to do SO would Rim
them: besides, the ice II On the river and cover
IL the Nth: when the spring neode come Tie riyes
cti,ion Of the nuisance" Spring comes. ana ia
ususl chcIubic character Ia DESTROYED bv Ina v,is
nous smell which pe1rades the vicinity Of Chlca.
nbesa'e the moisture from the earth, iesyior It
tree to descetd into the lake; az it rolls aione the
bed Of TIE river, 1t stir; up the mass Of aeduen-
to allow Of the. whole contents Of 1b,f
channel. aesumtng the consistency and apnearance
Of sancufnsIy mud. 0ne-ha1f Of it rolls out iuto
tho o,her hall sinks to the botom ready fhsra t;
minele with the upper water. as The Eeel Of eacI
passing, vessel plouehs Il, THROUGH. The p peonie @
Grosa b1i console @ themselves With the reflection
portion as it IS bad nov, will It be endntable In
the summer. Summer comes, and still the thing
smells y1IlaiEously The packers and disi!lers are
g,snd tour Of Investigation Is organized and 1hoae
gentlemen tgtunphapuY exhibit their places Of bu-
ti1ees- The packing houses are closed and washed
c:can. The cattle sheds are eyacustoa aud the Dis
ulefs have ceased 10 make whisky. "Look here
saT they, I'VE aEe not throwing particle Of a'th
Into the livcr Ia not Us; it Is thesewcrs.' Yes,
what they threw into the river during the previous
winter and spring, lies there in great measure,
nnca1ried of By the elugslsh Water which has no
snd !ssy omit to s.. hst the wl ut
season. Very dfstuteleeted, very ctean that they
all afe: They d. nothing, poor innocent Ablgatia
20 fo. yoursef to those places when they are IN
full blast; examine and zee the stuff pouring into
the river in large eixed streams. See tue Culches
eneda, watch tie twenty gallons per second Of
sWi]l which flows direct into the river. You can
see it Il you only take the trouble Of looking at it.
and Will run no risk OF not being able TO smell 1t;
the onl, danger Is that tho stencil will be 90 strong
that you bteume 0yetpowere by II. fall In among
the corrupted maee, and Feed to he carried home on
fcr your stomach, then 70 along the South Rrsasb.
and watch the blood pouring In there. 1t may be
that you cannot zee Il unless At night, fos with
come the foodcetee are ony opened about one
O'Clock, when the policemen are making their
changes Of beat II your eyes are too weak for
thit, take u7 bucket tutl Of the eluah called wa
ter and you shHl! zee and smeu the blood: ,ake
Of the river haud1uI Of the sediment which some
call mud. You find It to be more pregnant with
Is all ono copelomeration Of blood sud brains and
mulch, niu:led and decompoaed By the action oi
the fluid atore. And this il Is what's the matter
that they ot do it, that lit Is al done By some
body e1te.f Not one Of all those people will own
thst single drcp Of hlth ever passed from their
srtablishmept tnto tie river, though they are AZ
leading }rom them Into it. 1mpudence itself car
| go no farther
This ie what has been in the past, and to very
| great extent ie now, and will be again. We are
| aware that many Of the packers arc now making
INTO qtetul substances, but I'll Of tbem have not,
ard the rendering establishments are not even II
the way fit. What shall ne say Of the disttslers
Simply that all that has been said Of them may be
re-ssatea in ten tine: stronesr laug1sge without
nothing Low, except that the accumnlations q
former years are still lying IN the river and run
ming into It from the extenefye death boss which
they have been allowed TO form On its banks
TheE are doing nothing. In the fail they expec,
! 10 Te.eomraeuce business and add still more c1-
tenstEely 2 those deooslts; They intend to bring
their cattle back, and let the filth rom ten thou.
sabd Of those animals be piled in on the top oi
what Is already there Shall they be allowed 10 do
i. Let the whole city answer with an emphatic
Itis The duty OF the common Council now to
| those establishments shnl be SLOWED to recon-
mence business the coming fall unless ample
| arrangements hare been mHde to obYate nil dan
ger to thepublic heslth either from present accu-
must be passed speedily. or they will be able bve
and Iye to ect up the old plea-~We hare not time
new; let NJ alone this season, and ge vii! Sc. 1t
We haye:p1Iyed with that too long; the came ID
p1aycd out: those promtaef have been made once
too Often. Ion bave fair warning. rake heed in
time. The Judgement and Indignation Of the city
has long slept: but it is awakening, You are wei
come 10 Chlca"n. we are glad Of your enterprise
and thTift: Jon have helped to make Chicago whit
It If Uo much 20 in ore Fefpec} but you must not
be permitted longer to sow the seedt OF pesnlence
aud death In oEr midst; 1t muet be checked
right of.
respectfully commend this TO the attention of the
Board o Public Works and the Common Council,
They hare talked abozt the subject long euou II,
now let them Co something. The Chicago river IN
lite p1eeent condttsouis disgrace to the city, TO
the :shole northwest, and thrt stens With cpide
mic evr1y cav 1t Is suffered to rensln Is II Ia,
Vigorous measures must be taken. and taken coon.
Not on1g Il the h@alth Of the city impercd by de-
lsy hut eac day 1t II deferred increases the diff
cnlt2 % Of he task Another two Or three year. and
will be to pun Up stakes and remove TO some
other rlocn.ion, ont Of the Why and influence Of tke
abomf1.ahle, unbearable nuisance.