The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-03-07
THE WARDS ISLAND RIOT.
,,prcTED TESTIMONY BEFORB 4
IEGisLITITB COMMITTEE.

t,,,.tIention bv tbs Lcais'nttv Cemm"tee
a. snturdny-Au ENGLISH Workhon-e sue
..r,or TO cur A-ylum for Inebrtates-The
.aascru. Food aud General Uncieauncss.
rLe official investigation into the cause OF the
80, an wards Island was begun on Saturday by the
f.y,.,,u,e Committee on Commerce and Naviga-
,or which consists Of Me-srs l. d. Keornan, chair
m., ". q. Berger, Owen Ksvansgh, M. Nschman,
Jobn Decker, and NJ. H. Clark. They visited the
.l,pd in con papy with some Of the Commissioners
!, Emigration and the Superintendent OF Castle
Garden, Mr. Benjamin Casey. They first Inspected
,hs buildings and apartments, and their almost
,n.pincus verdict was, that only DR.. Dryers
uetlcsi department WAS In any degree popsriy cared
sOr aud that was the pink Of peatness and clsanli.
ssss.
When the Committee subsequently organized, the
Doctor. testimony showed tha, hi. hospital was
continually crowded With men feigning sickness,
becsu.e hey got better food and more of |. thore
..:5 elsewhere. &c sS,eyed, however, that Idle
p,. vas tie real cause OF the riot. 10 regard to
superintendent Weiss snesed clubbing snd draw
lnEs pistol on the rioters, he denied that Mr.. Wells
used either The latter admitted that he held both
10 Ms hands rt ay to II compelled TO do 80. Dr.
BsIners sdvised the men TO 60 home or 10 remain
susty the island, but his advice was laughed st
,nd he was hissed.
Tue police ofcer on duty there said that he
subbed man in the riot Representatives OF the
English, Scotch. Irish. German, and other nsuonal
HES on the Island were sworn before the Committee
and testified that they got anything like de
cent meal, either In quantity or quality, save when
the Commissioners visited the Institutions. n. I'd
seld, an English "navvie" consids-ed the EnFlish
~orkhouses superior to hi- present quarters, In
aA L. -. - 4
,ered the Refuge.
In general terrs the Committee found, by the tcs.
hnony Of the witnesscs, and by their own personal
l,ve'tigstion, that there was insufficient food.
elOlhinE sleeoing and washing room. A. the diuue
vN served while the Committee were present. snd
food The result was that Mr. Kierran was 60 .ck
eted by the sigt OF the stuff served for dnnor That
he had 70 leave the room and reeline awhile to ".
cover The other members OF the COMMITTEES did a
little batter and remained littls longer,
For the behent or our readers who have never
1SsS nor f,Sd n. w,rH lslond mrs may ersa,
VI tia plntters were placed on either side u Ions
Sea- table before which the women were eated on
DinnutNe. dirty bits oi meat that might be either
beef or mutton. lInked by ladleful OF boiled ga:
S. n ~ SaEs M r ina n,s. S 10 SPpssTanes bid
vNtery soup ianked the plates and slice OF bread
,tepqoiler cut was the piece de resistance Not a
knilt, fok, or snoon va. TO be on tho table.
The women hooked M with cheerful faces a. they
entered snd willie the iAter stood by specializing rs
W hOv the food Was 10 be disposed Of they com,
n-nevd 10 eat.
The women sunk their too often dirty fingers In
the uu.h grabbed piece Of the meat. aud ete
rtyen0l-v. I here sere some. however, pinched,
hungry looking creatures who drank down the
,siu called coup from their tins, ate the bread, and
len the meat and mu-h untasted. Each piece of
bread wei he'd iOur ounces the meat on each plate
hrve ounces. TIE spectacle Of the unfortunate wo-
nca dazzling treir hands in the -liuy food and
tnngE'ing TO Get it 10 their eager mouths, was too
much for the Committee. The Committee stigma
Nied the arrangement In no measured terms as rank
mi.usnas CEMENT
TIE barracks where hundreds Of men lounced
Agst-' the vail, badly lighted, III ventilsted.
and hunjrrcs Of men were wNi,lng their turns TO
wasb al iOur basins, adjoining which huug two tow
e alsou ely black with dirt, and striking. for the!
have bear the rubbing Of Go0 faces every dy for
week, or i.an men altogether wash al iour basin,
aud IN nv VI them In the same water, and wipe on
tao toWr.- Soap j. scarce, aud "a often = rarity
Mr. Cus,ertv te-tihed that the Commls 7ioners hav'
10 bank tij0 600, a1d are ready to cIpend any reu
sonahle SUN 70 insure comfort " their prctege
Wen Gpprised oi the necessity.