The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-18
THE DEADLY DUMPING GROUNDS.


their thanks and take much pleasure and gratfca-
ton in the unflinching and determined course that
your valuable journal has taken in the peoples cause
against hardened contractor and his associates,
who, together with some In the background for
their own ACKNOWLEDGEMENT defy the citizens and
have even In the past week said that no petition
or any action their part on their behalf could
stop the dumping OF oal, ashes and garbage on the
East River. Now they did stop on Saturday last oil
day and burned lot of stuff early In the morning.
1t Is presumable that 1t was to prepare for visit
from the Sanitary Inspector and Commissioner
Gross, who, in q report on Friday last--made by
DR.. Morris and endorsed by Gross-stated therein
that the nuisance was not az bad as represented,
that the street swecpings, with but little garbage
were dumped on the lots and that the eluvia arose
as much from swamps and marshes as from the
dumping. Mr.. Brown was seen to pass twice up
and down the Third avenue on Saturday, and as
the wind blew from the west over the river, the
Harlem boats had the benefit and the avenues were
free at the time OF his passing, and this, no doubt,
accounts for the report.
Your readers would like much to be informed If
possible, how 1t was before the dumping last
year took place that the inhabitants OF the upper
end of the island never had cause to complain Of
poisonous eilluvia from the salt water, marsh and
swamp lands; on the contrary, the tide pass ed
over them twice day, and there was no green,
fostering, stagnant water until the present season
through Mr.. Browns closing the water courses.
II, through carelessness person or child receive
injury by steamboat or cars, the courts give
through these dumping grounds will Mr.. Brown be
responsible ana pay injuries sustained by disease
street, or some rining misdeed performed the party
offending is arrested, sued and fined. The result of
report of the sanitary inspectors was that the
Board OF Health passed resolutions to take out the
stuffed seats and backs in city cars. Can you in
form us how it Is that these same sanitary inspec
tors pass over without notice the fact that the
n
tain hours of the day crowd on the Second and
Third avenue cars among some forty or fifty passen
gers carrying in their clothing such an insufferable
sickening nauseOus enluvia that must be the means
OF spreading disease ana death among the COM
munity9 These men are mostly Italians who live
in the closely settled tenement houses about Baxter
street. 1t stands on record In one OF your valuable
issues some few weeks ago that from one Of these
houses four dead bodies were taken out, and that
some ten other poor wretches were on beds with
fever and smallpox the effect, no doubt OF the poison
from the dumphing grounds: ls 1t to be supposed
the twelve rooms Of this house did not find their
way to the favorite dumping grounds2 After work
ing among such STUFF all day these men are allowed
to ride among healthy people. The very next day
after the memorial Of 900 residents OF Yorkville
and Harlem was presented to the Board Of Health
conductor drove or five of these men from his car
on the Third avenue SO foul were the men and
their clothing that the passengers and conductor
could scarcely avoid vomiting. This Is no exagger-
alton but an everyday occurrence as some con-
duct0rs will not carry them, rightly considering
that they are not obliged to carry nuisance.
men, In place OF mixing them up with the COM
munity at large to spread contagion and diseaseY
Last Thursday woman residing on Third
avenue, between 1o5th and 10Gth streets, became
sick and was unable to eat through pun from the
dumping ground; this can be proved In Court If
need be. On Sunday the stencil was very offensive
all day. viii the Board of Health have these
grounds disinfected and covered with good earth,
and means used to abate in some measure the
poison now sckening the atmosphere Or is it to
remain as 1t isS Some suppose that DR.. Morris and
Commissioner Gross are demented; Ifso, they had
better resign and make room for ADLER men in their
places2 What can they be thinking of, to array
themselves against indisputable and provabe facts
set forth by twenty physicians ana looo persons
Healthf Dr. Smith, OF the Board saw through the
whitewash brush.
The diseases principally generated by this public
nuisance are spotted fever, typhoid fever, yellow
fever scarlet fever, cholera and smallpox, and
there are times when the poison arising from this
practice of filling in with garbage and all kinds Of
putid filth becomes more intensified than at Others
as after a summers rain storm, followed by burn
ing sun, raising the deadly vapor like smoke from
dung heap
A slight elevation in the temperature during the
last week has very sensbly increased the poisonous
eXhalations from this nuisance giving unmistaka-
BILE warning Of approaching disease and death.
Carriage and 9th can be usefuy and probably en-
nloyed for fertlllzng purposes but when aegre-
gated in large masses for filing mp 1t becomes the
nucleus OF deatllgeneratng poisOns, eXhang va
pors which impregnate the surrounding atmos-
phere, carrying pestence and death in their train
There have been more funerals passing on Third
avenue during the period Of the last five months
than IN the last four years. The poison dissent
mated by the nuisance complained OF will assuredly
be productive of fatal consequences to the city OF
New YORK If these grounds are not covered with
several feet of pure earth and immediate dslnfect-
ing means are not applied and constantly kept up
during the next six months OF warm weather on
the grounds aiuded 10. By the statements in your
removed in twelve days from the lower part of the
city. About one-half OF this, say $1,000 loads to-
gcther with some $1,000 loads since, making in all
l.
ready dumped during the past year.
Through the four east side public highways-to
wit In the cars on the Fourth, Third and Second
avenues and Harlem boats-some $4,000 persons
passed daily last year to their business through the
poisoned atmosphere, and all these can testify to
The narseous and sickenne consequences Of the
nuisance complained Of. II Is not an exaggeraton
10 say that an epidemic may visit the population
whose sanitary condition Is SO shamefully i'm
perled and that these dumping places threaten to
be productive of greater mortality and commercial
ruin than all the other nuisances Of the city put
together.
complaint had been made to the Board OF HEALTH
we're ordered to disinfect the grounds, and made
pretence to abate the nuisance in this wise, while
Iaily adding thousands Of loads of Nth to the pol
;onous mass:-A wheelbarrow or two would be
paraded on the ground, containing chloride OF lime,
he nuisance all the while was increased by daily
addition of thousands Of tons Of dcath-generating
attn, and j. l. Browns knowing the risk and Its de-
self and family to Westminster county out OF harms
way. What farce, what mockery Nero fiddled
while Rome was burning. Does not the Board OF
Health possess the power to act and abate such
evils without delay
Is it good policy to drive law.abiding citizens to
desperation. The Quarantine buildings were burned
On the night OF the Atlantic Cable celebration be-
cause the Commissioners appointed for their remo-
val did nothing for five years. The citizens OF Harlem
md Yorkvic do dot feel like being trampled on or
lrined with much longer. 1t Is dangerous to good
order to compel people TO take law In their own
hands to redress grievances that the proper author
tics should perform by each doing their duty; but
4 driven to extremes, to protect their lives ana
those Of their wives and children the powers that
be may rest assured that each will perform MS duy
10 home and family. 49,,
This communication was intended to have Deen
only few lines but the subject fs one Of sucn g'uVv
Importance and, being aware OF the lnterest you
take with reference to Il trust Just t Una. you
early CONSIDERATION Yours being the most ener-
cetic independent and fearless journal In the uni
Verse, as Is well known from Its earliest record TO
date. In behalf Of .,,~,,
UARLIA May ~ 1s7A