The New York herald., 1872-08-01
THE PAT-RENDERING COMPANIES.
Efforts to Abate the NuiSances on the
West Side Of the City.
A DISTRICT OF DIRT.
Comparative Statement Of Con-
tagious Diseases.
MEETING OF THE BOARD OF HEALTH.

MEETING OF THE BOARD OF HEALTH.
At the regular meeting of the Board Of Health,
held yesterday afternoon, q report was received
from the special committee appointed to examine
into the business of fat-rendering and convey to
the Board the result OF its inquiries. The COM
mittee recommended that the several firms at
present engaged In the business should be granted
permits by the Board, upon condition that they
conducted the melting process In accordance with
the regulations of the Board. II was also recon-
mended that inspectors should be appointed
to specially watch the operations OF the fat
melting places, and that these inspectors
should be engaged by and continue under the con-
troll OF the Board OF Health but be paid by the rem
dering companies. These recommendations were
sent to the Board in the form OF resolutions, but
when put to the vote they were lost President
Bosworth and Commissioners Gross and Ccccarini
voted to give the new experiment trial, and Com
missoners Henry Smith, stephen Smith and Barr
voted against the proposed arrangements.
Each case was put separately to the
Board and the vote was the same in
every instance These rendering companies some
time since sent in petitions to the Board asking
that they might be permitted to continue their
operations and promising to conduct their business
in strict accordance with the regulations Of the
PAY THE SALARY
OF an insrector, who should be appointed by the
Board to continually look after the conducting Of
the business and see that nothing should be done
that was not strictly in accordance with the
sanitary laws, jusS the very thing the Special
Committee yesterday recommended the Board
to do They likewise asked the Board
to appoint practical man to cx.
| amine their machinery and appliances at the
| expense of the companies. The committee, 1t ap-
pears, took 1t into Its own hands to inspect the
| establishments of the companies, and after look
| Ing at the matter from every light in which 1t
could possibly present ITSELF arrived at the con-
cluson that the special inspectors would prove the
best means OF eliectually saving the citizens from
| ANNOYANCE by the nuisance. The opinions OF the
committee not prevailing In the Board, the resolu-
tions were lost The system ofepecally detailed men
| paid by the corporations upon whose premises
| they were commissioned for duty has been tried in
other departments and was not always found to be
satisfactory, for the reason that the officers know
their salaries are derived from the people most
directly concerned, and they are liable to look with
q lenient eye upon any irregularities that may
arise. Tne Sanitary Committee would OF course be
at all times supervisory and corrective body over
the inspectors but the Board dld not &c evidently
| all the nuisance now complained Of These fat
rendering companies are powerful corporations
difficulty, not only to the Board OF Health, but to
the public at large. There four large concerns
Thrty-lifth and Forty second streets. Their opera
tions create stencil that spreads over the entire
| west side of the island, and 1t ls time something
| was done to relieve the people Of the sickening
Odors they emit. Below them Is gas house that
in Itself Is sufficient to poison all the pure ar in the
neigbborhood; and above them, for many blocks,
| are slaughter houses that are far from being I'm
good sanitary condition. There is not one of
these establishments that does not give out some
offensive efluvia, and their combined fouiness has
made that side OF the island the pague spot OF tine
| city. The stencil arising from that quarter fire.
| ant JU al nj q
Broadway, and In the very warm weather it is
almost impossible to bear It in the houses on that
pany promised the Board OF Health, some
years ago to build warehouse where
do away with all cause OF complaint, but
nothing has yet been done In that
in the same loose and fllhy manner as ever. Gam
bic 4 McNeal whose premises adjoin those OF the
iatrendeiing company, not only melt iat ana carry
on other branches of the same commerce, but they
CUTS AND orrAL TAKEN FROM SLAUGHTER HOUSES
in open barrels up the river 10 be cleaned and the
| barrels are returned empty and then they emit
more noxious odor than even when they were full.
Toby 4 Booth is the next largest firm engaged in
this business and the establishment OF Michacl
Donahue is the fourth. Again and again the Board
Of Health has obtained judgments agansti, si, each
tinues in despite of nll law and regulation. DOna
| hue has been arrested several times; but he still
OF the people seems to possess the owners OF these
places. They only look TO the attainment OF their
complsh at ali hazards. The Board of Health is in-
cined to think great deal OF the difficulty IN It's
way to secure better management Of those
| places Ia In the courts, where the COM
! plants brought against the propilctors OF
the rendering houses are not treated with
that Importance they. deserve. Postpone
ments OF trials are easily obtained, and when judg-
| ments are secured they are not severe enough to
deter the parties from offending again. The cases
| rarely get beyond the Special Sessions, and the
slightest excuse is sufficient in that Court 10 gain
decrring Of the case The great mistake made by
the dispensers OF justice In allowing complaints OF
this nature to 60 that the parties by that
action permitted to continue the business and by
rangement is effected by the interested owners,
and the Court awards q Judgment that is by no
means adequate to the offence. The boat used by
the New York Rendering Company is even now so
fitted up at not one-half the ofensiycness that
at present annoys the inhabitants OF the
west side need be caused if the company
would only make use Of the means at its command.
But the desire to curtail expenses is so great
among the managers that they viii not allow coal
enough to be used to keep the fires, necessary to
cOudense the nOxious gases, at proper tempera-
ture. While such state Of things exists it is the
duty OF the Board OF Health to force these com
panies to adopt proper measures to protect the
health Of the people from the evil influences OF
their business, and to effect this thorough reform,
and not half measures, Is needed.
The following additional section, which was re-
ferred back from the Committee on Laws and Ordi-
nances, was added TO the Health Code:-
From and after the lst day OF September 1872 no par
Of the ,I nj OF any vault H Ges5GGoo or spy sS
sgbt1aee, or material being in any excaystoS eS"r or
place, WITHIN the limits Of the city Of New York shall be
removed hercirom, shall the be transported
through the streets pf said city, unless
and except the shall be removed and transported
by means of an tight apparatus and In such
shall prevent entirely the escape any ppxious
offensive odors thercirom' and by permit this
depar
The Sanitary Committee had been for long time
considering the subject, end unanimously reported
at the last meeting oil the Board In favor of an air.
tight system Of emptyng house vaults. The want
OF some Improvement upon the Old style OF COIL
ductng this disaarceabe business has been felt by
people of every class in the community, and many