The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-07-11
THE OFFAL BUSINESS.
The Health of the City in
Danger.
The New York Rendering Company Failing in
the FulHlment Of Its Contract-The Rum
ming Of the Offal Probably Taken
Out ofIts Hands-Pest Holes
Of the Metropolis

The Board OF Health has at last become sensible
OF what the sanitary interests OF the city demand.
with cholera threatening US at our very doors, in
the middle OF heated season, apathy would be-
criminal and objectionable, and many nagrant
abuses and nuisances which In times past were
suffered to exist without let and hndrance ara
now being thoroughly investigated. The principle
upon which the city authorities. particularly the
Health Board, transacted the business OF the
people has been anything but creaitable. The
system seemed to be that the rights OF the many
who were poor should be sacrificed to those OF the
few who were rich, and manufacturing, rendering
and sOap-bOiling companies were allowed to erect
establishments to carry on their business in tho
most pOpulous and poorest portions OF the city.
There Is nothing Of more importance to the pub
lie health than the prompt aud speedy removal Of
ofral outside the city limits In hot weather dead
dog or dead cat left for any length of time in a
locality Is almost certain to breed disease from the
foul smells and pestilential OdOrs which proceed
from 1t. When O carcass becomes mixed with
other refuse, decayed vegetable matter and accu.
mulated filth, the stencil becomes. disgusting and
the odor can be felt Block away. In hot weather
the mortality among animals OF all kinds ID enor-
mously increased especially in the case of horses,
which from the effects Of work they have to do
drop dead by scores. 1t Is no unusual thing on
on walking up Broadway. to find horse lying
PROSTATE in every two or three blocks. DecompO-
sition is, Of course, exceedingly rapid, and II the
animals are not Immediately transferred bad re-
suits are likely to ensue. There Is another feature
in connection with
THE OFFAL BUSINESS
which in hot weather, is also likely to become
greatly aggravated. This is the refuse which accu-
mulates in the vicinity OF the city markets. Meat,
at all times liable to speedily spoil, becomes rotten
and 2utrid when exposed to the heat of burning
sun, and in few hours will have become totally
unfit for human food The stencil 1t throws out Is
almost as bad as that which comes from horse
which has been dead twenty -four hours and 1t Ia
equally detrimental to health Our markets, as q
general rule are crowded with purchasers from all
parts Of the city. If the putrd meat allowed to
remain 1t is liable to communicate disease all over
the metropolis, and not moment should, there
fore, be lost in transierringit 10 where 1t be
no longer dangerous. There are lnnumerable
with safety be permitted to accumulate; but those
mentioned are the most important. In the Winter
great. The severity OF last Winter rendered it
almost impossible that evil results could ensue
from the exposure OF the body OF cat dog or
horse. They were buried under mountains OF
snow and Ice, and remained there for the winter
months, and when they were dug out they were
frozen so hard that they could be made into can
non balls and fired OF without thawing. In the
vicinity of Baxter street strange stories OF missing
weather, and When the snow was cleared away it
was whispered that, like the dormouse, they had
been frozen IN for months but unlike the DOR
mouse they did not come out merry-nOthing
handles
IN the hands of thoNew York Rendering Company,
w.lich has its headquarters at the loot of West
rhirty-eignth street. The contract was originally
.LoNG ISLAND BONE LABORATORY
Company" but was subsequently transferred to the
Rendering Company, which Is part OF the old
concern The agreement was drawn up on the
10th day OF April, 1865. Fifteen thousand dollars
was the sum fixed upon Tor compensation. This
the company was to receive in addition to the use
OF the dead animals for lat boiling, soap melting
or any purpose, exclusive OF sausage making,
which the company desired. All Ofia was to
be removed to the loot OF West Thirtyeghth street.
There they might be melted ground or pounded,
but they were not to remain more than twenty-fOur
hours. at which time they were 10 be transferred
somewhere outside the city limits. The articles to
bones, fish, tainted meat, nc. The blood ana olral
were 10 be removed in tight covered boxes to the
steamers, winch were required to be in readiness
at all times the river and ut all hours Of the day.
One cart was to be In waiting in the vicinity Of
each station house. Boxes were provided at
various points. where complaints could be lodged,
and the dead animals complained OF were In all
cases to be removed within tweny-four hours after
each complaint had been made.
For some time after the contract was made the
company was very Jealous In carrying out It's pro-
visions, but this zeal soon relaxed. and In the end
oYal. Ii 1t were convenient to keep the carcasses
at the rendering establishments Tor longer period
than the law permitted they were kept, and II u
was not convenient to send for dead animals when
complaints were made
THEY WERE ALLOWED TO REMAIN.
1t has been going on in this way for years. Not
long since the writer observed dead dog lying for
four mornings on Broadway and Houston street, and
there was no attempt made to remove 1t. II one
walks through the poorer portions OF the Fourth,
Sixth and Eighth wards the spectacles winch salute
the eye and the smells which the nostrs encounter
plv Iicn I'm ~ " tor
streets filth OF all kinds has accumulated on the
sidewalks ana groups OF half naked children wal
low in the mre inhaling the vile miasma which IL
scattering disease around. On sullivan and
Thompson streets the same nuisancc3 abound in
equal not gfeae po 80 aaS wth INTO
dangers OF trip to the chosen home OF the
Africans in this city or civilization. stagnanr
pools OF water filled with dead CATS
rats and dogs, mingled with rotten
vegetables, ashes and cInders, are to be met with
everywhere. Like coming events" these pest
holes scast their shadows BEFORE" aud you can
scent the carrion long before seeing 1t. IL is dis
grace to great city that such places should be al
lowed to exist and the lault Is about equally
divided between the Street Cleaning Department.
and those who carry away the ofral.
The loose wy in which the business Is trans
acted has at last attracted the attention OF the
Board oil Health and action Is being taken in
pany informed the Board OF Health at its last
meeting that he could no longer carry the ofral out
OF the city limits, as the dock was filled with rub
the contract there were other parties who
were willing and ready to do so,
and he informed the Rendering Company that
their docks must be cleared OF all rubbish by to
day or they will have to stop rendering. IL is
almost incredible what an amount OF fish can &C.
cumulate on these docks In single day. The tat
is melted out Of the animals and the bones are
utilized and then the balance OF
THE CARCASS IL THROWN AWAY
as useless. 1t remains upon the dock, and when 1t
is considered that scores OF horses and other ami
mails are subjected to the melting process during
q day the effect can be easily imagined. The
company has q very large stOreroOm, In which the
fat is kept In nOgsheads, and those who enter the
interior OF this storehOuse will not to do 30
again, as the smell ~ thing but agreeable. The
boilers situated on the dock, near the edge OF
the river, and here the business Is done. Fortu-
nately there are very few houses In the vicinity OF
the DOCK and the boiling IL not therefore, 80 per-
ncious as in other districts OF the city. The COM
pany OF late has not kept sufficient men to do
the work which Is required by the city. and
yesterday there was no appearance OF hustle