The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-06-06
lHE PEST BEDS OF HARLEM.
Why DR.. Fetter Signed the White
washing Report.
WHAT HE SAW AT HARLEM.
Lively Scenes in the Police Board
Yesterday.

.ng one In pursuance Of the resolution adopted
at the meeting on Friday providing Tor a special
session OF the Board which Police Surgeon Fetter
was expected to rise and explain,n the Comms-
sioners met promptly at eleven O'Clock. After the
reading OF tue minutes OF the previous meeting
Commissioner D,sbecker called Tor the special
business OF the session, and O messenger was
despatched Tor Dr. Fetter who promptly arrived,
and stationing himself at the side OF General
Smith, calmly awaited the commencement OF the
Inquisitorial process.
.Dr. Fetter." began President Matsel 1T has
been asserted at meeting OF this Board by one
OF the commissioners OF this department tnat, in
a conversation which recently took place be-
tween him and yourself you stated TO him that
you were coereed into All king your name 10 are
bort made by a committee OF surgeons to this
Board relative TO the sanitary condition or the
material used for nlng IN the Harlem mats con-
trary 10 your honest convictions. You VIII please
now give the Board q iull explanation or the
same"
at Is true.n replied the Doctor. that made,
substantially, such a statement, and have pre-
pared a written explanation or all the crcum-
stances, which, with your permission. will read;
put i would ike that the other surgeons should
De present TO anirm Or negative what propose to
sayr
Commissioner voorhis thought that IT was very
proper that all tue members OF the Board OF Sur
icons, or as many OF them as could be reached,
should be invited TO attend, and the deputy chief
clerk was tnereupon directed 10 summon before
the Board all the surgeons then in the building.
In few minutes the latter gentleman returned,
accompanied by the following surgeons, VINO were
assigned seats and invited 10 participate, when
necessary. In the investigation :-Chief surgeon
Henry. Surgeons Satterlee, Walker, Wade, COOK.
Phelps and Yarian.
DR.. Fetter then resumed, ana amid o deep
silence read the following, nterlarding It al var-
Gus places with vigorous explanations and argu-
ments In support
DIR. FETrER's STATEMENT
on Friday, May IS. 1875, committee OF sur
Reons, consisting fDrs. Henry Satterlee, Phelps
Cook Wade, VarIan anu my sell. were asked to 60
up aud view the ground beng hed III at Harlem
oy DR.. henry. President Of tue Board oil surgeons
Drs Phelps. Cook, Wade and myself were told TO
take tue upper end or tine grounds first, com
examined the block bet~ cen TuIrd and Fourth
avenues aud 1Osth and 109ta streets On this, IN
the middle portion. stood some stagnant wafer,
not offensive. Thence we proceeded 10 Fourth
avenue ana, when we turned down from l09th
street we received = good ioIetaste OF what we
mating from the filing at l0eth and
l07tu streets. Inc carts were dumping
the material AID 10 come Ir, N the scows and the
laDoreIs were spreading II. examined II care
fully and found large quantity OF vegetable matter
mixed IN with the asnes, and believe that there
was al least twenty per cent OF 1t organic matter.
As fast as II WAS spread out 1t was covered over
oil this three or four inches OF earth. There was
one load OF the nIling not scattered which looked
and after smelling II said "ihat Is pretty bad.n
We then examined the block easf OF Fourth ave-
nue., between l0ytn and l0Ith Streets ana lound
the work well done. There was no perceptlole
stencil as there was At least Two or tSo ana
ms was private contract We then went over
10 Third avenue ana lOlst street and started IN
blowing from tHe southwest. When we got on
the Second avenue side We received all the odof
We wished THIS block was Ia
VERY OFFENSIVE AND UNHEALTHY CONDITION.
IL EXTENDED down as lar as NInety-seVenth
street We walked Ovcr as mucn OF IL as possible
without sticking fast in the matter. We also ex-
Aminea this carefully, and found nasty, black, de-
For two days alter Going on TINS ground nv SHOES
were so offensive as TO be annoying 10 me. ibis
sna Al the ground n,eC $40 nSue nave n.. - ~
ABSORB tie gases from the organic matter. from
here We went 70 the snore, and tnsre met Win
scows snd the marsh. Our portion OF the CON-
mirtee did not see anything alterward worthy OF
notice. ON saturday, at noon, the Board Of sur
Reous met nix report. Or. Henry, Presl-
dent Of the Boaro, presented q report prepared
pY hun AZ MS house, as ne so Informed Us. This
report was read BY nlm and afterward he asked
Gil 20 sign II, as the Com missioners we're wait
ing Tor u and must have It Immediately. asked
NOT oPES FOR DISCUSSION
and was informed 10 was not. l rose again 10
make some remarks and the chair called me to
or1eT / asked II toe report could not De read
iion OF what saw, and Was told 70 take my seat
Inat was not Ia order. 1 SAID could not sign
tore toe Board what saw. / appealed rom the
decision OF the chair and no notice was taken OF
my appeal ala not understand that our report
Was ~ De public and II I remember rignfly DR..
Henry stated that IL was not expected by tue
Commissioners that We should 70 into details.
NO STATEMENT on WHAT WE saw
In the report Tor we had no opportunity 70 inform
DR.. Henry OF what We saw aud | slgned the state
menL OF Drs. Henry and Satterlee, accepting their
n nfY IN.
because uid not consider Il report Of iacts war.
rsn'se ~ wat ! SAM ~. Would correct ny sell
VISITED tue block between Tnird and FOURTH ave-
nues and 1oetn and lo7th streets. and not west OF
Iwouid further state-the Doctor continued
that / did not know Inc object OF our Visit 10 the
tam an accurate idea OF the deietsrous prop
sruss Of the flnng used, and went 10 work TN
was INFORMED BY Or. Henry, lust before I was
summoned here this morning, that was not one
OF tue committee; that went on my own volt
ton. ms is certainly not 50, as Or. Henry per-
gonally requested me 10 accompany the party.
noticed when at the mats that some OF the con-
tractors were IN close conversation with nr.
aenry, aud thought at tue time, and continue
90 think so. that Information derived from them,
being parties vitality Interested, was not only out
Of place, but very wrong.
Ine stencil arising nom the material Wnere l
wnen | say that &C least twenty per cent OF the
composition Of toe dung was decaJed organic
HIGHLY PREJUDIcIAL TO HEALTH.
Dor Dest medical Authorities say tHat organic
matter, placed la salt water marshes, II much
more injurious 70 health than placed In fresh
water
Commissioner DIsBEcKER-was there any In
linuation given ycu that any special report was
Axpectcd
Or. FETTER-T was about 10 say
Commissioner pIsBEckER-Answer my question,
NJ
Or. FETTER-I was cnoked on In the meeting,
and
Commissioner DIsBEcKRR getting excitedD Il
want 70 know n any undue influences we're
brought 10 bear upon y0u, and II 80, by whom.
gow answer me, aud 10 the point. DID you un-
lsrstaud shat special report OF am particular
nature was expected OF you
DR.. FRTrKR-l did not wish 70 create any hard
eeHnR, as knew should, unless 4 appended my
signature 10 the report with the other slgners.
AZ nave previously stated did every tbing la my
power At tue meeting 70 evoke discussion Of the
master, Dut
1 WAS RULED OUT