The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-05-24
Garbage in the Sound-A Threat
ened Peatilence.


On behalf of the residents of the towns
and villages lying along the Sound We
again protest against the outrage perpetrated
by the bureau for the removal Of garbage
from the streets Of New York. Instead of
towing the garbage scows far ont into the
Sound, where it is wide and deep, the men
in charge Of them dump their horrible car
goes by night in shallow water, in the vi
cinity of Whitestcne, Throgg's Neck, the
Stepping Stones, City Island, Sands Point
and other places, in direct violation of law.
The scows carry on the average two hun
dred and fly tons each, and as from ten to
fifteen or more of them are emptied every
night the amount of garbage dumped
into the Sound every week reaches the
startling figures of more than twenty
five thousand tons. All this filth, instead
Of being washed ont to sea, is cast ashore by
the tide :; the carcasses Of dogs, cats and
other animals and fragments Of infected
bedding and clothing lie rotting for miles
along the beach, polluting the air and
threatening pestilence Many families who
own summer residences along these shores
will be driven from them If this outrage is
permitted to continue.
Nor is this ALL The dumping Of SO vast
an amount Of poisonous garbage into the
shallow water at the entrance Of the Sound
is rapidly destroying the rich oyster beds
of City Island and other localities and ex-
terminating the fish. Immense mischief
has already been done in this respect, and
if the garbage outrage continues unchecked
during the summer the injury to these i'm
portant interests will be irreparable. The
shores ON both sides Of the Sound and
of the inlets and bays are dotted
with pretty, thriving villages, built up
by honest, intelligent and hard work
ing fishermen, whose industry is thus
stencil rises over the shores of Little Neck
Lay, Cow Bay, Hampstead Harbor, East
Chester Bay and City Island, and makes
them uncomfortable for human habitation.
The atmosphere is at times worse than that
of charnel house. We invite pestilence in
permitting this outrage upon the rights of
our fellow citizens. The danger from this
source is imminent md alarming; and from
selfish, if not from higher and more gener-
Gus motives, prompt measures should be
taken by our sanitary officers to put an end
to an abominable outrage which deprives
thousands of worthy people Of the means of
livelihood and threatens the metropolis with
pestlence. The fishermen of City Island
talk openly Of taking the matter into their
own hands. If our authorities do not move
promptly. we may hear of fight between
the outraged fishermen and the garbage
men resulting, perhaps, in deplorable loss
of life.
There is still another evil connected with
this outrage. We learn, on the testimony
Of two intelligent and trustworthy pilots,
which they are willing to give under oath,
that within the past six months the depth of
the channel opposite the Stepping Stones
has decreased from nine fathoms to five.
Will our merchants sit quietly by while the
gateway of this great highway of commerce
is thus cholsed and closed? Why expend
hundreds of thousands Of dollars in deepen
ing He'll Gate if the Street Cleaning Bureau
is permitted to create more effectual OBJ
struction at the very throat of the Sound
In few years, if this goes on, millions may
be required to dredge out the channel, and
then we shall wonder at the folly, supne-
ness and imbecility that made the expendi-
IN ro a n ecessitv