New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-04-20
TILE REPORT.

THE REPORT.
The citizens of upper NewYork, who for
wears have suffered from TIE sickenng smells that nave
filled the air arising from fat-renderng establishments
and other nuisances. last Summer held puhc mecuhS
In order to take proper steps for abang these evils
committee was appointed, Of which Thomas H. Musgr'e
was chairman to investigate and report the cause ana
cure Of the odors The report prepared by Mp MUS
grave, has been completed.
"This city is by nature" Mr.. Musgrave says one o
the most highly favored spots on cartD LOT pure "I
Long and narrow and high IN the middle II slopes uo"h
on each side 10 broad and deep streams OF SAT- water
TINT flow and refow with every tide Lying near tLc
ocean II "a daily famed by breeze from land or sea-
The winds, from Whatever quarter they blow be-
fore entering our streets and dwellings, arc
or should be purified ana cooled IN crossing
the broad salt rivers that surround us We
have a Board OF Health composed Of two gentle
men, one, Charles F. Chandler, Pin. D.. salary $1,000
per year. an eminent chemist and an active welpaid
professor in two colleges; tic other Edward g. Jane
way, NJ. D., a distinguished physician and pTesum-
ably overwhelmed with patients, salary, 5000 IEelr
clerk is Emmons Clark, the gallant Colonel oil
the 9TH Regiment, salary, SlsoO Ihelr
counsel learned in sanitary law, has salary OF
81 500 with clerk TO do the work at $4,000. This
Board has almost despotc power to abae all nusances
IN their Judgment detrimental to the public health
Their capacity detect such nuisances sharpened by
the skill of sanitary superintendent, salary S4eOO
he aided bY assistant at S27OO per yeac ana
by chief clerk to do the work al S2,OOO per year
Then, in order to secure the PROMPT ana ecleht per
100000 per year for the regular expenses OF
this Board, most OF which money goes 10
sSf of inspectors engineers etc In addition TO this
sum, they can incur expense without hnt ID cleansing
and purifying buildings and lots declared by them to be
Injurious to health and can assess the cost upon the
property renovated.
Law has thus supplanted nature in providing per-
feet safeguards for health No city should have purer
air than ours and We ought to have the lowest an
nual death rate OF any lar ge town."
In the report is here inserted table indicating the
average annual death per 900 inhabitants Of the
principal cities of the country for the past ten years
This shows that the average for New-Hork Is 2s7l-
greater than that Of anyOther cy the nearest approach
being in Brooklyn. whose rate is 2o.5O
The report continues:
The death rate ought not to average yearly over
twentyoDe in 1000 Instead of that, il is twenty
eight or 20 per cent greater fGan ho% ne b c %t S
bad sanitary administration. The destruction of these
IoOO hVes means the pIOstIa'ion, mental anu
by malaria, of great many thousand others.
What is the cause of this 1t is not far off, dicuto
find. Our noses tell us daily and nightly.
When the pure, bracing' tonic westerly wind crosses
the Hudson IN its approach tohis CITY takes from
the blocks bordering the river from Fifteenth to t1feth-
sts sckening, malarious poisonous od0r' and waits
lU through our streets and avenues, ana INTO
of our heaters until every room in our
houses smells carriOn. When the wind is from the
east though II the Sound pure as the
breath of the Creator yet ii comes up from the mar
gin the East River FOrtyhfth-st into the man
sOns Of Murray Hill and Ffthave 1t uauseates every
one that nhales it with the stencil of Iong and steam
ing yards, decaying and boiling tallow, fat,
In the warm evenings we are obliged to shut our win
dOws 10 exclude the YlialDous Smells ana IN the night
one often from sound sleep nauscatcd with the
carion Odors pouring in through his windows and ven
NUIsANcEs on THE WEST SIDE
Selecting time when there was fine northwestcrly
breeze and a clear atmosphere, and yet the air.
about Murray Hill aud Fifth-aye.. was so charged
with nauseating smells to be scarcely ell
durable, led by the everncreasing stencil TO the
foot Of West Thirty-nnth-st, where found the
Algonquin, a hulk OF old steamship, Owned
by sper 4 Lounsberry, sDeir Co., moored i'll the
slip aud filled with boilers yats cduidrons ana Kettles
ali In full blast boiling blood, Offal bones aud carriOn.
a1d generating sckening stencil OF the most disgust
Ing character and POISONING the air for miles around
This hulk manufactures 5000 tons year Of fertilizers,
and in the opinion OF tie eminent DR.. Marcy destroys
in the period the lives OF many hundreds OF our
citizens. u,.-.....,. -. =. . Ill o..,. D.,
tory owned by Lister Bros Eermitted Dy the oaId OF
strucuve OF human life. Next are the odorous
places Of NJ Donohuc Co. and Of Monroe Crane, boiling
FOrtieth and Forty-hFst-sts. and North River,
the extensive hog butcheries OF Monroe Crane, OF
Davis Atwood, of Toby & Booth, OF Spring Haynes,
OF Cnas White Co., of Stahlnecker Son. aud OF Met
calf & Gibbs They yard and KIN, during the killing
OF the year. total OF l6SOOOO ana the O1al and
In the locality FOrioh and Forty trstss. and
level or C. & r. Mcintyre. of John sGeai and
Of p Wnaien, Killing weekly $3.50 sheep; ana the cattle
rhouses OF stern Niezer OF Adolph strause
of c. q p Mcintyre and of DOnohue Co., killing 200
cattle per week. The blood, oal, eutrals, heads and
refuse OF all these places enable the Algonquin
fertilizers per year. and TO pour streets aud
houses a never-ending stream of nauscating poison
of p Tbrop He produces about 100000 wcrh OF SOAP
per year Close by, Thirty-cghth-sris manure yard
extending from street 10 street. ana 24O feet long, con-
tanning 900 tons OF fermenting and routing manure.
The above establishments gegerate pernicious
OdOrs sufficient, with westerly wind, to
velope the city from North River TO Madi-
son-ave, and 10 scken thousands OF our people.
We often been told that the cause OF this is the
wind blowing into the sewer openings North River
at high tide as at low hence the sewers are Innocent
Again. the gas works are accused as tue guilty cause
but the smells quite different from any generated by
The real cuprit is the Board Health This Board is
created gwen the and paid the money stop
these smells and yet, instead of doing that they have
gwen Que OF them pei NIT.
Leaving this Thirty -eighth-st pesthOle, I took
the Elevated Railroad at ThlTtyfOurth-st and
Ninthave., 20 go down town; but soon struck
the atmosphere as far down as FOurteenth-st soon
came upon whole brood OF stenchfactOres under the
the Board OF Health. The proprletOrs aud ocai-
ton and annual product of each follows:
i04oO barrels sol, soap and 300 Jokes hard soar:
Peter Feeney No. 52l West Fieenthst between TENN
Gregerson d Co., Nmeteenthst., between Tenth and
Eloyenth-ayes., IKE quantity. benjamin Wallace, No.
430 West Seventeentn-st between Ninth AMI Tenth
ayes, 100000 per year.
This group aud the Algonquin group OF stenchfacto-
miles Of houses in this part OF city, compelled the
TO accept at low rates tenants of class similar
the employees these factories. The damage TO prop
ery caused by these places Is far than the whole
value OF the lots and structures used IN this deleeTOus
business.
sTENCHEs on THE EAST SIDE.
When the wind is due north or south, the air about
Murray Hin is comparatively pure; but when 1t blows
from the east 1t is charged with sickeniug euvia In
searching for the Of this found at Forty fifth
st. and East River largo building full of boilers
"A
ness similar to that Of the Algonquin, and
emitting for miles around like stencil. IL is
Kane owner containing 500 tons OF and on the
other side the street, by public manure ward
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