New-York tribune., 1878-11-09
AN ODOROUS SUBURB.
THE VERY HOME OF SMELLS.

THE VERY HOME OF SMELLS.
HOW THE AIR is POLLUTED BY rHE HOG BUTCHERY
AND OTHER sTENCH-GENEEATORS ON THE NEW
ARK mEADuws-w.GY THE PEOPLE ON JERSEY
CITY HEIGHTS SHUT THEIR WINDOWS WHEN THE
WIND Is IL THE WrST
When the east-Dound traveller by the Penn
sylyania Railroad approaches the banks OF the raging
ackensack. all his saluted with evidences OF
morality He hears the long, muiutudmous wall OF
dying pork; lie sees whio. SHINING tiles Of de-
ceased swine, which have been bied TO death.
scalded. shaved, CiscmbOwelled and hung up by
the gambres in special carcass cars at the
rate OF four five minute. and be smells great deal
which leads him suspect that he Is in the neiglbor-
mood energetic decomposition. II IL TIE hog depart
ment OF the abattmr which hc is passing, and which
occupies the long brown buldng The west eud or
tie bridge.
Alurn ,aste and elegance said to be displayed IN
details of the summary sausnter here aud there IS
nearer approach t. tbs sDue cIe2n Ia me mods or
killing and dressing than Is reichc in SONS kindred
establishments. But at its best mass con
yeut Of doomed hogs is OBSERVED with least discom-
fort from the wndward side. And then there Is lard
BUREAU aud m ycrsa "fat-n,ltery" connected with
the hog department. where swluo which have died on
the Journey from the West, and other animal remains
which contain possibilities Of grease, arc boiled down
and rendered" into article Of comm rce and they
do say is the fatburcau particular and not the
depart m general Nhlch prompts every cue oI
"A train-old Of passengers, when it comes within long
smelling range Of thu sai ghternOuse seize his ind
vidla nose pro nptly AMI simultaneously, and 10 hold
fast 10 that feature until the saugutcr-house Is left
mile or two bchud.
II ought e. be said in Justice tins establishment that
it il surrounded by region OF nfragrant exhalations
and II may be credited with smells which generated
outside it, South of the Pennsylv lvania Railroad The
low Il Il peninsula between the Haokensack aud the
Passac yet. the main, uninhaDited waste, but
half mile below the railroad the right bank o. the
Hackensack ls row OF long low buildings, which can
be- reached 10y good dirt road now. since the Iron
Dixie Company has damned our the encrOachlng tide
aud converted thousands of acres, once navGabe by
scows. into meadow land 30 solid that it can be
moved over with machine. Before the settlement Is
reached the investigator CONES upon " hulr Held
This cd comprises certain smooth covered TO the
depth OF several inches with tho bstes which have been
sDaved from the cadayers OF slaughtered swine Skilled
laborcrs tossing nls har ana rolling 1t into wind
rows with rakcs and pitch Orks for all the world as
It were Dew-mown hay. II doesn't smell like new-mown
nay, but on che contrary quit, the reyerse-and any
one with "A trustworthy nose will be convinced thar
there Is much organic matter to be got lid Of by decOm
position this Oprulr treatment OF the hair before II Is
curled" INTO suape for the uphOSterer or worked up
into best Engsh tOOtli-brushes.
The uniccimated investigator VIII not be likely TO
.pend much time IN examining the methods of hair
farming. but will plunge INTO the fat factory beyond,
where the mlder smell relief from the terrific stencil
outside. AID yet air inside does not remind Of
the sweet South breathing on bank Of voles." IL is
heavy with the regulation odors ftboing, which
industry the north end Of the building Is devoted, and
1t is a smooth and consistent article of tallow
which is stcwed and clarified out OF the
very raw material which is pitchfOrked into the
boilers Here. too, bins filed with desiccated gore
prepared fertzng purposes and the south end Of
the building decorated with coils and esOons OF in
natcd cntrals which shine like silver in tho sun, and
which will furnish casngs Tor the well-splced sausage
On many a Winter breakfast table, Further down the
river Is poudrette factory fed by nght-cars and
bage-scOws from three cities aud last Of all Is the
horse factory" Horses not made here, rs the
n me Of the establishment would seem TO IMPLY, but the
carcsses OF those noble animals are here skinned and
then chopped up and frieasseed for occult pur
pose and hide, hair, hoof bones and scraps are all
utilized Aud the horse factory-not to put too fine
point on it-stinks
The mingled efluvia which these abodes OF conup-
ION exhale noisome and offensive TO suifocatOn.
They may not be laden with disease and death. The
proprlcors claim that they are Wholesome aud posi-
lively hygiene; and the robust and ruddy look Of the
workman here and the plumpness and visor OF few
children who We, move and have their being in at
mosphere thick with putrd odors that one might cut
notenes in It and climb UP TO stratum of cleaner air.
wou.d 10 be an argument Tor the soundness
of their theory. But after all, the TACT remains
that this locality IL nuisance 10 10000 people. The
men who work here do rot enjoy monopoly Of these
healthy smells The odOrs from these factories mingng
with those from another Strongscented establishment
ON the banks OF Pussac waited nauseate
Eastern Newark and "A mid west wind makes life q
burden to the dweers Jersey CITY Heights stra &c
TO saw each one Of the factories which huddlcd to-
grtner the ponnsuala Is protected from the law 10y
the rankuess ana Tancdity or the rest. III c0l-
plains to the Grand Jury OF the "hoGscry"
as a nuisance. he ts asked to that It
isn't the " nair-leld" which o0ends his
III he protests against the hair field" the hair
want TO know how he make Oah that IL sn the fut
factory Aud tho TAT point to tue fertilizers and The
poudretto lay IL To the horse bOery, ana the horse
boilers declare II Is OF their negnbOiG And
II the whole batch is complained Of the outraged citizen
~ asked that he smell all of them at once No
man mas vet been found with highly educated
that he ddnt break down under tue crOsSquesOu OF
smc and the factories hold and the stencil
keeps Etcamlug up from the meadows.
OF course, the work done here Is necessary work.
The people sickened by these putrscccnt exhaa
tions only ask that methods known TO shall be
employed in these Industries to smother neulralze the
foul smells let loose But people beginning 20 say
that It would be prudent tho part OF the manufac
turcrs concerned TO begin the reform At There Ia
way TO abate public nuisances, aud the people will be
liable To find IL before their patience taxed much
longer.
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