The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-06-04
DEFENDING IT'S METHODS.
PROF. CHANDLER TELLS THE HISTORY
or THE BOdRD or HE1LTH.
How u has striven to Protect the city from
Disease, Nuisnnces, and Had Odors-Tho
OpposItIon IL Inns Met aud IT, TrIunnphs.

Disease, Nuisnnces, and Had Odors-Tho
Opposition IL has Met aud Its Triumphs.
Prof. Charles +. Chandler, President OF the
Board Of Health. lectured last evening before
the Medical Society OF the county OF New York.
The meeting was special one. and called forth
an unusually large attendance OF members de-
sirous Of hearing an official defence OF the do
ings Of the indicted board. In opening, Prof.
Chandler said:
Il am in an unusual position. I am about to
be tried by jury of my fellow citizens. don't
suppose you were ever before lcctured to by a
l wont say felon. until we are convicted at
least-but. by person under indictment. and 1
hardly know how much 1t Is proper to say upon
those subjects which shall soon have to pre-
sent TO jury Of my fellow citizens"
Having sketched the system Of organization
OF the department and the manner in which It's
work is performed. he entered upon an extend
cd resume Of the labors its inspectors have ac-
complished. and the works tho board claimed
passed TO its credit.
Concerning the Harlem fats, he said: For
five years tho department has tried to get the
Harlem flats in proper condition. But the
difficulty has been that the law forbade us
making any orders for improvements. the cost
OF which would amount to more than halfthe
assessed value of the property. and the lots on
those Hats wero assessed so low that that
| ilnllflltn ltll us lnlllnk TO 70 upon. IN 1919
the bonrd resorted 10 the extreme measure OF
declaring those flats liable 10 produce
pes,ilcnce. mud demanded of the Board OF Appor-
tionment $4,000 to I'LL them up and make them
hcahful. The board voted TO give us IN unex-
pended balance Of s2l00O, and we were making
a contract 10 have the work done when the per-
son then controlling the finances Of the city.
went NJ ther" smelled around, and decided i
| been appropriated We never got II, and the work
The good service done by the Board OF Health
| in rpforniu4r the of fhn milk Iaalpra
who used 10 swindle the citizens out Of $4,000
per diem by selling. water Tor milk, and the
| great difficulty found in reaching those Offend
| ers were dwelt upon at length. as was also the
grent good which resulted from the employ
| ment OF members Of the Sanitary Police-when
that force cxisted.as inspectors OF meat. fruit.
ana vegetnbles There - now no meat inspec-
fn S1d mid Gp 70 II Re sG Other T%r IS spy %a
| because the board is so cramped for lack Of
funds that il cannot employ men To do the work;
i should be able 20 cover; His description Of
| the long and finally victorious fight to get rid
Of the foul booths about Washington Market
| structures which covered piles OF rotting mat
ter and shut out ventilation from the market.
| SO that food there was quickly tainted. and the
| place vas plague spot-elicted hearty ap-
When the Board Of Health took up the subject
| OF Kerosene oil this city and the country at
use of that Illuminating fluid. Kerosene oil
caused 81 fires in this city In 1870, Twenty
| one persons were burned to death by il in
| Brooklyn in one year. The board published
| the simple fact that by removing three or four
| per cent. tl lIli- nhluluu IN II llt OIL foull be
made safe. and they prohibited unsafe oil The
courts bent them on their prosecutions. because
| 4 was held 10 be a matter IN the province OF the
| Fire Department. but the published fact in
| formed the public. and now little. Il any. ex-
plosive oil is sold either hero or IN the country
| at large. and the result is that the number of
| lives sacrificed by this cause in the United
States has fallen from 1000 per annum to less
The board struggled long to get passed law
| which would -ffectually enable them To combat
swcrt IN in ono season 80 lives. AMI that
| walked up the Legislature TO the passage Of
| law not making vaccination compulsory. but
| enabling system fo0 It's Introduction by au-
| thority. Lust year this vacciuators OF the board
| Naccinated 2iO.OOo persons. NJ an average cost.
| for all EXPENSES connected with thht precautiOn,
| OF twenty-five cents per head. Loud upplauscl
There are" said Prof. Chandler, certain
| branches OF industry liable To- become offensive.
! and even detrimental To health. which are
| ssntial 10 large cities, and must bee endured un-
| der control. One Of these is the gAs manufac-
| ture. We have in the city now seven gas COM
| panies. and IT, is impossible 10 make
| Eh9 Wltnout pIouuVthE hunlc ouuIs 4houkI
those produced in this way cannot be called
| poisonous or malarious. they are offensive. and
may be fatal by causing nausea to sick persons.
! So We endenVored 10 suppress them. anu sue
| ceeded ny getting the companies to change
slightly their methods
The slaughtrring business was our next
| tnde may be cleaned from the fact that last yenr
there were Killed 49S s33 beef cattle. PCS 500
| hogs land II wasn't "A good year for hogs either.
2.O0o.OOOj. 1,ls4.Gs7 sheep. and l3O.QsS
tRat that meat should be in proper
condition for food that It should not be carried
frgerated II that work IS driven, from the
ely we lose proper control Of T. The work 2f
Gsrse5apn Gone nnG the cost viii 70 be arssy n
creased. The present system is the
ono =, which gives US the best best, meat
slaughtering done In the city. And there is an
| immense sum Interested in this trade. Tho
actual cost Of those animals was $67O000Oo.
and before they We're dressed for the retailers
trade their value was 800 100000 This is an
When the Board Of Health came into exist
| ence there were over 200 slaughter houses in
the city. Many Of them actually had no sewer
| connections and the blood from them ran into
| the street CUTTERS That WAS in 1866. They
We're forced, after desperate night, To- move
reduced 70 hity.. In 1874 the board
| cndcavorcd stili further TO improve the cOndi-
ton o. those establishments. 1t was deemed
| desirable 10 bring those iiiy slaughter houses
| into about three wcll-appontcd, perfectly inof-
fensive abattoirs. II was claimed t4at 10y ron
| c.ntrating thcm nll nuisance would be avoided.
| We met with the butchers In consultation sew
eral times; They recognized that sooner
or later that change would bo necrs-
sity, and agreed 10 i. Capitalists went TO
work. and ai a cost Of 100000 changed half Of
the great Manhattan Market building which
cost 81 ,2O0O00. on ground that cost 81 .0OO. 900
more, into the most perfect abaltoir in the
tho erection OF n second abattoir on
the North river, foot OF Ffty-nnth street,
|
| tho cHst side butchers were consulting
and considering what they should do. when
| some volunteer sautarians started up and de-
| molished the whole scheme. They were con-
nected with Roosevelt Hospital. and some Of
Them am sorry to say, were physicians.
They told the Paust Fathers aud tho
| Episcopal Society and other west side prop
crty owners that 1t would ruin their properly.
| Indignation meetings were held: The butchers
said. We'll. we don't have 10 do this after all I;
the public is not ripe for IT,, and they backed
out and Joined the opposition. The capitalists
| got scared and abandoned the scheme, All
went To the Board of Aldermen and got resou-
| tions passed. urging the bourd 10 abandon tho
| scheme. Then they went 10 the Legislature and
! tried TO have several bills passed-one OF which
| was that no existent slaughter house should
ever be- disturbed. Finally the Legislature
| threw out all their bills. and passed vote OF
confidence IN the board which was refreshing,
| as it seldom gets such recognition.
! lApplause The whole matter was loft
| in the hands OF the board. Then
rs we could not get abatioirs, we went in Tor
Improvement OF the slaughter houses. Fifteen
on tho west side and twelve on the east wer0
| condemned. and tho erection Of otherand better
| ones enforced In ono year S2OOUOO have been
| expended in tho improvement Of our slaughter
| houses They ARE now in better condition
| than ever before and make no nuisance when
properly wHtchcd-as OF course they have to bo