The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-06-05
CHANDLER CORRECTED.
Professor Seeley on City Stenches and
Sludge Acid.
FACTS AND FIGURES.
Evil Results OF Using Fish and
Pork as Fertilizers.

Professor Charles A. Seelsy the chemist delivered
an address last evening before the New York Acad-
envy OF the Useful Arts, In room No. "a. Cooper In
stitutc. on .sCity stenchss and Sludge Acid"
The address was made IN conversational STYLE
ada was called FORTH Professor SAID. BY the loo
turo Of Professor Chandler the previous evening.
The subject was now in the minds OF the people for
over q year past, and It wns time he should tell
what no knew about II he bad been fAvora-
bly, circumstanced for the ascertaining Of tho
true state OF affairs, and he believed no could throw
no little light this matter, which has caused such
i mudde in the public mind. While u was before the
courts he refrained from saying anything, but as now
decisions had been rendered 10 test cases there was
no longer nesd for silence
ANALYSIS OF cHASDLRR's LECTURE
Professor Chandler in his address made formal and
deliberate statements about many things. He claimed,
for instance. that the Board Of Health had last
vo.r saved the lives of 5000 children under
Ave years Of ago in this CITY; that the ex-
nonse Of the Health Department. was some.
th,nu excessively economical and that sludgs
acid was tho cause OF all the stencil that had boon AM
moving citizens in the neiehborhood OF Murray Hill
and elsewhere for years past Professor chandler
had also explained ingeniousy how COM
,nl,tee Of ciuzens had defeated measure At Al
bany by which the Supreme Court could deal
with all refractory cases. and lamentcd the thwarttng
Of the plans OF the Board OF Health. To begin with
she Of Ss Of
Department, II was wonderful how greed
lly some people svaeq themselves srrs.,. Of Ior,
tho thousands TO hundreds we should SIN probably
be largely excess OF what the Board o. Health 40,
cnmpiIsned l; was we'll known fact that half OF
tue human race before reacning i've years Of age
But tho point immediately bearing upon the Board
thsre nss been remarkable decrease mortality in
iii The principal cities OF the country. rne NOR
ta in this cy ss year s was . Hasl xa saan ar
greater IN st. Louis, Chicago, Boston, Cincn-
natl and FAN River than here ana ~ most o. these
al ali. In ST. Louis the gain was SO against 4 80 ~,
Now York. Hence II was not unreasonable ior us 70
look to some other cause than the operation Of tho
BOARD OF Health for diminution ID the death rate.
DisIxGESUoUs PROFESSOR
II Was omphaticaly claimed BY Professor ChaEdler
that the expensos OF the Health Departments were
low considering the work DONE there was reason or
ss was ns rnso na
economically the health Of the city was now cared
for as compared With the latter year, which
Departmcn. In this csty Ths records showed undoub-
euy that ~ 1865 $2O5 400 had usen expended n this
Ses; X s1s S But Up Prossso cnands sars
contested the fact that IN 1865 cholera RACED
in New York. and. n eight mo onuarsc ., shas
meeting that. epidemic, and for the entire year
much larger sum had been necessary SO thai after
organizing . new department. the showing =
in favor Of tho year selected for csmp.ri.
70 examine Tue reports for 1893, and see me
work done by The Metropolitan Board Of HEALTH as it
was non called as found snss 10 ds0S o 81 o -.
lars cleaned, IL sausage Case and gus cleaning
were dlscon tinued II sausage ana trpo
were closed, 70 Slaughter Louses were
thoroughly cleared and thriy-six Of them dsoonun.
ued altogether THESE we're only few OF tne items OF
snd its was %: oonnss New York
CITY alone. bat u mad 20 Keep wAsoh and ward
chester Ssss A .aS sssn island I'' Now ia ..
quito 30 easiiy appear how the 5000 ooo
% . spent ~ our o.
g jane sS. 5000 $500 coossi E%S.as osfs
and his clerk lwno did tho work, Ss,4oo year,
and when any real legal WORK Is 20 be
Is the Sanitary superintendent with $4,000
year, and, with ccrk, OF course, who got $1,000
year So y could b. soon that tho SiSa's "a. q me
given rcfutation were on high Authority
The Board OF Health had been trying 70 claim credit
tor which u had not done, ana the comparison
u selected only proved against itself.
sLCDGE ACID IsKoCKNr.
But these few facts were only interesting preparn-
tory 70 the extraordinary announcement mado by
Professor Chandler that all tho senoh and all tue
poisonous odors which had been 50 long pest TO
residents In the upper part OF the city were 70 BIO At
trbutod to the noxious sludge acid, which -
used IN refining petroleum What was this terrible
acid7 Sludge acid oil OF vtrio or sulphurc acid
ombned with the impurities contained crude oil.
The distilled oil without tho acd treatment became Of
dark color. Petroleum fluid OF grsenish color.
but when d,stilcd clear and exposed the open
IL turned red and had somewhat offensive smell.
This was removed by sulphurons acid. fhc process
Of treatment was this the suphurous acid il poured
into the oil In the tank aud wnen the air enters
.he foreign suSs; s. w sInks % sno bottom
ana what Is called The Tar rises 70 the top
tho supnurous acid, mixed with tbe water, rs-
mains below The substance underneath Is The sudge
acid II pain therefore, that IRON this poison
conld Ill Ine surrounding air. IL could be.
sna wac Often, asawn on W means ~ ..oss arraSgso
any offensive smell or stencil.
PROFESSOR sEELgY's ExPERrkScx.
Every day. or Jour or i've years. he had boon in the
habit OF passing by the factories ON Hunters Polnt
winch were supposed 10 be emitting all tho deadly
oaors credised 10 sadge acid. Hc had
again and again visited these factories and
was familiar with the smells peculiar 10 them
oSa e ncsa suaae ac a,1n niy
innocent OF ali the doors and smells complained Of
II was well 10 understand that on Hunter's Point
stnKing n-h ana sinking pork were 10 DO found by
mo acre. They cultivated rotten manure over tnorc,
aud worked on u as fertilizer. Thoy also
lat In IT. and spread IL out without hm,l.
The men engaged IN this kind oil business reck-
pound Of tho Ash aud pork was ~ throw sludgo
acid on u, and In this why peculiar smell
created and, as lar a. siudge acid had anything
al all 10 d. with the treatment, all the stencn
or smell sucn as II might DO, was credited TO
sludgc acid. But tho cause OF tho smells was the
SINKING Dsh ana pork which everywhere aboundsd.
When east wind came the doors never absent.
lie himself knew how serious tho result, Tor the
smell stuck In mis- clothes aud amily could always
tell when he had been in the region OF the poison
A sgcksr DivULGED.
lilo had done his best 10 make Board OF Health
quanted win tnu true stat. Even back
the time Of the Metropolitan Board Heaitn csrs
WAS made 20 close these places Hunters Point.
but no good was DONE ihcrs was always "a nggor In
fence" somewhere The Brooklyn Board OF Health told
our present Board 10 mind It's own business when
asked !" interfere When one OF the factury owners
was Indicted, found guIy and promised movo %
aud dd move away 10 Newtown Creek. still the smells
returned ss Iresn ever Even tho action OF the
committee OF gentlemen, headed by Mr. Musgrave.
had iaed to effect change. He had told Mr.. Nus.
grave something OF what ne know, bus II mad boon
only determined lar that tue smcs belonged 10 tho
otner Sue Of mo river. Now as 10 the
sludge acia, no would make a single ssasc-
ment which would show what harmless
thing 10 was and IL might be news for the Board 81
hcaltb. He himself had had The supplying Of the
dislnicctant winch tne Board VI Health had
long been using on those miles aud miles OF
streets which they annually kept purincd
Sudgc ncsd was the chci element in Inc compound