The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-08-21

Dish. On reaching the spot the sounding lead was
cast by reporter and the result showed that there
were only three tsthoms of water. The lead
cred with black mud. which had settled at the bottom
ana prevented the lead from reaching the white sand:
which soundings on either side of the place shovel
to exist Al the tide setting toward Narrows,
and running with great force round the head at Nor
| toms Point, nothing could prevent the mud and
earth from being rolled into the channel through
which all steamboats, have pass on their way to
the iron pier at Cables Rockaway This
channel Les between Coney Island Beach and tine
East Bank and its mporance can be realized by the
fact that average of twelve thousand persons are
/ daily carried through IL.
The relative positions of landmarks to the spot
where the scows were dumped and where the sound
| inss were made are as follows :-Norton's pier.
northeast by north; iron pier north-northeast and
! buoy IL. north-northwest. These bearings were
carefully taken by the compass for the guidance OF
the reader i'll comprehendng the map of the bay aud
channel chart.
GARBAGE DUMPED FROM FOUR scows
Hardly had the soundings been noted down whom
another fleet OF scows hove in sight. These were
described by the pilot as italian men OF war;
| There We're four scows in ALL and the tug towing
them was making slow time. Their course al
most the that of the crank Pideeon.
through the Narrows and across the bay The
reportoral yacht steamed i'll pursuit. but account
OF 4 defect of the engine the speed OF the boat
impaired considerably AS the yacht approached the
tug captain seemed to grow suspicious for the crew
rushed to the boats and seemed to be
closely watching us. Then began race between the
G. j. Wells and the stranger. The pilot grew
ut the slowness of the HERALDs yacht 1--WE couldn't
follow funeral, said he 'for the corpse d spoil
afore we got thar" Finally the yacht began to gain
rapidly As the reporters drew near the scows were
found to be loaded to the waters edge with the
ular street garbage OF New York. When just to the
westward OF buoy 10 the reporters shot across the
bows OF the tug, whose name proved to be the Gen.
errl u S. Grant. The first scow the smallest and
had nine men on board the second had fifteen men;
the third marked No. -. and nineteen men were
counted the mountain of dirt. besides woman
and boy. The fourth and last very large
improved barge. which eighteen
men. After passing buoy 49, with the Dry
Romer Shoals bearing south by west one
half west the the barge began
to shovel the garbage into the water. Clouds Of
dust were raised and the air became impregnated
the reporters were compelled to steam to wndward
OF the scows. As the work of unloading progressed
the tug steered III course southeast by east under
Z SLOW head of steam. occasionally the yacht fol-
lowed directly in the wake of the and the
rounding water was found to be mass OF putrid
and decayed garbage which chung to the side of
the vessel. In oraer to leave loophoe open the
last scow in the line Among other articles which
the reporters saw thrown overheard were dead dog
anu dead cat. Besides this there hoated past
straws. dead fish, rotten watermelons, decayed
oranges and countless specimens OF New Yorks filth.
ARRIVAL ANOTHER vIoLAToR.
While following this batch OF yet another
tug appeared on the ground. 1t proved to be the
Arctic. The new conner dumped south by east OF the
spot where the General U. s. Grant began. The tide
was flowing inland very strong, and could the thou
sands OF New York business men and the people
have seen the dis2racetul 1t would have
brought blush OF shame and Indignation to their
faces These Facts are undeniable. Soundings were
tIken where the loads shovelied overheard and
the lead brought up pieces or brick and mortar. be-
sides hard street mud. Not a trace could be found
or the clean white sand which the United States
Coast Survey chart declares the bottom to be COM
posed Of. The whole character OF the channels
must be affected perceptibly each month. When
both parties had concluded the dumping they turned
about and headed for the Narrow, the Arctic taking
the lead on the return
The steam yacht bearing the reporters lay to at
Nortons pier in position to detect any other vio-
lations but there were no more A. i've O'Clock the
yach; went to Fort Laayet where the tide had
ried the garbage dumped during the afternoon. For
u tan-bark yard. The sounding line being thrown
overheard was penetrated by SO foul smell that IL
had to be washed on board with fresh water. Among
sh N puH
impossible to say whether this came from the scows
not. but IL is presumed it did. The garbage was
noticed to float right to the shore in front Fort
Hamilton and along the Bay Ridge and Staten Island
shores The rest carried by the current through
the upper bay rght into the East aud North rivers
A close watch kept all night between bay
Ridge. and Coney Island Point but no scows ap-
| peared.
| The next day. Saturday. the 10th inst, the rain
| poured down III torrents and completely drenched
| the reporters. who had kept the watch all night.
! But if it was unpleasant for the occupants of the
| yacht it prevented any dumping for not sign OF
through the night the yacht lay anchored of Fort
Hamilton. ready to give chase to game that might
turn up. The vigs were in vain, however for MOTH
ing occurred to interrupt the quiet OF the night.
REPORTERS SEARCHING FOR cINDER BEDS.
On Sunday morning. about eleven o'clock, with .
flood tide setting i'll from the sea- run" made
| from Fort Hamilton to the Dry Romer beacon
Sandy HOOK Steering diagonally across the bay
| Romer bar, soundIngs were begun about quarter
OF mile southeast of buoy No. IL. The yacht
steamed slowly along at the rate of six miles an
hour and the lead thrown at frequent intervals
to give fair idea of the character OF the bot
tom of the bay.
| The first lead cast showed white sand, which was
| probably owing to the shallowness OF the water.
being the western decviy OF the lower eastern
bank and this shallowncss undoubtedly prevented
the steamtug officials from dumping their barces.
there channel to obstruct. The second
sounding. in about four fathoms of water. showed
white black sand but the third brought up coal
black cinders ashes and bits OF burned slate. The
| fourth sounding IN deeper water toward
the main channel would have satisfied the
most malignant enemy OF safe navigation for tho
lead WAS black with the durnpings of the New York
| ash carts These cinders and ashes were inter-
| spersed with bits OF clnkers which play no small
holding refuse and other objectionable mat
ter and preventing ii from being washed out to sea-
Cnkers and cnders. by certain processes. are used
i'll making cement and 1t is SAID that the action OF
the water combined with chemical properties in tho
will cause these substances to form reefs or
kind of artificial rock, which i'll time may destroy
the channels of our har5or.
| Sounding number five showed cinders and dark
sand sounding number six showed shells and
hard bottom. The course the yacht west
erly, in the direction of the buoy spar of Romer
shoa The seventh sounding showed shells and
hard bottom. Sounding number eight showed GIN
ders and light cUloIed ashes. The ninth and last
sounding was maize with the YACHT standing due east
of the spar buoy. which lies Off the Romer shoal
and brought UP heavy body cinders among which
there was trace OF the original black and white
careful study made OF the actions of tho
tides by watching the of the debris at the be-
gnnings and BINDINGS OF the ebb aud Hood tides. be-
sides what the actual currents are in the stage Of
tide known as slack water. The ebb tide runs in .
l course one ucgrcc West OF lhe main snip cIAu-
mel After passing along the eastern edge of the west
bank with a gouging acIon 1T makes asweeping
to the southeast OF Flynn's Knoll. passing To
beyond sandy Hook. For tull hour be-
/ fore the death OF the cob the Jersey
side slack water sets in in the middle
OF the bay. while the early flood creeps
up the Long Island shore. The effect of
this state OF affairs is that considerable portion
of the ebb current in curving outward from Flynns
/ Knoll is sucked eastward and converted into tho
Hood. Consequently any garbage dumped at the
cas-: of the obu tide Is certain to be cdied back aud
scattered the Long Island shores. Tho natural
shape of the bay aud the checking of the ebb tide
! of by Sandy Hook prevents any hoa,abe object
\ from being carried to sea. The necessity for
having the garbage dumped on the first of tho
ebb is sclt-evidcnt. Another evil is that
/ the come down at the last of tue
ebb in order t. take the next lido
inward. The clnders so dumped in slack water must
necessarily sink TO the bottom. For the next six
/ hours tho iLlnnnc.s of tide TO force theln