The New York herald., 1879-07-12
TWO PEST SPOTS.

PLAGUE BREEDING ABoMINATIoNS IN CROWDED
DISTRICTS or THE CITY--Is THE HEALTH
BOARD SLEEPING?
At this of the year IL is especially alarm
ing to find instances of neglect ignorance on the
part of the city health officers in the eld of their
ordinary duties. Not only In tho condition of the
streets in many parts of the island just ss bad as it
was some two months ago, when the HERALD thor
oughly exposed IT. but there many pest spots in
districts that are densely populated. yet hidden
from the ordinary gaze, which need immediate at
tention. Many Of the old downtown sewers are out
OF repair. Some OF them. with the increase of
population. have become inadequate to convey
away the enormous quantity of matter which is
daily consigned to them.
At the northwest corner of South Fifth avenue
and Canal street building belonging to Mr..
Richard OGorman, the lawyer. For two years or
more the cellar and have been periodically
flooded with foul and putrescent liquid the source
of which was for u long time q matter OF mystery
1t has become pretty thoroughly established how
South Fifth avenue. which is said to be much higher
than the bottom of the cellar and the walls of which
are probably imperfect In the spring. when the
tides in the harbor unusually high the contents
of the forced through the crevices and
naturally flow into any lower hollow in its vicinity.
drain pipes 80 that evon after the contents OF the
at their ordinary their lowest level
the fluid accumulated III the cellar and cannot
escape. As the weather becomes warmer
and it remains staenant it becomes more
and more offensive to sight and smell, emitting the
foulest and most pungent gases, which pervade the
whole neighborhood. This is its present condition.
Last summer Mr.. A. n. Mckenna who occupies the
lower part of Mr.. OGorman's building, had the
fluid pumped out and its traces thoroughly removed
He also made complaint of the condition of the
sewer to the Board of Health. Almost two months
another overflow took place. the cellar and
have since then been fostering cesspool, ofen-
sive and dangerous to every who approaches it.
Mr.. Mckenna has made two distinct applications to
the Board Of Health since the second overflow, and
OF the health officers have inspected the nui-
sance, promising relief. One of the city engineers
fed that unless he commenced measures to remedy
1t within ten days it would be done by the authori
ties ut his expense Mr. McKenna says that fifteen
days have elapsed aud nothing yet has been done.
AN UPTOWN cEssPooL.
Another abominabe pest spot. which was inspected
tieth street. Here there stands a low brick build
ing which was formerly used for the purpose of
distillery and at present contains stable and q
smithy. Underneath it is deep cellar about thirty
feet wide and seventy feet long, Near the middle of
1t is large WE'LL ten feet deep. More than half the
bottom OF the cellar Is covered with manure and
rotting straw. The we'll is full to the top and
flowing with the kind OF half fuid matter.
Through the chinks in the floor " hich is overhead
there is q constant dripping from the stalls where
horses standing. The air of the place is heavy
with pestilence, aud the stencil at times is appalling.
Frequent complaints have been made at the Health
Bureau by residents Of the neighborhood. but with
cellar at all One told the reporter that it had
been in the same condition for six teen years.