The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-04-14
Malaria In New York.

You cannot attach 100 much importance
to the dangers from malaria in and abou,
this city and to the remedies against 1t.
venture 10 state some investigations made
and plans was working out while / wss
ia the department Of public parks,
three years ago. The termination of my
Office prevented me from completing them.
Malaria has two sources-artiicial and
natural. The artificial are the filth upon
paved streets, cesspools, defective ! ,i.r
drainage and the system Of plumbing Wy
which sewer gas is conducted into bedr1, :,
This is sll uncesnnesS and is to DO rem, i
by be ter appliances add stricter regula.ions
for enforcing CLEANLINESS.
Tho natural sourceSof malaria is found 10
the soil and water on this island and in all the
surrounding country No place ia free from
it. Elevated ground Is generally, but not al
ways exempt. 1t is the first question in re-
spect to every suburban residence, and many
locations are avoided altogether. The
conditions under which the mala-
rial germs or poison appears are
fresh water, or fresh and salt water
together when stagnsnt, and swamps,
upturned earth, or cold, wet soil. Perhsrs
the chemical conditions are not yet fully
sscertained, but . temperature above sixty
degrees produces and spreads the poison.
The remedy is good drainage, but the point
overlookedis that there are Two surf,ces to be
drained. The first is tho visible surface of
the ground on which the grass grows. This
Is by the action Of the elements, water
worn SO that the water runs off by the run
ming brooks and streams, except where
there are swamps. The drainage of this sur
face is effected by clearing the brooks of
distractions and cutting the swamps so that
water will flow into the streams. The second
surface Is the under surface of rock, clay or
other impervlous soil which holds the water.
This lies below the visible surface, but its
lines do not correspond. In some cases, us
in projecting rocks, the line Of the under
surface cuts the line OF the visible surface.
La the h0llows and the undulaliors of this
under or mpervious,surf,ce the water will
collect, and unless it is very deep the ground
will DO wet and malaiious. 1t is this under
surface that needs to DO ascertained and
drained.
What proposed TO do was to experiment
on the Central Park, which is uDquestiona
bly, in part malarous. 1t presents varied
surfsce-a gres. deal of projecting rock and
deep hollows. Much of tho surface rs it
now appears has been filed in. There is
runnisg and stagnsnt water there, and
generally IL presents fair example of the
8 il and natural conformation of this
island and its vicinity. propose here
f-om tho original maps, by geological study
and by Sorings, to ascertain this second
under surface, and to SEQ what means could
bs taken to drain that, where it needed or
admitted drainage: also to keep the visible
surface well drained, and by means of arte-
sisa wells to give constant supply of run.
ming water for irrigation and for the streams,
so that there VIZ uld be no stagnsnt surface
water in any OF the lakes.
The next thing would have been to make
and continuous chemical analyses
of the atmosphere, soil and water through.
out the Central park, at different depths and
different temperatures, so rs to esther the
facts and observations for scientific deter.
AT that time had the assistance
Of Mr.. Cross then chief engineer of the
department, and of DR.. j. w. s. Arnold, and
was also 10 consultation with DR.. Looms. |
felt cor flent that with such professional
skill results would have been brought out
which would attract the attention of scienli.
dc men and have aided material
in solving the cause and remedies for ma.
aria At the same time tho work of laying
out the twenty-third and twenty-fourth
wards was in hand. This region, lying north
of the Harlem river, WAS suffering from
Al. .nl ,ts