New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-03-06
SOURCES OF PEsTILENCE.


| TESTIMONY OF NEw-YoRK PHYsIOrANs-THE CREAM
OF TARTAR woRKs-sMErLs 80 STRONG THAT
THEY TURN WHITE PAINT YELLow-NUIsANCEs
IN NEw1owN CREEK.
j. Savage Deevan Erastus Brooks and DIR.
Elisha Harris the Committee of the State Board Of
Health on eflluvium nuisances, met yesterday
morning at No. 10 Fourth-ave. Letters were read,
testlfyinR to the unhealthfuness Of tho Odors en-
anating from Hunters Point, from DR.. ]. G.
Peters. No SO Madison-ave. DIR. A. g. Heath
No. 141 East Seventy-fourth-st. DR.. L. B. Bangs
No. l27 East Jhrty-fourth-st.; DR.. NJ. S. Buttles
No. 70 East Twenty -eighth-st; E. latham. No. 244
East Fifteenth-st.; DR.. E. S. Bates, No. 30 East
Thirtieth-st.; DR.. w. f. Billiard, No. As East
Ihirtieth-st.; Dr. Esterbrook, of Charity Hospital;
DR.. George D. Bleything No. 1875 East Seventy
eighth-st.; Frederick Law Olmsted No 200 West
fort%-sixth-st Dr. Cock, No. IA East Fortieth-st.;
pr. Irask OF Astoria. and several others. Salem
No. 500 Fifth-ave his family suffered greatly
from these Odors. He was convinced that
Long Island City was one of the nastiest cities IN
t a country The various manufactures there
shook MP" compound not found this side OF the
water Dr. Willard Parker, jr., Of No. Al East
lWeltth-sf. wrote that the whole of New-f0rk City
was too much of pest-house, and that unless Its
citizens were awakened to the necessity OF doing
something the city was doomed.
When the reading of these letters had been con-
clnded, the Rev. Mr.. Francis, of No. lab
Noble-st.. Greenpoint, took the witness stand.
He said that the cream of tartar
works in Greenpoint were the worst nuisance the
residents had to endare The odors had made his
wife SICK had driven away some of his cOnRrega-
ton. ana had lessened the value of all property in
the neghborhOOd. DR.. j. II. Raymond, Sanitary
superintendent of the Brooklyn Board of Health.
was the next to give his testimony. He said that
there never was time when the Brooklyn Com
missioner OF Public Health had as much power as
now, and he thought there was no need OF outside
| Interference if the law which gave him this power
Ss ph Got fOo oud he verV ~Sd
however, to have the committee examine into any
place in its district considered nuisance. The
members of that Board had come to the cOnclu' ion
that all systems of manufacturing fertilizers were
Objectionable, and the Commissioners OF Public
Health had decided not to allow the business to go
on IN the city. The cream of tartar works were
great nuisance. and the abOminable smells which
come from them were perceptible fully 1000 feet
distant. The proprietor had been arrested however,
and was before a Brooklyn Court Friday The
Board OF Health proposed to arrest him every DAY
until he abated the nuisance. 49,
Mr.. BrOoks-Havent you the power to stop this
Immediately
DIR. Raymond-l can't say as to that, There is
regular way to do this, and we don't wish TO resort
to arbitrary measures until 1T is absolutely Deces-
sary 1t will be stopped, however can assure you
Of that.
~ suppose your motto is, pcaceably if you can,
forcibly If you must
"That is 10 exactly
DIR. Raymond then pointed out a map of Hunt
ers point which was hanging on the wall al tne
works along NewtOwn Creek which we're nnlsances.
The last time no visited that neighbOrho0d, ne
said. there were many manure boats unloading
their cargCes on the dumping grounds Just north OF
this creek in the New York jurisdiction. and tho
smells which came from them were terrible. lie
thought the oil Ieinrries could be made harmless
in time One or two Of them had chemists at work
now making experiments to find ont the best
method TO accomplish this. The Others would Will
ingly adopt the result of these experiments
+. r. Fox, OF No. 2OJ East Forty-el ghth-st., SAID
that his family was greatly troubled by the smells
from a bone boiling factory az the foot or
East Forty-foutth-ss There had been sensible
INF nf ha nufa hOWpNHF
committee began to sit IN this city.
Mr.. Brooks-Perhaps Won think that we would
better have perpetual session.. .
Mr.. Fox-lt would DO grand thing i Il you ccllId
stay here all summer. The smell isn't hall 80 OPP
prcssive rs it il in hot weather.
Jackson ). schultz said hat he had listened TO
complaints of the smells u. hunters IOlnt lOr
many years. and he had finally come to the conclu-
SION that as long as the Standard Oil Company eK-
listed and TIE business of oil refining was allowed TO
be carried on IN the city, just 10 long would thesc
unpleasant odors emulate from that neighDorhood;
Hunters Point IS now the ne pIus altra OF tput
places and until II couldsbe demonstrated that
crude oil could be refined without oitenslveness 1t
would continue to be such FoT bus part he could
bring its crude material to n great metropolis In
preference TO refining It IN small city.
Professor Mason. OF the Troy Polytechnic school,
said that Troy. Pennsylvania. OF even Ohio would
be glad 10 have these relnsrics II Newfork did not
want them. -
whether the advantage to New-IOrk from bust
ness point OF view compensated for tho INJURY IN
ilicted on the general health when lltY WcTc Oauiy
managed, az now. $500,
Thomas C. smith of Grocnpoint, prophesied that
If lightning should strike the OIL tanks near New
town Creek the oil would run INTO the river and
barbOr and tho whole city would he burned up.
Dr. burnett Of hunters Point. SAID that Charles
Tracy who had testified the neck before that the
very disagrrrable smells were perceptible at the
Court House of Long Island City. was deit nding
one Of the worst nuSances in the neighborhood at
the very time he endured these smells. Dr. Bur
nett cOTrOboIated all that had been sad IN regard
TO the unhralt funrss and strength OF tho Hunters
Point smells. He thought that nothing was 10 %
hoped for from the Board OF Health there. Complaints
were frequently made OF the varnlsh factories, vet
the president Of the Board OF Health was superln-
tendcnt OF one Of them. The witness had once
asked him TO inv eStigaUe q certain nuisance. lie
rrnIied that les WAS TO- busy. but that ho would
send some one else TO do II; and he detailed man
To do the work whO was soon aiterward arrested
for Matchmaking. ,,.,
Dr. X. r. Van tiicscn Of Grecnpoint. thought that
the horrible smells which pervaded the ar IN that
neghbOThoOd IN important factor IN pIodhc,
inc death Dr. H. =. Denies. OF Hunters Point, said
that the poison IN the air would turn white paint
yellow and blackcn the quicksilver on the looking
glasscs. DIR. BOwlsby u member OF the BOARD OF
Health of the town Of Flatlands, l.. l., described
the condition of things III his district, and told
about the workings Of horse factory as ne
called it, on Barren Island. $3.50, -.
Dr. Carroll of CastletOn, s. l., SAID that tho cltl-
zens of New Brighton suffered great annOyan from
the oil retnerics at EliZRbethpoTt ~ j. Inc oil
which came from them covered the water with
Glm, iniurine tho boats; it destroyed vegetation
with ia vapors and made il very disgreebe for
people living anywhere near the shore. Inc resi-,
dents OF ew-Jersey living near the reherIeS were
perlectly willing to have them as property when
n few years ago had been worth only 9%o'OVO WAS
now valued at over S2,OOO,OUO.