Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-12-17
WAR AGAINST WHISTLES.
,NDIGNANT CITIZENS DENOUNCE
A CALLING NUISANCE.

INDIGNANT CITIZENS DENOUNCE
A CALLING NUISANCE.
The Nj yor and Council Committee Listen
TO Prote sta Against the Steam Whistle
IDhictfon-The Arkwright Cotton rae
tory Puts in n Defense and is Replied
to-A Lively Discussion Ends with
Proposition to Abate the Annoyance.
Quite body Of indignant citizens, CON-
posed chiefly Of solid Bay street business
men. walked into the Mayors office at 5
O'Clock last evening, having been re-
quested to appear at that hour before the
Committee on Health and Cemetery,
which has had in its hands for some time
A long petition asking the City Council to
furnish some relief from the steam whist
ling nuisance. Messrs. Wilder, Thomas
and Nell. Of the committee, and Mayor
Lester were present.
With a solitary exception all those CON-
posing the delegation were opposed to the
nuisance. The exception was Mr.. y. h.
Clarkson. OF the Arkwright Cotton Fac
tory. which is provided with
whistle allusiOn 10 which has already
been made in the News. Mr..
Clarkson apparently attended for the pur-
pose Of yindicatlng the whistle and de-
pOuncing the MORNING NEWS. Mr..
Barnard. Of Richardson & Barnard,
stated that the delegation thought the best
way to reach the difficulty was to pass an
ordinance restricting the blowing Of
whistles except in cases where il is pro-
vided for by law. 1t had been done IN
other cities.
I'm what places has it been dOne"
asked a member Of the committee.
1T has been done in Boston. A whis-
tie is never heard there, ard all the rail-
roads have abandoned II. The blowing
Of a whistle is also restricted all over the
| State Of Massachusetts"
Mr.. ClarksOn. of the Arkwright mill, at
once took issue with Mr.. Barnard, and a
| lively discussion ensued. In winding up
| a declaration which he had made about
| the advantage TO business Of having
whistles blown, Mr.. ClarksOn said: 1.-The
statement in the MORNING NEWS Of to-
/ day that the Arkwright factory whistle
| blew seventeen times in one morning Is
an unmitfgated lie"
This brought Mr.. John Judge to his
feet. The gentleman" said ne, ''has as
/ serted that a certain statement In the
! MORNING NEWS is a lie. | stand here to
| state that it is not lie. l assert it as a
| fact. / have counted seventeen distinct
! blasts of that whistle in one morning. 1t
| begins at 80 and blows almost constant
| ly until 6. 1t awakens every one in the
| neighbOrhOOd."
| ANY man. said Mr.. ClarksOn, "whO
| is not willing to be awakened at $50
| o'clock in the morning, when 1t IS neces-
sary, is not a good citizen"
| Il saw retorted Mr.. Barnard, ''that
any man who cannot awaken at 5;3O and
/ 20 to his work without a whistle blowing
| half an hour iG no use.'
| l - -
Arkwright whistle at some length. He
said that close to the mill four children
were suffering from scarlet fever. ANY
| one could imagine what effect such early
morning blasts would have on them.
Mr.. Clarks6n still cOntended that his
whistle was not a nuisance. He fatty
| cOntradicted Mr.. Judges statement as 10
the length of blowing. and said that the
blasts were of about 30 seconds duration,
and only two or three were given.
The other members Of the delegation
thcn began to add their testimony TO that
Of Mr.. Judge. J. J. Abrams, Esq. de-
| scribed the nuisance as the most
| damnable he ever knew and the one
ulNst pregnant with trouble. To Judge
| from the noise, he said, one might suspect
| that the engine was nothing but one
gigantic whistle, He was willing TO
swear that it started at $3.50 O'Clock and
/
| whistle question had been agitated, he
believed the engineer out of malice or
| spite blew more than before. Five
hundred people, he said, would join IN
| declaring il a nuisance. 1t shook the
windows OF houses half mile away, and
| if The Council would afford no relief, he
would have the prOprietOrs before that
| body and try them for maintaining null
sance; if no relief could be secured there,
l.. I LrF Z ba nd
Mr. William Hunter characterized the
argument that the whistles had to be
blown in the morning to call hands to-
gether as ridiculous. He had never
needed anything OF the kind TO awaken
him.
MIR. Barnard said that there was too
much blowing of whistles. The other day
the Charleston boat, while lying at her
wharf. blew long and loud twelve times
| in an hour, causing all business near to
be suspended. At the lower cotton press
the whistle seemed to be as big as hogs
| head. His company had stopped the
whistling Of the Boston boats.
Mr.. Judge submitted the following sug-
gestions to the committee. embOdying the
| views Of the delegation as to what should
be done
I. Locomotiyes.-Request railroad authOri-
ties TO moderate the Use OF Whistles on rOau
| engines within the corporate limits, to place
twO-inch whistles on all yard engines anu
forbid their use in the yards or depots.
2 Marine Engines-The managers OF the
| ocean steamers having already complied in
most becoming manner with the public de-
| mand, any further Improvement may be safe
| ~ left to their own sense OF prOprlety; put
| the river steamers and tugs, when alongside
| a wharf. should be absolutely prohibited, I'M
| der heavy penalties, from blowing steam
whistle. and if this regulation could be eX-
| tended to them while in the stream within the
| corporate limits, il should be done.
| 5. Stationary Engines.-There being no re-
quirement of law or necessity for the use of
! steam whistles on stationary engines, they
should be prohibited. IT, however, 1t be claim
! ell that custom gives the owner OF steam
| whistle the right to use il, then it should be
| taxed rs a luxury or as a nuisance offensive TO
| good taste, injurious to public morals pro
voking endless profanity, and seriously detri-
mental to public health and comfort.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Judges re-
marks the committee thanked the dele
| CATION and the conference was concluded.