New-York tribune., 1885-07-12
CITY or THE UNKNO WV DEAD.
WHERE FRIENDLEss ONES ARE BURIED.

SCENES AT riR POTrrRs FIELD on HARIs BLAND
-150 BODIES IN A GRAvf.
Thousands of people in this city are not
aware that what Is now known as washington square,
one OF tho most delightful breathing places In the me
tropOlis was POtter's Field. Later one was Oh
Wards Island between the Homeopathic Hospital ana
the large gloomy looking. known
as the Male Insane Asylum aud only four years ago lL
TRIBUNE noted that the bones OF OF the dead had
been pioughcd up laborcrs employed In making I'M
provements there Some of the older eraveyars DOWN
town have long since been covered with buildings III
1865 the Commissioners OF Charities and CORRECTION
found It necessary TO lind burial place for the poor
and 50 the large plot the east side or iars Island up
the Sound some twenty miles from the city, was
secured During the the island had been used as
camping ground for Union soldiers and also as place o
impr comment for rebel prisoners and the rst burial OF
the dead there Union soldiers. neat little Union
cemetery wherc sleep hundreds OF those who were ell
listed n the Of the Union now graces the Island
and beautiful soldiers monument and scores otesser
marble ,ombstoncs the resting places of those who
died while encampei Oh the island.
since 1865 something il000 OF the cty's poor
frendless aud unknown dead have been buried In the
CITY Cemetery which adoins that In which are buried
the remains OF the soldiers. on Mondays and Thurs
days OF each week tho blrials take place When
ncr.on dies In "A hospital, workhousc, peDtcn;iary
ar other pubc institution unless the body Is claimed by
friends or chari,aby disposed persons and given Chris
tan burial IL Is placed In a cheap ftycent pine colli
removed to the Morgc for day or 80 and thence trans
ferrd on Of the ctys steamers TO iarts Island ana
buricd by a gang OF workhousc employees who are de-
,ucd IN hurry the dead When person dies In public
institution his or her nearest friend or relative Is
informed aud II the latter are able tho city VIII
take measures to compel them to bury the body But
the duty s often shrked. IL IL nothing new To hear OF
a husband who Is able refusing to bury wifc or OF
VIII. refusing TO pnry husbandof a father or mother
afor m pron or n of
the latter doing a. much for their parents But there
are tho who ,v.n " as poor as the mythical church
m,usc will evsn beg for the means to secure collin
and a burial plot elsewhere for some deceased loved
one Some Of h poorest OF the poor have been known
to deny themselves the very necessaries oil fe TO go
huy clad and hungry rather than one OF their kith and
kin should 10 placed in pauper grave And yet there
arc IN the Pters Field hundreds OF the dead whose
tt,dred are known to be wcll-to-do. There sleep In
.oe of the pits side by side the poorest oucast and
the once pettcd child OF fortune 81 would sell the
dress of my back rather than that my son should be
buried in tho paurcr held" said poor tcpementhouse
woman at one the hospitals yesterday said another
| " I'd scrub the flesh oil my bones before I'd not
r,ve me poor husband q Christian burial" There
ere many yea thousands, who think IL q
ain and disgrace allow their kindred 10 be buried NJ
thc xpcnsc OF the city In Potters Field Yet there are
| those whose hearts are hardened ana VINO DO not
change even when the cold earth shuts out from their
% ,rcy.r some loved one The other day educated
German young OF good family died In hospital
| ltt-r
a. ,hr matter and his wife, who had money. refused to
bnry her husband Certainly the burial which the dead
r.rcvo In the Pottors Field is not Christian one No
,eos are shed there there neither mourners. priests
unr urnyers 30 tender hands ft the ooin no tender
| nands place the sroud upon the occupant gang on
,snty men more OF less. f. engaged six days IN tho
week digging pits In which the dead are to 10 buried
| one hundred and my bodies are placed In each pit
and the cofns packed as closely together as sar
| dimes In n box , -,., -... ....
dcialcd from the branch workhouse on Wards Island.
which IN charge OF warden Dlnphy. As an extra n,
| t,,at t,Yri
and po,r whiskcy The duty which they perform is not
% ono and many would shirk 1t II they could.
| rrnorcr watched the gans at work day or two
ago deercpit. boatefaced member OF 1t while lifting
81 guess some OF you will have to lay mo in ono of
| these holes before lonc, boys. ,,, ,,
hope to God I'll never have to bc buried IKE deg
I'm this place" said another Yet every once In while
some eunfortnnaicragged down b. rum or poverty or
srkucs-nds his last resting place near the spot where
he bored in tho burial OF Others or his kind The men
go about their work At the pits % rs as III
and part OF q human body may be seen exposed, ana
laughs aud bes are heard as " - use a,D Th nc no t.
Then again. human blood trails over c"nn. lne ssnen
hat ssies from Of the collins at times especially
in the summer. Is terrible hsaes I % s.u, o h ooas mo
of the dead from the hospital dsscctins rooms Many
,. are numbered By sections aud ers and record Is
kept OF the OF those buried there who the nl-
| known are marked uukuown" There Is part OF the
smcery sot npart where bodies temporarily placed
"a ms TO await the possibility obelng claimed by friends
human fH" habtaton nor even a house on Hart's
Island. Now "ns Il h,s Pop"'nn,on nraroh n1Stc matte
Asym and IIarrs slaid Hospital are there, and War
| den Dunphy and Dr. Andrew Egnn superintendent of
thr BrnncI, INSANE Asylum and Hospital have homes
there Many are going ON on the island'
among others tho erection Of new pavilion Tor tue IN
s.nc 10 100 souls There 300 female in-
sane patients n In six pavilions large
nIot Of ground now filed by water 10 to be nlled H.
Some OF The buildings M VI occupied hospital were
erected during the war aud occupied as soldiers bar
racks and In or two, rebel prisoners were eonheu;
Ia ponted out visitors the Place where Yankee SUI.
| livan fought his famous fight with "DuDlin Tricks
/ rt,. ,hnaf MiuuelanfDCk
to island and usually carries lot OF visitors. 1t ia
| a delightful excursion to some.