The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-06-21
IT SMELLS TO HEAVEN.
An Unsavory Nuisance Is
This 0dor from the
Dumps.
AND Oh, WHAT CLOUDS OF FLIEsl
Why People Who Live Near John
son Avenue and Van Horne
Street Are Not Happy.

A greater nuisance than that at johnson
avenue and Van Horne street does not
exist in this city. The stencil from this
locality is intolerable, and pestilence
walks the streets, knocks over the tax
payers and their children, and myriads Of
flies follow in the wake of the monster
The nuisance is caused by the filing in
of about two square blocks of meadow
land owned by the Lehigh Valley Rail-
road Company. 1t is situated between
the elevated railroad that leads to Black
Tom, Mill Creek and the Morris Canal,
and extends east two blocks.
For months this place has been the re-
ceptacle for all the garbage and filth that
has been carted from the CITY by the con-
tractor, who, it is said, receives twenty
five cents load for dumping there
took a walk down there last evening
and then called upon Mr.. Henry Steffens
who, as had been told, had complained
of it. His reply was vigorous, but hardly
satisfying. He expressed himself as yio-
lently averse to notoriety and referred
me to Mr. Bernard Heinrichs.
Mr.. Heinrichs in gentlemanly manner
said he would not only be glad to tell me
what he knew of the horrible smells, but
would take me to the place, which he sub
sequently did. He said that his house
was about four hundred feet from the
dumps and that he lived on Ash and
Wilton streets.
SIS this smell daily nuisance asked.
Yes, sir; every day and worse at night.
There has been death from scarlet fever
In a house but one hundred and fifty feet
from the dumping ground and on account
of the bad sanitary conditions of the
neighborhood an epidemic was feared.
have drawn up a petition to have the
nuisance abated."
MR.. HEINRICH's PETITION.
The petition sets forth that the Lehigh
Valley Railroad Company's dump is
dangerous to health and that it breeds SO
many flies that it is necessary to keep
doors and windows closed, which is no
small annoyance in summer. To this petit
tion are attached more than one hundred
names and by tonight double that number
will be on the paper, 1t will be presented
to the Board of Health OF all that were
asked to sign the petition but two refused;
one was liquor dealer, who is patronized
by the cartnien who go to the dumps and
the other a laborer who cannot WRITE
Mr.. Heinrich suggested that we walk
to the dumping place. to give me chance
for personal observation, While walking
that way we had to pass the home of Mrs
Harry Shutter No. lob Pacific avenue. She
| was sitting on the stoOp and | asked her
! il she was troubled with disagreeable
| odOr from the dumps. She emphatieaily
said that she was and that the flies COM
| pletely ruined her comfort.
Come and win show you some,u said
| She
MILLIONS OF FLIES.
| / accepted the invitation and she took
me to the kitchen and dining room, which
! face the dumps.
| never saw such sight in my life.
| The ceiling and walls of the room were
| literally covered with flies. The pests
were so close together that it would be
| difficult to find place large enough to
| put lead pencil without touching one.
| AT both windows and the door were wire
! mosquito nets, but Mrs. Shutter said even
| that precaution would give her no relief
Dozens of times day it had been neces-
sary to drive them out She was certain
| that the flies bred ON the decaying vege-
table and animal matter on the dumps
The house she lives in is a double one,
| and across the hall Thomas Dowd and his
| family live Mrs. Dowd showed me her
apartments. The nuisance was equally
| bad there, although it is evident that both
| ladies take every precaution to guard
| against it. Mrs. Dowd had nets at the
windows and door, and she said that dur
ing the day she had to burn oil and to-
bacco to get rid of the flies which injure
|
that the smell from the dumps was
offensive in the last degree.
| PLACE TO KEEP AWAY FROM.
We walked down Ash street to Wilton,
one block, and turned up Wilton.
Here, do yon see this'" exclaimed Mr.:
Heinrichs. 'HThis is where the drivers, if
the weather is wet and the road bad,
dump their loads on the street. y
Sure enough it could be readily seen
that much garbage had been thrown on
the street, which is not paved. In the
middle of the block is a large sewer. The
man hole of this was open aud two small
boards had been placed across 1t to par
italy cover it. A stranger at night would
| be more than likely to fall into this sewer
or to drive his horse into it, perhaps.
'There is no stagnant water to create
the horrible smell you now observe said
Mr.. Heinrichs, because the ditch that
has been dug to drain the dumping
ground carries it all off. You see there.
beside the trestle work, that covering OF
hard dirt few feet wide has been laid.
The Lehigh Valley Company promised to
cover all this garbage in this manner,
but as soon as the heavy dirt was thrown
near the trestle that structure began to
be crowded by the sinking ground and
for weeks a danger signal has been To-
Gated on the trestle at this place. Trains
pass it very slowly"
After had received all of the horrible
odor could stand called at the house OF
james Condren, No. 81 Wilton street.
His daughter corroborated all that the
others had told me.
/ I'VE OUGHT TO STAND THE STENCIL. "
| asked Health Inspector Benjamin
why he did not abate the nuisance.
Because do not consider the dumps a
nuisance" he replied. 81 have been up
there and over the ground, and did not
detect any offensive odors. One of the
prominent signers of the petition against
the dumps is a citizen who not long ago
wanted to fill in one of his own lots with
we ought to stand little stencil when
these offensive flats and pest holes are
being filled mp"