The Newtown bee., 1891-04-24
VIEWPOINT, APRIL 24, 1891.
No Bridgeport Garbage Wanted
 in Fairfield.

Though Dr Osborne was unable to at.
 tend the adjourned meeting of the board
 of health, Monday, at the selectmen's of.
 flee in the Town hall, his place was sup.
 piled by Lawyer John l.. Morehouse
 who, as justice of the peace, claimed a
 seat on the board. The meeting had been
 called to take action on the petition o1
 John T. Donovan for a special permit to
 bring garbage from Bridgeport to Fair
 field, to feed pigs on the place he bought
 of Charles Smith. Over an hour was
 spent in discussion and the board at last
 unanimously voted to withhold the per
 mission. The meeting was called to or
 der by Justice Brothwell, president of
 the board. Lawyer Morehouse asked
 where the wagons would be run and was
 told by way of Strattield, Lyons hill and
 Morehouse highway. MT Donovan ex-
 plained that he asked only to be allowed
 to carry garbage to the farm and keep
 pigs there. Richard Jennings spoke of
 the recent visit of the board to the farm
 and was satisfied that filth from the ridge
 back of the low land by the river would
 drain into the river. He didn't particu-
 larly object to a piggery, but he did not
 want Fairfield made a dumping ground for Bridgeport garbage. President C..
 II. Sherwood of the Bridgeport hydraulic company was called upon by Justice ASiotA"Cli anu Sdlh lEOLu HIS huOWl- edge of the land, he was opposed, in the name of the water company, to piggery there. The company expected at some day to use the water of Mill river at that point, where about two miles of the river was owned by the company. As a cti- zen of Bridgeport, he wanted the garbage taken away, but he did not want it taken where it could injure the water which might be used by the people of Fairfield and Southport. He quoted the Macha- lowski case at Island Brook reservoir, North Bridgeport, and said he didn't
 want any more experience with piggeries. Lawyer Morehouse spoke of the piggery
 of MT Donovan, not far from his home and said that he didn't want any more
 piggeries in town. MT Donovan spoke
 in his own behalf, saying that he would
 keep the pigs at his farm, no to ll5 rods
 from the river. He knew, as we'll as
 Lawyer Sherwood or the board of health
 that he could be stopped at once if he
 committed any nuisance. It would not
 be for his interest to violate the law in
 any respect, for he should certainly ex-
 pect sharp disapproval and knew that the
 board possessed the right to abate the
 nuisance at once and tax him with costs.
 Why should he do this and forfeit his
 business? MT Jennings read list of land
 owners Tn that vicinity, who, he said,
 were opposed to piggery there and the
 importation of garbage: John k. Os-
 borne, John Bulkley, Alden Wilson,
 Thomas Merwin, Minott Futile, Albert
 ". Knapp, George Rodgers, Levi and Thomas Jennings, John F. Wilson, Hor- ace A. Nichols. MT Jennings said that
 Samuel Jessup had suffered from Dono- vans piggery and had vainly tried to have the nuisance abated. MT Donovan said that he had talked with many of the neighbors and had been told that they really didn't know about the piggery, except what MT Jennings had told them. Rufus Jennings had little to say, except that he thought that there would be a nuisance if a piggery were established. MT Donovan was surprised to find Mir MOrehouse on the board of health just now and wondered why, if the people were so greatly opposed to the piggery, they were not here to state their object ions. He was keeping pigs at his old farm now, without pens, but would put up pens on his new farm and keep the pigs under full control. John Os- borne had asked him to make arrange ments to take his place. MT Jennings said that Donovan had misrepresented Osborne. Mir Warehouse said that the piggerJ was really very bad. The pigs had been on the highway and had caused ulSSOihlOlls iIOO LO SDCdh Ol bItIT utNdS- tation in the cemetery. Mir Donovan thought there was q conspiracy against him. Mir Jennings claimed that Donovan was now violating the law by bringing garbage into town without permit Donovan said that he was keeping pigs there until he could get permission to take them to the Smith farm. Mir More house asked how he had followed the law in the past and was told that it had been obeyed. IL transpred, however, that the vote of the board of health, refusing to allow garbage, offal or any manner of filth to be brought into town was adopt ed August l5. 1889 and Donovan had not removed the pigs from his Black Rock bridge piggery until the following March. He had continued to bring in garbage during all this time, but claimed that he did not before know of the action of the board and that he had removed the pig gery as soon as possible after receiving official notification. F. L. Sherwood thought that piggery would be detri- ment to land owners near by, for pigs would run over the western part of the State. He should not want the pigs near him. There was one place where filth would naturally drain into the river at smith farm; elsewhere, there was little danger of polluting the stream. MT Don oVan asked why he could not be allowed to put piggery there and Mir Jennings said it was, in plain English, the bad record he had already made. Mir Jen- nings further said that there was, during the Summer, q mist which, rising from the river, would absorb the odors from the filth on the hills and would then be drifted as far South as the Sound, as far north as Stepney or Plattsville and east and west in proportion. Mir Donovan cited other cases where special permits had been granted, but was told that there was misunderstanding and that no such permit had ever been granted. Edward Hawkins could see no good reason why a piggery should be established there and, although he had not visited the farm. he reared, fire m the testimony of others, that the river would be polluted. He thought that Donovan had not acted we'll in the past. Donovan answered, "Draw up A bond for the faithful performance of the contract and I'll sign it. Isn't that enough? Health Officer Brothwell was called upon, but gave way to Lawyer Sherwood, who reiterated his remarks in regard to pollution of the river and said that the water company should promptly take steps to abate any nuisance that might be established on or near the river. moreover, as fisherman, he had special interest Tn the stream. Unless the pigs were securely fenced upon the hills, the pigs would wander about the farm and would spend most of their time wallow- ing in the stream. If the surrounding hills were spread with garbage, the river would sarely be polluted. Mir Donovan said that the pigs would be fenced on the top of the hill, the low lying meadows being used for hay and other crops. It would be impossible for filth to reach the river. Mir Donovan again asked for a trial. Mir Brothwell, as health officer, no nuisance at present; Dono- van was not there yet. If he complied in all ways with the law and the rules of the board, and plowed in the refuse mat tRr ca arnfullu xunuld tharo ho a x,..;na..A1a