The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-08-30
WITH OPEN ARMS.
This City Would Afford a
Rich Feast for the
Cholera Fiend.
FULL OF FILTH AND PEST HOLES.
Four Cases in Liverpool Among
Emigrants for This
Country.
The Circassia Detained at Quaran-
tine-State Authorities Get to
W0rk-It Appears in
London.
FULL OF FILTH AND PEST HOLES.

1t would be no exaggeration to say that
Jersey City stands with open arms TO re-
ceive the cholera. If all the streets were
cleaned until TIE stones show; if all the
ashes and garbage dumps were covered
with fresh soil and sown with clover; if
Mill Greek should be filed In and all
traces of its present condition obliterated,
there would still remain one spot where
the dreadful pestilence would find con-
genial abiding place. No one who has
never visited Railroad ayenue between
Henderson and Warren streets would be-
lieve that any civilized community would
tolerate such pest hole for single day.
1t far more resembles some encampment
of the Mahomedian Pilgrims, from which
the cholera springs, than thoroughfare
in community which boasts thai it is
one of the leading cities of the new
world.
CAUSE OF THE NUISANCE.
When the Pennsylvania Railroad Com
pany built the Marion wall, which re-
tains its great embankment on that
block, the workmen drove the piles
which support the foundation close to
the old brick sewer which ran through
the northern side OF the avenue. The
forcing those great piles to solid ground
weakened the sewer. After while it
began to fall in in places carrying The
ground above il down aud leaving large
holes in the street. Often horse driven
through the street would suddenly
through ground up to the body. At
otheI times heavily laden trucks would
attempt to go through the avenue, and
had not proceeded far when one Of the
wheels would sink into the street up TO
the hub. Ths openings in the street
which were then made. were filled up by
those living on the block with anything
they could find. In this way
the sewer became choked up and began
to back its filth and putrid water into the
street and cellars of the houses on the
block.
A SALOONS DUMPING PLACE
If you turn tnto the south side of Rail-
road avenue from Warren street and pro-
ceed west TO Henderson street, you see
enough to make you think Railroad ave-
nue. Is in a bad condition, but by no
means as bad as has been said. The rail-
road com pany has established dump
there for The ashes for its locomotives
which stand just above and below War
rem street. They ara clean locomotive
ashes, and aside from the disrepuGable ap-
psarance they give the place there is no
u eat harm in them. The new street
took the old one for its wall, has entirely
disappeared beneath the ashes and dirt.
Half away up the block is heap of half
burned shoes, bricks and Other indescrib-
able debris..w hich mas been there ever since
the fire in Clerihews, Furst and the Bos-
toms stores A little further up, almost in
front of the rear entrance TO Duffy's
saloon is a receiving basin choked up
with mud, squeezed out lemons, old
sawdusr and other garbage which sug-
gest the thought that it Is used by the
saloon as dumping place for its refuse.
You don't waste much time examining
that basin. The foul odor which il sends
forth protects it from too close scrutiny.
The remainder of the block is like the
first part, a mud hole. Passing under
the tracks at Henderson street you come
to the north side of the avenue and the
eh1uvia which greets your nostrilS as you
turn toward Warren street strongly
urges you TO turn back. The first thing
you see is long pool of BLACK stagnant
wafer extending for at least fifty feet
eastward from the building of the old
Foundry Mission. Up against the big
railroad wall all along the block are heeps
of ashes, vegetable pairing and general
garbage. Further down, beginning in
front of No. 30 and extending almost 100
feet is a small narrow lake of putrd
water which fairly settles with the filth
it contains. Just beyond that there is
than dump for the neighborhood.
A FOSTERING LOT.
The condition of The street makes 1t al
most impossible for Contractor Byrnes to
go through 1t with his carts and what
garbage and ashes the inmates of the big
frame tenement houses on the block DO
not throw In the street they empty into
the lot. Apparently, not more than foot
below the surface of the lot is an old
wooden box drain, which was built to
carry the water drainage of the rear tene-
ments on Steuben street to the sewer in
Railroad avenue. This has met the fate
of all box sewers, and about midway
across the lot has roJted away and fallen
in. Becoming choked up il this manner,
the sewage has forced its way through
the box and oveIfowed into the lot.
Yesterday the place presented a most
of garbage. the wound in the old drain
was plainly visible. For radius of fifty
feet around the hole, the ground was COW
cred with that sickly green color which
comes from stagnRnt water. The water
had almost disappeared, but the green
scum remained, filling the air with nau-
seating odor. The lot Is said to belong to
the Manners estate
The block is mainly inhabited by Ital-
fans. M. Capoaua, an intelligent Italian
who speaks English intelligibly, ssid that
it was great shame that such a state of
affairs should exist. He owns several of
the houses on the block, and said that
there was at least four feet Of sewage un-
der each house in the block Several of
the tenants were i'll with fever, which
could be traced directly to the water in
the cellars.