New-York tribune., 1894-03-16
rs CROTON WATER POLLL1ED'
CONFLICTING REPORTS REGAKDlN" IL
DR. EDISON SAYS 1T IS IN GOOD CoNDiiio>-
COMMITTEE or EXPERTS. HOWEVER,
Ell

M EDISON SAYS IT IS IN GOOD CONDITION
COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS HOWEVER,
SAYS THAT IT Is FILTHY.
pocor,; that there had been an Increase OF
nusances in the Croton watershed OF la'e' anu i,'
the water supplied to this city was peihs oon'''''
mated with sewage to a greater extent Una" II was
before Commissioner Daiy began his raidS !" ."'
Cr,;on region lat fall. were conradcted yesterday
hv pr CYRUS Elson. the Health CominlHs'one'' WIN
napped out the work for Mr. DAILY ana assisted a.
= s,nit,rv cXuert in the work OF removing many Oh
the most serious nuisances Or. Edsoh sd'"
ncr,ona.ly know from observation that some oi INC
statements about the alleged nuisances !" '"e
Croton region are not true. and Mr.. Day mas as
sured me that other statements are equally iaise'
The work of last fall was well planned and faith
fu.y carried out The worst sources OF con-
Elimination were wiped out. and while there are
some nuisances left, they are insignificant ana VIII
be removed as possible. Some OF the 'hihss
which look bad to the eye OF man not ac-
quain;ed with sanitary science are really MOI ~
dangerous as other things which, TO the casual
observer appear harmless. Near the feeders Oh the
Croton system are some open drains whch ih's"'
be supposed to contamnate the water supply Dut
a careful examination would show that the sewage
in these drains could reach the feeders Hidden
drains flowing into the feeders. would he dangerous
Water in an open drain. which must be parity
many fee, of ground before 1t can enter feeder
of the Croton system, is comparatively harmless.
The sewage at Brewsters formerly flowed directly
into the CrOton system. Now II is carried 10
level stretch of land and allowed TO soak into the
ground along lines OF open bitches. after going
through a chemical treatment which Kills all the
germs of disease in 1t. There is no danger and no
offensive smell in the ditches for made personal
examination Of them only few days ago. THIS
Is not the time 10 try TO get up scare about
CrOton water. because the water Is known TO be
the eang of it. and the analyses show that the
water when i; reaches this city IS better thdh
a hydrant in this city and anaiyze it, 1t is possible.
therefore. TO tell at any time II there IS serious
Some professional experts however are inclined
TO disagree with Commissioner DAILY and DR.. Ed
son regarding the absence of pollnting clements
welt. chairman of the Committee on Public Health
Mount Kisco and other parts OF the watershed in
company with Dr. T. NJ Cheescman, of the same
diton OF affairs in that neighborhood. These doc
tors found heaps of nth thSy say which ~erS
small streams tributary to the Croton River
one large chicken yard in which many fowls were
actively engaged within fey feet Of Of that sifram
We w toe fSuna nTg ali manner 'na ruof i th tn"
The stream which Mr; Daly damned up last
lars. was running along in its usual course into
the Croton River YESTERDAY. II wa polluted with
see could only come from drainage.
ons the ges 81 reutT hT9gkI nany @rr EGn
also located along the margin of thesr strains.
No human being can see upon what sanitary prlh-
ciple many OF the houses condemned 10y DAILY
some OF these houses were thus condemned,
while others nearer and more dangerous To trinu-
tary streams were allowed TO stand. open drains
in many instances continue TO carry Gown loIlltlon
and perhaps dissasr germs into tn smaller streams
II do not hGstate to % say that sT2nhe N9aat vs. a
tuay worse than IT. was last sumineTi; ,,o mad.
recently Dr Roosevelt describes the present situA-
lion thus s.s, .,nh, ,,. n,co soaDs unchanged The
meadows near Branch Brook. which i an important
tributary OF the Croton are Uttered with the sam
and and china paper. broken household utensils rags
Yesterday came across h!thy par oi cas',ou
fSmar look The brook. which would not cease
dow when Mr Daiy damned 1t. continued. AZ Of
yore TO pursue its course down the hi! - me
mafure piles s,i dotted the landscape apparcn,.y
in undninished number-and certainly IN situG IVA
Nth the citys water when rain falls The mum
Der Of houses too. seemed undmiA.shed-and the
enianger the streams. as had been the case before
Closer Inspection, however, revealed that there
not 90 many stabesma least InS jscoyeTy Us, VERY
nn manuHe Tnp BITS " seemed to justly the deduction
stables had been recently removed As for the
houses. it was hard to say whsthcr they wrre
moved from one place to another In such perp!cx-
ing WaV that we di try - count them. In
deed the question OF numbers was forgotten when
The now sites upon which some Of them now Stnl
werr considered II is astounding to find tna
while houses have been removed which stood from
80 TO 100 yards from the banks of Branch Brook.
number have been ncvcd. AMI are moving. to sites
within forty yards OF tributary OF that brook
These houses are rather more dangerous tnIn be
fore but no one to ntcrfer" with the new
! Cominssloner Dalys attention was cllcl t. thcs.
statements yesterday. but he c)n,entei hlm+rf
with repeat ting his former assertions that tne re'use
referred to was further from IN" stream tndn the
replat Ions Of the state Board Of Healtl required
Nr Dalv insisted that in most cases l.WD feet IN
teryencd between any existing dirt heaps and IN"
streams. while 20 feet was the limit set by the
State. -. .,-
Chief Engineer Birlsal repeated his assertion
that the drainage from the houses along the triDu-
;,rv streams AMI the rain water pouring over the
refuse hcaus were filtered by percolatng through
thn s, before reaching the streams which NDw INFO
the CrOtOn The sewage water was also irceI from
e f-,s, frsic