The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-05-08
Final Game Tonight.
REPORT ON CEMETERIES
Authorities Must Put Vaults in
Good Condition-Mill Creek
Nuisance.

u00Q C0nQillOn- MILL ITceh
Nuisance.
DIR. W. w. Varick, President of the
County Board of Health. made a report yes
terday concerning the condition of the re-
ceiving vaults in a number OF cemeteries.
He said that he and Inspectors Tierney and
Neyin, in the course of a thorough inspec-
ton, had ascerbained facts as follows:-
The New York Bay Cemetery's vault was
in a very bad condition because the Super
intendent had neglected to bury the bodies
deposited in the vault. When DR.. Varick
examined the place he found twenty bodies
there in badly. decomposed conditions, and
the collins and boxes were rotten. The doc
tor embodied in his report the detailed state
ment he made to The JERSEY CITY NEWS
exclusively a few days ago., and reiterated
that the condition of the vaults was hor-
rible.
DR.. Varick found the Jersey City Gene
terry in ever a worse condition. In the vault
there he found between seventy-tive and
eighty bodies. Their condition was disgust
ing, and SO rotted had become the collins
that some were falling to pieces. Since tins
vault was examined, five more bodies had
been placed in it. Speer's cemetery vault
was in no better condition. 1t contained
seventeen bodies, which created a stitlng
odor. A green mould had formed on the de-
cayed collins, and the vault was in a hor-
rible condition.
DIR. Varick gave peremptory orders to the
cemetery authorities to bury all the bodies
in their receiving vaults Immediately, and he
was promised thai it should be done. The
receiving vault in the New Catholic Gene
terry, the doctor found, had not been con-
- -xs-.1 - eAr,.ra hu low h.1f IfC
condition was such that no complaint ought
to be made against it. DR.. Varick found
only one body in the Old Catholic Cemetery,
and he did not make any unfavorable re-
port concerning the vault in this place. For
want of time no other cemetery vaults were
examined.
RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED.
At the conclusion of DIR. Varick's report
a resolution was presented and the board
adopted it as follows:-
whereas, The receiving vaults Of the New York
besn i Inspected setsds by II tie F President Of this board and
inspectors Tlerney and Nevin, and from their an
tiqufty and plan of construction are found to
be unit for further use and a menace to public
Resolved. That this board do hereby declare such
and q nuisance. and do hereby order and direct the
said nuisance BY the demolition of said vaults.
Resolved. That a copy Of the foregoing resolution
be Immediately sent to said trustees
DuIluR Ul6 hCCplDS VI bAO OOQAo CouOA
day John H. Conner, superintendent of the
New Catholic Cemetery, inquired what dis
position should be made of bodies which
would in the future be placed in the vault.
He called attention to the law, which pro-
vides that no body shall remain In a receiv-
ing vault between May l and November l
for a longer period than fcrty-eight hours.
He said the board required him to obtain a
permit to remove bodies from a vault, but
that the board only met once each two
weeks. and that, therefore, it was impossible
to comply with the law and the require
ments of the board. This query was a poser
for a while, and hen DR.. Converse came to
the rescue. He offered a motion, which pre-
vailed. to the effect that a permit for this
purpose may be granted by any individual
member of the board, instead OF being
granted by the board in meeting.
NO FEAR OF AN EPIDEMIC.
In connection with the bad condition of
the vaults, DIR. Converse took location TO
say that he did not believe cemeteries in
large cities were SO detrimental to health as
many persons feared.
ssBut you don't hold the same view in re-
gard to vaults not constructed at least five
feet below the surface of the %groundT in
quired DR.. Varick,
II do not favor the accumulation of bodies
in these vaults" replied DR.. Converse. 'but
I do not believe they are as dangerous to
Q0alJu dS 11dnY SuRlJOoOs L III " C1tO .
that epidemics or contagious disease can be
generated without the reception of the germs
of the disease any more than wheat can
grow without seed
DR.. Converse reported that there were five
cases of smallpox at Snake Hill and that all
of the patients were doing well.
Nothing further will lie done with the nuis-
ance complained of by G. P. Howell, be-
cause he refuses to go before the Grand
Jury with his complaint, as directed by the
board. The nuisance consisted of the stop
page by the Erie Railroad of the drainage of
some lots owned by Mr.. Howell. The prop
erty owners who complained expect that
the CITY will soon build a sewer for them.
The vacant lot filed with stagnant water,
complained of by j.. G. Bloch, is being
filed in, and no action will be brought
against the owner by the board.
Counsel to the board was directed to ascer-
tain from DR.. J. Faber why he had failed to
report the births of four children
MILL CREEK NUISANCE.
Inspector Nevin reported the horrible con-
dition of Mill Greek at Merselas street, and
said that it was reeking with filth of all
kind, and that the odor arising was abomin
able. He said it was a serious menance to
the health of people living in the vicinity.
DIR. Varick said he did not know what
remedy the board could take, but that a bill
was pending in the Legislature having for its
purpose the drainage of this section Of the
city. He feared the bill would not become a
law, but declared it ought to pass. All Of
the members of the board agreed that the
nuisance at this point should be abated be-
fore hot weather arrives, and three iuspec-
tors were directed to make q careful ex-
animation of the nuisance SO as to make a
report with recommendations at the next
meeting.
Clerk Rooney reported that the cases Of
contagious disease in Alril were as follows
Diphtheria in this city, 81: in the county,
So; scarlet fever in this city, 40; in the
4: in the county, 9; typhoid lever in this
city, 6: in the county, s; smallpox in this
city. 6: in the county, q. This report does
not include the cases in Hoboken, for no re-
turns from that city are filed with the