The evening world., 1894-03-16
MORE TAMMANY Waste.
,,y the Academy Of Medicine Char
aCterizeS the Work on the
Watershed
FILTH In OUR DRINKING WATER.
no Vast Sums Of Money Expended by Com
missioner DAILY Were Thrown Away,
Says DR.. Roosevelt

Tammany's effort to remove the
sources of the pollution OF the Croton
watershed, which has been under way
for about a year, is now declared by DR..
J. West Roosevelt. Chairman of the
Committee on Public Health of the
Academy of Medicine, to have been far
cical, at least so far as its result is con-
cerned.
"How could the great evil be reme-
diedT' was asked when the bill author
izing a big expenditure was under con-
sideration. "Wipe out the sources OF
nollution,' was the answer. So the
Webster bill was passed. 1t authorized
the Commissioner of Public Works Of the
city Of New York to go ahead and remove
the nuisances and condemn property
when necessary, for which the city
would pay under an appraisement. The
public is familiar with the raid on the
watershed led by Commissioner DAILY
year ago. Since then Dalys has asked
the Board Of Estimate to give him
more money to carry on the good work,
and he received it. very large
.patronage has been in the hands of
4. Tammany Hall for distribution in West
chester County, in the shape of inspect
ors, appraisers, &C, on the watershed.
and both Tammany and the ring which
rules Westchester County has seen to
II that 1t has been distributed to their
mutual advantage.
And now DR.. Roosevelt, Chairman of
the Committee of Public Health of the
Academy of Medicine, states, after a per-
sonal inspection of the watershed, that
there is just about as much defilement of
the city's watershed as there was before
the great Tammany plan of clearing the
watershed Of its sources of pollution was
put in operation. He and his felow-com-
mitteemani DR.. T. M. Cheeseman, will SO
report to the Academy of Medicine as
soon as possible
It is not likely that the Academy will
be at all surprised at this report of their
committee, for the Academy strenuously
opposed the Tammany plan as embodied
In the Webster bill. They tried to secure
amendments to the Webster bill, declar-
ing that the measure was inherently
weak in that 1t only authorized and did
not direct the removal of the sources of
pollution. In a message to thepublic and
to the municipal and State authorities
the Academy said:
It will be that this act gives enormous
power to single mana part Of which is
enforce ssnrS s II osS
not require the Sa0pSn Of m n for
70 abste nusances, it does not forbid the creation
Of nuissnSes except It the e. city buys the land
plan approved by sanitary experts for the safe
watershed. and legal and financial power to
carry such plan into effect; second. such legis-
Individual pollution Of the water. and insure an
honest and efficient enforcement Of that icsisa-
tion; third, the city needs the power and means
s TO acquire under proper safeguards and in
dividual rights such real estate as may, In the
minds Of competent sanitary experts and en-
gineers, he necessary to protect the water, after
the sewage problem shall have been, so far as
measures which Science has made known.
Therefore, the Academy Of Medicine cannot
Pubic On works or which look Is prneipay to the
purchase of land but believes that the sanitary
Gape @ 2, the water shed snouia De ,h,rusteu S 20 S
to inspire public confidence that the steps taken
will be in accord with the principles and practice
OF sanitary science.
Carrying out these ideas, the Academy
tried to get the Webster bill supple
mented with a bill creating proper
Croton water commission. to he com
posed of the Commissioner of Public
Works, President; the Health Commits
soner who Is a physician; one member
pointed by the Governor on the recon-
mendation of that board, and two other
commissioners to be appointed by the
the Chamber of Commerce, and the
other, civil engineer, skilled in sanitary
science, on the recommendation of the
this city. The two last named were to
be appointed for six years, unless sooner
removed by the Senate on the recon-
legislature thought 1t better to trust the
great public work to Tammany, as rep
resented by the Commissioner Of Public
chinery, and cast aside the Academy's
suggestion. The result Is best told by
Dr.. Roosevelt:
More absolute evidence of insanity. II
not of corrupt Intention" he said, than
our inspection brought to light 1t would
be hard to imagine. Condemnation and
method employed for the disinfection
and publication of the water. At first
sight the place seems unchanged. The
meadows near Branch Brook, which is
are Uttered with the same sort of rub
bish. The filthy brook which Mr.. DAILY
damned up last year, and which caused
the flooding of many cellars, was fol-
lowing its old course into the Croton
RIVER Yesterday, taking all its drainage
( with It; Stables. with their manure
heaps dotted the landscape in appar-
sntiy undiminished numbers. The num-
per OF houses with their outbuildings
Z did not seem to be diminished and the
sites of about the same number were
such as to endanger the streams by pol
4 luton,
1T, Is astounding to find that houses
Z which used to stand from 80 to 100 yards
from Branch Brook, and which were or
{ dered moved, have been moved to within
~ 10 6o yards of a tributary of that
prook. They are more dangerous than
heIore. Comparatively distant dwell
lngs have been condemned. while those
n Stose TO the water have not been, and
X thls discrimination, or rather indscrimi-
nation. has not been governed by their
supply"
commissioner Daily was seen later.
.,it is the regular howl" he said
y,ins ,tihere's nothing in 1t. However. I'll
sur uD the inspectors"
Thrown fran a Carriaoe and Killed