The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-09-21
FILTHY PASSAIC.
Local Boards of Health Dis
cuss Its Foulness at
Trenton Yester-
day.
CITIZENS STRONG PROTESTS
One Man Wouldn't Allow His Dogs
to Swim in the River
Vigorous Resolutions.
special to the ,Jerscv citu Ne,rs.

HE'eciub 10 iHG JeISCD tttU IttuS.-
TRENTON, Sept. 81. 1S95.-A meeting
of the members of the various Boards
of Health of the cities and hamlets situ-
ated along the Passaic River interested
in the abatement of the pollution there
of. was held in the Senate chamber, at
the State House, yesterday afternoon.
The meeting was called for the purpose
of formulating an agreement as to the
proper steps to be taken.
A year ago an investigation was made
by the State, Board OF Health. at the re-
quest of the property owners living along
the river, and the conditions were adj
judged by the experts to be nuisance.
Last winter two bills were introduced in
to the Legislature, but failed to pass.
Interested property owners have even
gone so far as to endeavor to have the
city of Paterson, whose sewage is said
to be the principal cause of the pollu-
ton of the river, indicted by the Grand
Jury for creating nuisance. Members
of the Boards of Health of Belleville,
Passaic, Saddle River township, Pater-
son, Union township, Franklyn town.
ship, Kearny, Caldwell, Millville, and
Harrison all gave testimony before the
meeting yesterday as to the unsanitary
conditions of the river and the causes
thereof, and all agreed that a speedy
solution of the matter was important
as with the present conditions epidemics
of malaria and diphtheria were likely to
occur. Statements were also made as
to the general depreciation of the value
Of property and the abandonment of
spacious and magnificent residences by
their owners because of sickness and
bad odors emanating from the river.
Ex-Judge William NJ Lanning, OF this
city, being called upon by President
Brackett. explained the purpose of sew
eral acts of the Legislature, but said
that the question as to constitutional
rights of men in regard to the enforce
men of sanitary laws was apparently a
new field of labor and had occupied the
thoughts of legal minds to no great ex-
tent.
Mr.. Jackson, of Belleville, then intro
duced the following resolution, which,
after quite a lengthy debate, was
adopted, with an amendment that one
member be appointed by each of the local
Boards of Health represented at the
meeting to constitute the committee to
act on the resolution and transmit the
names to the Secretary of tine State
Board of Health. A further amendment
was also adopted empowering the com-
mittee to employ expert engineers to
examine and report as to the proper
course to pursue to abate the evil which
report will be presented to The next
Legislature and that body asked to take
action.
The resolution introduced by Mr.. jack
son and adopted by the meeting is as
follows:-
River are polluted by the sewerage of
numerous municipalities and by hun
dreds of isolated mills and factories;
the degree of pollution has rapidly in
creased from year to year, and during
the past two summers the gases emitted
by the water of the river below the
city of Paterson have been exceedingly
offensive to the sense of smell, render
ing dwellings, along the borders of the
river almost uninhabitable, and greatly
damaging the value of property.
Whereas, Said contamination of the
waters of the Passaic River, and of the
air of the locality, constitute public
nuisance, source of foulness and
cause of sickness hazardous to the pub
lie health.
Whereas, Abatement of the said nuis-
ance can only be secured by discontinue
ing the discharge of impurified sewerage
into the river.
Resolved, That committee of this
conference shall be appointed to prepare
and present to the Legislature bill
which shall provide for the prevention of
ths further deflement of the Passaic
River and for the just and equitable
payment of the expenses which may
attend the construction of the necessary
works.
The conditions which exist in the local.
ity in question are about as follows
The great falls of the Passaic, affording
some of the finest natural scenery in
this part of the continent. were early
seized upon for manufacturing purposes,
and a great industrial city was built up
around them From an aesthetic point
of view it was bad enough to have the
splendid cataract entirely destroyed. as
it has been. Incomparably worse was it,
from a practical and sanitary point 'of
view. to turn all the sewage of the great
city, and all the poisonous drainage of
its vast mills. into the river bed below
the falls. How great that inflow of
liquid foulness is perhaps few men real
ize. 1t amounts often to so per cent.
and at times to 80 Der cent. of the en-
tire volume of the stream. Under any
circumstances. a river of which from
so to 80 per cent. was sewage would be
thing of horror. But the case OF the
Passaic is especially bad because from
Paterson to Newark Bay it flows through
a level country. The fall is very slight. AT
Paterson the riveris only 27 feet above
tide level. At Dundee Dam. or just be-
low it. it is only six feet above the bay.
And it has fifteen miles or more yet to
flow. The current is therefore extreme
ly sluggish. It does not scour or wash
out the river bed in the least degree.
On the contrary, it permits the settling
and retention of solid matter until the
river bed is thickly coated with deposits
of indescribable foulness. At all times
the stream is offensive to sight and
smell. But when dry season causes
it to be diminished in size there is ex-
posed along each bank strip of fester-
ing. reeking filth that fills the air for
miles with nauseating and health de-
stroying stenches. That is the condition
of the Passaic and its shores today from
Paterson to Newark.
Strange, people will suffer with Indigestion
xxer, Digestive IsOzengeS