The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-09-18
KICKBRS ON The HILL
Health Board Petitioned to
Abate the Alleged Nui-
sanees Of F. G. Otto &
Sons Factory.

1
! On Monday next petition signed by a
number of taxpayers will be presented to
| Health Inspector Benjamin of the City
Board of Health asking for the abate-
ment of nuisarices alleged to emanate
| from the surgical instrument factory con-
Quoted under the firm name of F. G.. Otto
& Sons. at Nos $3.50 Sherman avenue
| A woman, Mrs. Regina Lauterbach, of
No. SO Webster avenue, is the leader in
| the movement against the factory. Her
name heads the petition and she has been
active in securing other signatures. When
seen by News" reporter Mrs. Lauter
| bach said
Although we complained to the Board
of Health before no attention was paid to
us. We were advised to present our COM
plant in the form of petition and act
ing on that suggestion we have done SO.
All l can say is fully explained in the
petition, which will be presented to the
health authorities on Monday next We
have put up with the nuisances com
planned of for years and now believe it is
time we should act.''
The petition is as follows:-
Daniel nasl y; y. Benjamin. Health Inspector
Lear Slr-We, the undersigned property
owners of the Eleventh ward, beg to call
your attention to certain nuisances ema-
n9asing 9aIg fro from the factory Of F. g. Otto &
| man avenue, this city.
The first of these nuisances is con-
tinual ana unnecessary racket produced
usual number of nervous disorders pre-
valllng IN the neighborhood are directly
attributive to this the first nuisance.
me second complaint is a continual
fall of sawdust, which covers everything
and makes it impossible to leave any win
dows in the neighborhood open for ven
tllation, as ones rooms and everything
the sawdust complained Of
Ihe third is about the smoke and SCOT
issued from their smoke stack, which also
adds to the discomfort of adjoining prop
erty owners and their tenants; with the
sawdust, smoke and SCOT settling on
everything it is not possible to dry any
WaShlng OF the house without having it
ruined
We think that if they had the proper
smoke and sawdust consuming devices
neither of the aforementioned nuisances
would exist. We also believe that the
smokestack is not of the height prescribed
by law, it being only about sixty feet
high and we are informed that it should
be one hundred feet in height
We pray that you will take such steps
as will bring about the abatement of the
nuisances herein set FORTH is said saw
mills are not removed the entire neighbor-
hood will in time be victims of nervous
diseases, and as the inability to provide
our homes with the proper amount of
fresh air by being compelled to keep
our windows closed, IS menace to
health, not speaking of the discomfort,
besides this out tenants threaten to vacate
II these nuisances are not speedily
remedied.
Regina Lauterbach No 80 Webster ave-
nue..
Henry Pforr No 101 Webster avenue
John G. Kraft No. 1O7 Webster avenue
Harriet States, No. 109 Webster avenue
Gxffx IRE,
Mrs. M. Roth, No. 113 Wegster avenue
e. Schlihtag, Nos. lis and III Webster
avenue.
William Becker, No. 125 Webster avenue.
, Charles A. Hoefele. No. 1o4 Webster
avenue.
John E. Ferling, No. 81 Sherman ave-
nue.
Mrs D. Herman, No. SO Sherman ave-
nue.
T.. Hoppe, No. 72 Sherman avenue.
Mrs. ]. Zech No. II Sherman avenue.
Henry Liesegang, No. "a Sherman ave.
nue.
L. Casselbury, No. SO Sherman avenue.
John Steflantz, No. 70 Sherman avenue.
When the reporter called at the factory
he was met by Mr.. Otto, son of the
deceased senior member of the firm In
reply to the reporters query as to what
he had to say about the complaint of
the neighbors, Mr.. Otto smiled and said:-
ut is unfortunate, but nevertheless II
is true, and you can believe me when
say it, that we cannot control the winds
which are responsible for any complaint
which has arisen, and 1 venture to assert,
and believe you will agree with me, that
the Board of Health cannot
This place is as free from nuisances
which could annoy neighbors as any in
the city and the grievances of these
people are purely imaginary.
1T is unfortunate too, that we cannot
run planning mill and cabinet department
without making noise and raising dust,
but yet we think it is impossible to keep
it down and are now having put in a
contrivance costing us s1,6oO, which will
catch any flow and carry the sawdust to
receiver and separator on the roof of
the building. This we think will do away
with the only reasonable cause of COM
plant these people have.
about the alleged smoke nuisance. l
can only say that our chimney is suffi-
GENTLY high and if it was higher we could
not prevent the wind on damp days from
driving the smoke downwards. AS I have
said before it is unfortunate that we can
not control the atmospheric pressure
1--WE burn hard coal, our stack is sixty
feet high and has all modern appliances
that would tenQ TO lesson the evil COM |
planned of, and we are willing to do any
thing reasonable to remedy and righteous |
wrong but we will not be imposed on. |
We do not allow nuisanceS to exist in |
our factory. 1t has been inspected by the |
Health Inspector, who found nothing to |
complain of.
'As to what cause / can attribute the |
of this complaint in view of |
my statements. let me say that during my |
of over forty years in this sec
tion I have always found that it was a /
hot bed of kickers People here kick on
general principles.
Perhaps the cause may be that some of 1
these people would like us to move the +
factory away from their homes. This we /
will no do. If they want to live in
select residential quarters they should not
live near the factory.
81 motto that one of the signers of !
that petition is John Pforr. This is not
but he demanded an exorbitant price for
t-at least 25 per cent more that it was
worth. I'VE will be glad to have Health
Inspector Benjamin visit our place and
will give his every opportunity for
examination. The planning mill
cannot be stopped, it would do no goad to
heighten the smokestack, and the COM
olaint about the sawdust will be done
away with by the introduction of the new
apparatus
~ am satisfied that you cannot satisfy
all people, but we will do what is right
and reasonable, nothing MORE"
Both Are Sad Cases.
tMine is a pitiable case" said the
man who had reached the melancholy