New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-18
A SCHEME THAT WILL BEAR WAICHiNd.

Tho sovereign Commonwealth OF New-Jersey
having declared through its Legislature that the
mosnujto ourht 10 20 and instructed It's STATE
Ceo,opist to devise a plan whereby the man
date might be executed, that eXemplar! OH
ciol nromptly called in consulting engineer
whose report Is now made public lie hhoS
tho. tho Newark and Hackensack meadows
which are largely flooded with salt wafer at
h;,h tide are the cradle and nursery or the
mosouito and his conclusion is that If the lever
see,,inc surpes of the Atlantic can be 1orceu
n abandon those regions by artificial means
tbo prob,em will he solved His report suggests
three possbe schemes of reclamation Ohe Is
the dredging of open canals ana TIE eie'",'o"
Of ,ho intervening areas with the material so
obtained; but he regards this method as vi
only limited applicability Another is the rais-
ing of the whole surface of the meadows d!
dcposits of ashes. eartE or other solid substances
procured elsewhere: but, though II "ou'u oe
effcctual this process Is not recommended ~.
cause of the enormous expense II wouiu eh'"i
The third method, which the engineer seems
to consider feasible and worthy OF adop''oh' Is
diking and draining by tide sluices ana p"'hp'
and 81 100000 Is the estimated cost.
We venture to assure the people of New-Jer
sew that this estimate in all propaDiil'! ~ 'oo
low. but we would not have them for that rea
son abruptly reject the suggestion III IL II iii
possible to estimate, it Is also ditilcnt 10 eAas
cerate the material and moral injury WHICH 'he
mos0uito infiicts upon the State OF New'erSe!'
There are many persons, 1t is tr'le WHO are HUI
susceptible to the poison which II Daseiy Ill
iects into the superior race from when IL chie"!
derives It's food supply; but we have never hear"
of a human being to whom its proximity ~
matter of Indifference. There are those ior
whom the flea has no terrors, because all us pro-
cepdings are conducted in utter silence anu
tbere is nothing to offset their idiOsyncrauc
immunity from the ordinary consequences OF
It's attack But II Is probably entirely sale 10
sav that in civilized countries at least the man.
woman or child does not exist who can listen
70 the protracted singing Of n mosquito IN the
dead watches of the night without longing 10
Uberote his emotions by committing murder IN
the first degree If an expenditure Of twice. or
thrice or ten times the sum OF Sl,JOo,OOo VIII
eliminate the mosquito from New-JerSey her
neople cannot afford 20 lose moments time ID
making that relatively patry investment Onr
belief is that IT would return to them In single
season.
If the experiment should be made, the people
NJ tbe surrounding territory. and especially OF
the CITY of New York would watch 1t with pro-
found interest That their interest would be
sympathetic and admring is not so certain. tbs
would depend upon the precise results OF the
governmental crusade. Is it proposed by re-
claiming the Newark and Hackensack marshes
to exterminate or merely to deport the mos
quito: That Is the question which VIII agita'e
the metropolis soon as the project is put into
execution One of New-YOrk's indisputable
claims to supremacy as summer resort IS IT'S
wellnigh total freedom from the pest which
devastates and demoralizes neighbOring COM
munities For brief period in the fall of the
year when the heat which has been stored in
buildings Of brick and stone imparts genial
warmth to our atmosphere. the presence or a
sporadic mosquito is occasionally detected or
suspected in this city. But that Is all. There
are more snakes in Ireland than mosquitoes In
New-York It Is Just possible, however, that
| the transformation Of the Jersey meadows into
resorts of sweetness and light would result not
In the eXtirpaion. but in the emigration OF their
| PRINCIPAL inhabitants. If that should prove to
| be the consequence OF the operations which the
! State GeolOgiSt recommends we do not say that
| It would constitute a sufficient cause for civil
| war. but it would undoubtedly subject the ami
! cable relations which now exist TO n severe
strain. The mosquito could scarcely be blamed,
| for having once become acclimated he would
| find here more cheerful habitat and superior
quality Of sllstenance. We do not mean by this
that our blood Is bluer than that which in n
multitude Of instances can be traced at least as
! far back as 10 the Hesslans of the Revolution,
but 1t Is richer Our impression Is that this en-
terprise ought TO be closely watched, and that
the first sign Of an intention on the part of the
government Of New-Jersey to carry out the ideas
of It's Legislature will call for an investigation
by the Legislature Of New-York.
| PURLTC SCHOOL PLAYGROUNDS.