The evening times., 1898-08-04
BALTIMORE HARBoR.
A Steamboat Man Says That 1t Is
Worse Than Havana HarbOr.

Worse Than Havana HarbOr,
Baltimore Aug. 4.-As the result of a
preliminary conference of representatives
of various steamboat companies, a meet
ing will be held in a few days to take
formal action on the condition of the har-
Dor.
Mr.. Henry Williams, president of the
Weems Line, yesterday said:
Public opinion has not fully awakened
to the serious condition of the harbor,
and If the situation was properly under
stood by the people there would be such
an outcry as to stir the entire city. I
do not want to speak too strongly on this
subject, but a bare statement of the ex-
listing conditions is sufficient Indictment
of the evil. The harbor is now a cesspool
for a large area of the city. Foul matter
from buildings in the center of the city,
including hotels and Office structures and
from large residence section is poured
into ii. Public decency cannot permit this
state of affairs to endure. We talk OF the
harbor of Havana and the dangers that
the city is threatened with because of the
use of the harbor as a cesspool, and yet
here in the heart of a great city a worse
condition exists. Havana harbor commu-
nicates directly with the sea and has salt
water, whereas our harbor is a fresh
water one. We condemn the sanitary
conditions in Havana, and the situation
here is treated in fiippant manner
THE odor from the harbor permeates
the lower section of the city. The gases
which can be seen bubbling through the
water cannot be otherwise than a mem
ace to health. Crews can no longer sleep
in vessels without endangering their
health; only the other day a man who
slept on a vessel went to bed in good
health, and awakened in the morning
qnite i'll. leave my office frequently
with a headache, although feeling well
when 1 come there in the morning.
ITO say that there is no danger from
this situation is nonsense. There seems
TO be no chance for immediate relief
The only thing that can be done now is
to awaken public sentiment to the seri-
BUSINESS of the situation. To stir up the
mass of putrid matter in the harbor now
by an attempt at dredging would be
dangerous to public health. and were the
mass exposed there would probably be a
pestilence. A few feet of water conceal
ing 1t does not destroy the danger.
Dredging the harbor thoroughly in the
winter appears to be the most available
source of relief. but the evil cannot be
totally eradicated until an intercepting
sS"Si 10 ouh' "'AASiA Wa "ANSe sAAS 'e.
rious sewers running into the harbor and
carry away their contents to some place
where disposal can be made without af-
fecting the health of the city.
Among the sewers which carry filth
into the harbor is one RUNNING from the
City Hall, which places the city IN a posi-
ton of sanctioning the evil. Another
empties at Light and Pratt Streets and
another at the foot of Camden Street. Be-
sides these there are number of others,
and they extend east to Jones Falls.
which is also used as a public sewer by
the buildings which line it In its course
through the city. There has been some
dredging of the harbor, but it was totally
inadequate to the emergency.
Years ago the first action of the city
council in the beginning of a new year
was to appropriate sufficient sum to