New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-05
THE SMOKE Is STILL THERE.

President Murphy Of the Health Board de
cared last week that he was lin the fight
against sOft-coal smoke TO stay" He asked the
aid OF the public and the press in the work Of
suppressng the nuisance. and claimed that
much good had already been accomplished. al
though he admitted that about a thousand
places were still violating the law The next
day Or. Black. The Deputy Health Commits
s!oner for the Borough OF Brooklyn. where the
law is most violated, declared that he and his
inspectors had been successful in suppresSing
the nuisance. so that for some time no com
,laints had been made 10 him of violations of
the law. These utterances are welcome. as an
indication that the health officers are not alto
Gether Obvious of their duty nor needless Of
the public demand for protection against out
rage. But they cannot. or the latter of them
cannot he accepted as entirely satisfactory.
DR. Blacks statement appeared in The Trib-
une OF Friday. At the very hour when it
wns being read at tens of thousands Of break
ast-tabes in this city vast volumes of dense
black smoke were pouring forth from dozens Of
chimneys scattered about the Borough Of
Brooklyn. The smoke had been there all the
week II was there yesterday. II will doubt
less be there again to-day And have no
doubt that II will he there all this week just as
for weeks and months past. Or Black says he
is unable to get any evidence that the law is be-
ing violated. If he will 90 to the Prospect Park
Plaza. or to lhe top of the Memorial Arch, or
even to any of the elevated railroad station
platforms on Flfth-ave between Atlantic-ave.
and Greenwood and will use his eyes. he will
get all the evidence he needs.
Another statement Of DR.. Blacks must he
regarded as unsatisfactory namely. that when
ut
consumers the law is complied with and he
can do nothing more. As We understand il. the
law does not demand that people shall
smoke consumers 50 much AS il docs that they
shall not send out black smoke. If they put
| in Smoke-cOnsumcrS that do consume the smoke
they may burn all the soft coal they please.
! But if their chlmneys continue to emit black
smoke they are violating the law. even though
/ they have put in ten thousand Of the costlicst
| of smokc-consumcrs There is. indeed. grave
reason 10 doubt the efficacy of smokeconsum-
crs. on that subject We may quote Mr.. An
drew Carnegie. who ought TO be one Of the best
authorities upon IT, He says: You lean upon
"a broken reed in giving the slightest credence
"to the efficacy Of any plan for using soft coal
land not having the smoke nuisance upon us.
"A hundred patcntees will cry out in your col
! proofs will he offered Of IT'S falslty except the
! "only proof worth having. viz. city which
! allows use Of soft coal which is not cursed
with the nuisance. London has the severest
''of all laws against smoke yet the columns Of
THE Times are rarely free from complaints
| 'Pittsburg has perhaps every device known,
| and yet she is under n black cloud. Theoret
| "cally, some devices may consume n part or
''nost of the smoke. Practically. none so far
! gives n clean city. There is no safety except
"n the strict prevention OF the use Of soft
! coal"
| Mr. Carnegie is right on the main point The
| proof Of the consumer is ia the consumption
| So long as black smoke. or any perceptiblc
| smoke energies from the chimney the device
| * failure The Health Board Is not called
! upon TO examine the interior Of tho furnaces
| and chlmncys to see with what devices they
are equipped. or even what fuel they using
The top of the chimney stack Is the point that
| Is 10 be observed. II no smoke Is visible there
the place is all right. no matter what devices
! Il has or has not what fuel II uses. 7:
| smoke Is visible there the place IL violating the
| law. no matter what devices II employs or
| what fuel IL burns And at the present time.
| despite Or. Blacks denial, all sorts OF smoke,