The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-23
WHlTNEY'S MOSQUITO FETE.
SCIENTISTS AVID OTHER FOLh
DISCySS EXTERMINATIOA.
All Agree. white sapp'nS ThemseN"
yisorouslS. Tut Good WORK "as
Ucrn Done on SheepShead swampS
and Tbat NIr. W'atney Can Have Help


Twenty wise and scientific men VINO
have been waGing war on the mosquitoes
Of the country for the past year Went
down to Shecp,head Bay yesterday d, the
inyitation of william e. Whitney 10 see
what has been done to exterminate the
mosouito on Mr. Whtney'S farm BACK OF
The racetrack and on the marshiahos Oh
the adjoining Garrctson farm, In order
10 gather these learned men together Mr'
Whitney gave what be called a moStlu'"
luncheon at the Shcepshead Bay C'un'
and there he brought together the men
who write the technical reports on mosquito
determination for the Government ana
the Smithsonian Institution and the less
distinguished persons who labor Tor the
local Health Department and private persons
with swamps in their back yards
Mixed in with these eminent an dis
tinguished persons were few ordinary
persons like Capt. Piper. Deputy Police
Commissioners OF kemprer, OF the BROOK
Iyn Depa tment OF Public Works. Frank
Clarke of the Sheepshead Bay Club and
representatives of the various racetracks
and other Coney Island and Sheepshead
Raw interests, who referred to mosquitoes
as damn nuisances" instead of culicidR
pests. causing scientific eyebrows to arch
and learned foreheads to frown. Refer
ences to mosquitoes as culex or anopheles
were common in the small talk between
courses and although the lay members
of the luncheon party tried to look wise
they had hard time Of it.
Mr. Whitney invited the scientists 10
luncheon 80 that they might look over the
work on his place and on the GarretsJn
farm done by his expert, Henry Clay Weeks
who describes himself as an engineer in
economics" and who declares that II the
funds hold out he will rid all Coney Island,
Sheepshea d Bay and the adjoining country
of mosquitoes. Prof. Milton Whitney
chief Of the Division Of Soils Of the Depart
inent of Agriculture, and DR.. o. l.. Howard
chief Of the Division of Entomology were
among thos. invited. DR.. Howard came,
but Prof. Whitney had to send substitute
as he is engaged in turning up the soil on
Long Island in an effort to find out what
besides corn, potatoes and potato bugs
will grow there.
Some OF the others who attended the
luncheon were: DR.. Joseph Fl. Raymond, a
mosuu;to sharp connected with the Board
OF Health; Henry Clay Weeks, G. Waldo
Smith, Dr. Daniel Lewis, State Com
missioner of Health President Helms
Of the Conev Island and Brooklyn Railroad
Company: President Edgell Of the Manhat-
tan Beach Company, Cornelius Fellowes
SECRETARY of the Conev Island Jockey Club.
and number of others. The scientists
we're eas ly distinguish from the laymen
by their whiie boards and conspicuous bald
spots. Mr.. Whitney himself Gid not get to
the luncheon. At the asst moment he found
that he would be unable 10 attend. so Harry
Macedonia represented him:
The mosquito fighters had very elhoo-
rte luncheon. and while they ate it mosqui-
toes from all parts of Sheepshead Bay. as
though ;.wsre OF the object OF the gathering.
.w rmed into the dining room end pecked
marrily fwpy at tie be Id spots Of the scien-
lists. Whenever a scientist killed u mos
quito he would bf lance it on the end Of his
finger and c,iate on its fine points TO his
reiahbor One pair of mosquito fighters
nj :sed two courses while arguing on the
sex OF gnat that was caught with the goods
on him.
Al the conclusion OF the luncheon Mr..
Weeks made a speech, in which he said
thft it WIS encouraging to see SO many staid
men enga ged in o war on mosquitoes. That
mosquitoes could be exterminated, he said .
was well-established fact. All that was
needed, he added. was time and money.
The motto OF the mosquito fighters would
have to be: No quarter in any quarter to
the mosquito
Dr. Howard, who spoke next, said that
the services OF all the great men Of the
Agricultural Department were at the dis
posal Of Mr.. Weeks and the mosquito fight
ers of Brooklyn. There are no conditions
in this country, he said, under which mos
quitoes cannot be eNterminated. Then he
told story. He said that in Green's
borough, \. C.. a great pest q MOSQUITOES
clared to be due to the presence OF dams
back OF the local mills. The president OF
the State Board OF Health, he said, who
lived in the town, said the dams must 60
a. they we're the breeding spots Of the
mosquitoes. The mill owners appealed
ton and man was sent to Greensborough
who finally located the breeding place OF
the mosquitoes In a pool In the back yarc
OF the president Of the State Board Of Health
health officials are in the mosquito war te
stay and that for some time they have
been using barrel Of oil a day In petroliz
ing. The mosquito, he said, in addition
TO being the greatest Of modern discomforts
BE- waged TO the bitter end.
Mr.. Caldwell Of the Brooklyn Rapic
Transit Company said his company wal
against the mosquito and would do all ii
could to help to exterminate 1t, and ther
Stanley Brown, representing President
Baldwin Of the Long Island RailroadCom
pany, declared that the Long Island mos
quito was myth.
There are no mosquitoes on Long
leland said Mr.. Brown. Ask any hote
or clearinghouse keeper II there are mos
quitoes on his place and hs will tell 20,
there are not but that there are plenty
at the next place down the line. Go u
this next place and ask there II it is true
that they have mosquitoes, and the peopl,
will tell you it Is base libel But il thor,
are any mosquitoes on Long Island and 70,
gentlemen find their hiding places you cal
depend on the Long Island Railroad t.
assist in the work Of roofing them out"
The scientists didn't appear to enjoy
Mr.. Brown, They thought he made light o
a very serious matter. They liked Mr.
Kempner better. Mr.. Kempner was YER
eloquent. He said
william c. Whitney created our nev
navy, but he will rear an even more endur
ing monument to his memory IL he wage
successful war on the mosquito. In tn
mosquito we have a question Of politica
economy, a question that must be solved
and II the Department Of Public Works ca
be of ASST stance TO you gentlemen VIII
are giving up so much Of your time to thi
noble work you have only to ask for 1t t
get it"
we of the Police Department cannc
arrest the mosquito; said Capt. pipel
which WV could do it, | doubt II We coul
get Magistrate To hold them. I haven
the same deep acquaintance with the mo.
,I1t H.