The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1904-09-28


Today's meeting was the last of Sc
ries of hearings In which the commission
| sat to hear the testimony gathered by the
special committee OF the Shell Fish com
mission in relation 10 the pollution OF the
harbor and waters OF the bay and the
subsequent injury 10 the immensely valu-
able she'll fish industry. In this connec-
| ton the she'll fish board was acting for
the great army of oyster planters and
free fishermen who get their living from
the bay. An idea Of the property involved
may be secured by the statement by one
of the best known planters that the shell
fish lands and their contents I'm this state
could not be secured by syndicate for
ten millions OF dollars.
INTERESTING EXPERIMENTS.
There were some interesting and
| very convincing experiments at the
| opening of the hearing that set
| tied many questions that had bothered
| the men OF both commissions and the
| shell fishermen as well. The questions
were in relation TO the manner tnat the
| tarry refuse could get 20 the bottom or
| the river and gather on the mud OF the
oyster beds and clam fats.
| Mr. r H. Franklin, the chemist or the
! Shell Fish commission, first took two test
tubes of large size and filed them with
! salt water secured at the Rhode Island
| Yacht club house at Pawtuxet lie then
| poured into one OF them some OF the
| oil furnished by the Standard Oil com
| many 10 the Providence Gas company Tor
| gas making 1t was proven that this
! would not sink TO the bottom in the salt
| water. but simply make a skim on the
| ton. and no matter how much stirring IL
! received 1t would not mix. This product,
which was called gas oil, would mix
! with naphtha, however
Some water gas tar such as is leit
| after the oil gas passed through the
! carburettor In the process OF making
GAS was found 70 be heavier than the
sea water and that large globules OF ~
would sink to the bottom In manner
similar 10 the way the shell fishermen
who were witnesses, had described IN
| their testimony.
., such a nature that it would not dis
| solve in naphtha.
217 PETITIONERS.
A netition from the Rhode Island oyster
croa,ers, association setting forth the
great damage TO their business caused oy
,ho nollution OF the river by the refuse
sron, the Providence Gas company ana
asking for relief, was received. III was
signed by NJ Dewing. Frank w. smith
George T. Greene, Jr., and John W.
Dodge. =, o.
THE attorney called attention also to
| petitions from 81 free nsherneh' ouo py
e7 nersons living along the shore. another
hy "A residents, 50 members of the Edge
wood and Washington Park yacht cIups
and nv II members OF the Rhode lslanc
Yacht club, aggregating 2l1 persons IN al
who protested against the dumping o.
refuse and smells and odors from th'
refuse from the Providence Gas company
Mr.. J. c. Collins, Jr., gave sufnmarN
of the records. showing the increase In TIT
va,,anues which have been obtained b,
tho state from the oyster fisheries an'
calling attention 10 the loss that woul'
result should this industry be intertere'
with nv the pollution OF the river In whici
the oysters are grown.
, HAVE PROVEN CASE.
He spent a great deal OF the time II
s,iromIna up the testimony which he SAL
, indicated that a great quantity or I'M
tarrv. OILY water was being allowed TO b
emptied into the harbor. lie said IL wa
! shown by the testimony OF the enginee
OF the gas company ana by NUMBER
witnesses that this foul matter wa
. | allowed TO enter the water.
. The attorney then stated that IL wa
not NECESSARY TO show that any grea
amount OF the stuff was dumped into tn
river from the gas Companys WORKS a
, the statute did not require IT."
ANY sensible person can readily SO
that we have shown that are more u
said.
THAT little bottle" pointing to n via
Of a villainous smelling dark mixture
the table ."the contents of which wa
taken from the spout from the gas work
al the South station IL as good as all TN
other stuff we have submitted as far a
evidence Is necessary
THE SOURCE is FOUND.
He went on 10 show that the testimon
OF the chemist OF the committee, NJ
. Franklin, had disproved the theory th'
the source OF the pollution was In eth'
the woonasquatucket or MoshassuC
9 rivers
Il, THE diminishing Quantities found COW
the river and the rapidly increasing qua
= titles found a. tho gas works is reach
y II another evidence that we have foui
p the true souce OF this pollution"
The engineer for the gas company !
US In on the inside on a number OF the
y matters and he admitted that larl
!. quantity OF refuse was dumped into q
u harbor."
" STANDARD OIL COMPANY ERANl
e "The attitude 81 the gas company HI
, not been as open and frank In this matt
" as has another big corporation which W
= ~aoken OF IA n possible source Of the ~
)f Zion refer TO the STANDARD oil cor
pany, the representatives OF which ha