New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-06-01
OAKLEY ACTS AT ONCE.
TO CHECK POLLUTION.
MoUed by The Tribune's Exposure
of Defling of Water at katOnah.

Spurred on by The Tribune's exclusive ex-
posture of the sources Of pollution to the Croton
water supply existing at Katonah, Water Com
missioner Oakley yesterday took decided steps
to remove the dangers. and sent five inspectors
to Katonah to patrol the hanks of the rivers
The conditions portrayed by The Tribune last
Sunday were illustrated by photographs of Ital-
ian laborers bathing in the New-York water
supply. and a huge bank of manure close to the
river shore also shown
In discussing the situation the Commissioner
said:
My attention first called to the fact that
things Were not right at Katonah by The Tribune
at att the tine but ' until the civil Service Commission
Force them. my Now shall give orders for the arrest
of any one bathing there. and will make an ex-
ample of him.
To George w. Birdsall. the acting Chief Engt-
neer at Katonah, Commissioner Oakley sent the
following letter.
clipping from last Sundays Tribune Please have
the manure heap. shown in one picture, removed
tell yOu for your information that nave l0-usy
directed five inspectors to report TO Dlvslon agr
Belts at Katonah, who will patrol the stredins
and prevent pollution
Medical and sanitary experts who discussed
the situation as exposed by The Tribune de-
clared yesterday that the mere removal Of these
various sources of pollution was not sufficient
precautionary measure, and that the conditions
as revealed showed a need for a thorough IN
vestigation of the territory TO guard against
possible typhoid epidemic.
Among those who expressed this opinion was
Dr. George A. Soper, the sanitary engineer who
investigated the conditions at Ithaca In the
typhoid epidemic there. DIR. Soper has recently
returned from WATERFOWL, where he directed the
fight against a similar outbreak in that city.
After a careful inspection of the Tribunes
photographs of the sources of pollution at kato-
nah, DR.. Soper said:
Conditions which these photographs reproduce are
certainly deserving OF inyestgatoHi , sot Of con-
dition leads to the epidemiGs OF the gTeates1
sort when accompanied by pubic ana Oiiclai III
difference
In response to query about the possibility
of the waters of Cross and Croton rivers clear
ing themselves Of the pollutng qualities before
reaching New York. DR.. Soper said:
There is no stream in the drainage basin that
could possibly do this between It's source ana tt.9
OF safety lies in the fact that there is great du-
ton OF the infection which sDreaas the geIhs ~Hiie
disappear in pipes and adueducts but OF course II
is not safe to depend upon anv such circumstances
Dr. Soper declared that typhoid was only one
of the various diseases caused by polluted water
He said that all sorts Of intestinal affections had
been traced to this source and that even Asiattc
cholera had it's origin in polluted water sup
plies
When Mayor McClenan's attention called
10 the Katonah conditions yesterday. he said
that he was personally without information or
knowledge on the subject but that he pre-
surned that Commissioner Oakley would report
the situation as II existed. and that pending
such a report he would not discuss the question.
DR. william II. Guilfoy. register Of records
OF the Health Department. said that at the
present time the number of typhoid cases was
al about the normal figure although he said
that 1t was possible FOR considerable tlihe 20
eIapse before sources OF pollution resulted In
actual typhoid. DR.. Guiifoy commended the
energy shown by The Tribune in bringing the
case TO the attention OF the authOrE rs.