New-York tribune., 1905-11-20
SEWAGE HELD UP In BAY
LITTLE REACHES OCEAN.
ssfg Filth Deposited on Hdrbor
cbores-IStdten Island Menaced.

rr-,-en of me vast amount Of sewage that
i . is=.,Rn4 into the-s every day the waters OF
n-.r.York E4BFnoF are rapidly getting into a
.on,ifion that is distinct menace to the health
.Ao rf7v. Up to the present time there has
- general idea prevailing that, owing TO
-, 5ifusfon and the CT rents of the various
leans flowing into the ocean. the bay and the
-. rnuid be made the outlets for the sewers
!. he community without danger to the public
.r.,+b, what may have been true in former
,..orS has ceased TO be true with the great in
sss IN The population OF the metropolitan dis
..4.+ and the polluted condition OF the waters OF
sau.York Harbor has now come to be serious
question
.ro,7t af.v samples of water have been taken
.-o-, ,be bay at riany points between the Bat
mr. ard Coney Island and the Battery and
.,I4ap Bay These have been anaiyzed. with
- rseu1r that the colon bacillus invariable
...o-,psnIrlent Of sewage-was nearly always
fmIr6 according 10 the DresumPtive test In
.s,4,on n This. samples were taken from the
- rafs IN the harpuT and 1t vas found
- ,be zhellfsh were tainted where the water
.s ,oriuted It is customary TO take oysters
So, +beI- s9lr water beds d few days before they
~ he brought to market and put them in
t.5r a+ the mouths OF fresh water streams TO
15-InE- This has a tendency to- bleach and
5loar them IN every case it was found that the
,s,src taken from the bleaching beds were
distinctly tainted.
-bo reason foF this is of course, that all the
streams ernptying Into New-York HaTbor are
.srx great sewers for the districts through
,shfoo rher mass The present approximate
daily sanitary sewage discharge into New-York
11arhor IS 605. 600 gallons. The theory has
ieen that this would be dtffused and carried
RWay py the action 81 the tides The fact of
he matter ig experiment has shown that the
stuff Journeys back and forth across the Upper
mi some Of il gradually making its way out
10 sea, but the nost OF it moving around in the
confines of the Upper Bay until it is disposed
sf by the vegetable matter and the low forms Of
animal life that look after that sort Of thing
In the mean time more sewage is coming in
dsiv than is being got rid OF, with the result
that the pollution in the harbor shows steady
increase.
SEWAGE SWINGS n BAT.
Investigation shows that the water which
comes in on the flood tide is OF just about the
zane quality as that which goes out on the ebb-
On the ebb water from Robbins Reef Light gets
down as Jar as Orchard shoal Light, when it is
turned back and comes into the Upper Bay again
On the food In such situation as this it is
into the Upper Bay to get OUT In addition, the
greater specific gravity of salt watSr carries the
wafer Of the bay below the fresh water coming
e6SFHrthe Hudson. and while the water from
the Hudson and the water from the other
streams emptying into New-York Harbor are
forcing their way out to sea the salt water.
which carries the sewage. is forcing its way UP
stream b. the action Of The tides in "a lower
stratum nearer the bed Of the river. In this
way the sewage that comes down the Hudson is
rot carried out to sea but it is forced back
up the river and 70 point even higher than its
place Of origin.
In the Hudson River Jhe effect Of this is
shown by the decrease in the run of shad, and
in al The fresh water feeders Of the harbor the
effect IS shown by The oysters becoming tainted
when taken 10 the drink beds 70 bleach ana
bluat- Here are t7ro industries already directly
affected by the pollution Of the water of the
harbor. The business Of excursion steamers,
bathing beach proprfeIors and passenger trans
for+ation may also become seriously affected by
this condition of affairs. The excursion steam
ers in the metropolitan district carry something
over three million passengers a year while the
passenger traffic of the harbor reaches more than
two hundred million persons annually, and much
more than that number patronze the beaches
rear the city. Coney Island alone has daily
attendance in the season Of from three hundred
thousand TO four hundred thousand. All these
people and all these businesses are affected by
the pollution of the waters of the harbor Al
ready there are several places that the boats
have TO avoid because of the foul odor, the
sgntly appearance Of the water and the danger
% health IN passing through them These are
llaoes where the sewage gathers and by rea-
soa OF the peculiar currents caused by the tidal
action in the harbor, remains practically
hair .7-fx- nv
Ireshsts or unusually high tides.
STATEN ISLAND MENACED.
Staten Island is particularly menaced by the
great increase in the amount of sewage held
IN solution by the waters of the Upper Bay. 1t
is estimated that an equivalent Of more than
one thousand tons OF dry sudge is deposited in
the bay every day. By far the greater part of
ms is thrown upon the shores OF Staten Island
or The action of the tides. The ebb tide coming
ooVn the Hudson meets the ebb tide coming
eastward out Of the Kill Won Kull, and they both
reach in and strike Staten Island between
Siapleton and Clifton. about three to four miles
from Robbins Reef light. The current then makes
along The shore and travelling along the beach
reaches Fort Wadsworth. AT the same time there
IS an ebb coming from Staten Island Sound
and Raritan River which. striking the main cur
rent, tends 10 throw it to the eastward again
IN the Lower Bay. In calm weather the force
Of the main tide through the Narrows may reach
Is far as Swineburne Island and Orchard Shoal.
The first effect of the food through the Mar
rows (and it should be remembered that the
water coming back on the flood is practically
ihe same as that which goes out with the ebb.
bringing the same sewage into the harbor
again is 10 strike the shore of Staten Island
. little to the north OF the point where the first
effect Of the ebb is felt The second effect Of
the food is reaching into the fats of the Upper
Bay to the west of Robbins Reef The third