New-York tribune., 1905-07-18
FIRE ON RIKER'S ISLAND.
BURNING FOR TWO WEEKS.
Dumping of Rubbish Tied Up
Can't Put out BIaze.

A fire has been smouldering and blazing over
the four dumping grounds of the Department Of
Street Cleaning Riker's Island for the last
two weeks and is likely to continue smouldering
and at times blazing for months to come. The
flames began in an unknown manner in the
paper and ashes and grew TO such proportions
that the dumping of refuse was suspended from
Monday to Friday, while all the regular depart
ment docks and number of private be-
came surrounded with boats filled with waste
that could not be removed.
couple of days after the flames appeared the
freboat zephar Mills wes sent to the island
to pump water on the refuse. but II could not
go near enough to be OF service. Fire Chief
Croker and Commissioner Woodbury. of the
Street Cleaning Department went over the ter
ritOry menaced by the fire and planned 4
campaign to check it. The fireboat and the
firemen who first sent to fight the flames
were sent back 10 the city and the operations
were placed in the hands of the employees of the
Street Cleaning Department.
From Mondayto Friday of last week the depart
ment docks at Clinton, 10th 61st and 10th sts.,
along the East River, and at Canal-st. and the
Hudson River were so surrounded with scows
loaded down with paper and ashes that the de-
partment compelled to press into service
the private docks at Jackson, 10th 62d and
10th sts, along the East River and at Both
and 41th SITS, the Hudson River. One loaded
scow was moored at the private dock at the foot
OF East 46th-st for the same period. The moor
age cost the city 81 day for the five days.
On Saturday the fire the dumps was so
well under control that the loaded scows were
sent from their docks TO the island and dumped
This made it possible for the department to
give up the private docks for the time. Yes
terday morning the fire broke out anew and
the dumping of waste material was once more
stopped. The department officials said last night
that they hoped to have the fire well under
control by this morning, and that they did not
think that the use of private docks would again
be resorted to. Captain Gibson, deputy COM
missioner of the department said yesterday:
We hope to have the fire well under control at
Ftker's Island tonight, so that continue
dumping refuse there. The fire will probably
continue 10 shoulder for several months / have
idea how il started originally. a couple of weeks
ago. Spontaneous combustion OF oil rags or the
lighting Of matches in the rubbish may have been
the cause. The FIRE made the island SO hot that
you could feel the heat through the soles of your
shoes you walked.
The that there has been any graft in
the hiring Of the private docks by this depart
is untrue. We used private docks only when
were surrounded with loaded scows, and
private docks that used
situated and fitted for purposes.
The owners do not want US to use their docks,
because the city pays the smallest dumping rates.
We dumped from private docks between 200 and
1000 carloads OF rubbish. For the privilege we
paid 30 cents load The ordinary contractor. who
uses much smaller carts for dumping purposes
than the city. pays the private dock between
will be necessary to resort TO the of private
docks again.