The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-08-30
PLANNING TO POLLUTE ICE NEXT WINTER
WATCH
CONDEMNED
ICE PONDS
toontlnuea from Flr.t Page.l


the orders of the Board of Health the
ice u from the ponds last winter
has been sold for domestic use. At
the first attempt to harvest a crop
from the ponds In question W. will
ask the State board to order the work
stopped"
On the other hand, representatives OF
the Union Ice Company said to a re-
porter for the EVENING STAR that
there was no power could prevent the
cutting of ice, and that the ice. when
sold, was only for r~efrigerating pur-
poses and not for domestic use.
I'VE have a perfect right to cut the
ice on our ponds in ~Irvington, and will
do So" said Mahlon Drake, jr. I'VE
have taken all the precautions possible
and will sell the Ice for refrigerating
urposes only. The dam at the lower
pond is being repaired so that a crop of
ice can be harvested this winter, and |
don't think that we can be stopped
from cutting ice on our own property.
I'VE told Health Officer Chandler
when objection was made to the quality
of the ice, that we would not sell the
ice for domestic purposes, and we ave
not done so. When we sold the ice to
the independent dealers we did so only
with the proviso that they would not
sell the ice for family use. We told
Mr.. Chandler that we would refuse to
sell to dealers who were found selling
the ice for domestic use. There is no
danger in selling it for refrigerating
rposes Butchers, saloonkeepers and
other dealers who use ice only for the
purpose of keeping their goods cold
can use the ice without detriment to
the public
The pond is owned by Mahlon S.
Drake, ST., and he has 1t leased to the
Mountain Ice Company of Hoboken,
which is controlled by the Union Ice
Company. The lease has yet fourteen
or fifteen years to run.
Mr.. Drake last spring is said TO ave
stated to the Board of Health that ice
would never be cut on the ponds again.
but the dam which was broken down Is
lnow being rebuilt. and. according to
statements of the ice company's
representatives, the ice is to be
gathered again. The dam neal
Union avenue, Irvington, the largest
of the three ponds. was washed
away this spring by a freshet, and since
Their the pond has been dry, and the
bottom covered with a rank growth of
weeds. Some time ago a gang of stone
masons and laborers built q temporary
sluiceway through the break In the
DAM, to carry the water OF the Eliza
beth River, a river in name only,
through the break, and then the work
Of the reconstruction was begun.
The dam is about eighteen feet high
and the massive o are rapidly
being replaced in the long wall, and
the filing for the. supporting wall being
prepared, a job. that will cost a large
amount OF money N labor. IT is
pected, according to one OF the men at
work on the dam, that the work VIII
be completed In time for the cutting OF
ice this season. AT brakes little lower
pond. a smaller body of water about
an eighth Of a mile below the lower
pond. the bottom has been ploughed up
and the weeds turned under, ana In a
few days 1t is expected that this place
will be ready to receive water. Repairs
have been made on the three huge ice
houses on the lower pond n on the
one house situated on the little lower
pond. and from all appearances the
owners are preparing to handle a large
crop of ice this year.
,rhe Newark Advertiser last spring pub
lished a series of articles showing that
the ponds were polluted with foreign
matter and that both the water and the
ice contained deadly colon baccili germs,
the primary germ OF all communicable and
contagious diseases, and after the irving
ton Board Of Health failed to act In the
matter. the Newar1 board took 1t up. ana
Health Officer Chandler had several pieces
OF the ice taken for analysis. Both the
chemical analysis and the bacteria tests
made. by. City Bacteriologist Connolly and
CITY Chemist Baldwin. showed that the
ice was unfit for domestic use. and 10
s~ubstantiate their reports. a sample OF
the ice was sent to the State Board OF
Health at Trenton. and the report came
back that the tests showed that the water
from which the ice was frozen was Moth
ing more than '-crude sewerage
Win this data on hand the Newark
Board Of Health again called the attention
OF the Irvington health officials to the mat
ter, and the latter body. after receiving
me communication from the Newark
health officer, decided that they would
pay no attention to the tests made under
the direction of the Newark body and
wrote to Trenton asking the State Board
OF Health to make another examination OF
the ice. This the State board refused 10
do. informing the Irvingtom officials that
the report submitted to them by the New
arg board was authentic and the Irving
ton DOQy dpOtOBLHcu W IN ANNUdih ppl
bue etiIl took no action. Health Officer
Chandler issusd orders that the ice cut
fhom the rrvington ponds could not be
soH m this city. After he had issued this
order Mfnhlun Drake called ON Mr.. Chand-
Attic department. OF health, on Broad
street and assured him that II he all
Tuwe0 the fee to be sold for packing pur-
poses m this city he would see that none
OF u was sold for domestic use. and, after
concerning with the health commissioners
MP. Chandler granted the Ne comnany
the privilege OF selling the ice for the
manufacture Of ice cream and for butcher
shops, but refused to allow II to befsold
TO saipons or other places where there was
a possibility Of 1t being used.
Come time ago the EVENING STAR
showed that the ice was being sold for
domestic use In this city and pointed out
that there was a possibility Of the ice
being the cause Of the outbreak OF typhoid
fever in the city. and several days after
Health inspectors Shalk and Brady, who,
by the Instructions Of Mr.. Chandler, had
been watching for ice dealers who sold
Irvington ice, caught a number Of men Ia
the act and they were ordered to appear
before the Board of Health to show cause
why their licenses should not DE revoked.
The questioning of these men by the COM
misaioners revealed the Fact that the ice
was being sold in this city for domestic