Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1909-04-08
INDUSTRY OF MAKING OIL
AND FERTILIZER FROM FISH.
Bills Affecting This Industry Heard
by Committee on Public Health and
Safety in Supreme Court Room,
Hartford
Especial to The Bulletin.l }

Especial to The Bulletin.)
Hartford. April THE five bills af-
fecting the manufacture of fish oil anC
| guanO on the shores of Long Island
| Sound, the special conditions in Man
| tic being the point at issue, were final
| ly heard by the joint committee on
public health and safety this afternoon
| in the supreme court room. The
| large attendance at the hearing would
| have filled the regular room of the
committee several times over. The
various bills concerned fish oil and
| guano companies, the transportation OF
| garbage, the restrictions of the fish
| business and that Of the Bridgeport
By-Products company in the shore
towns and the creation of shore sani-
tary districts. The Cronin, Arnold and
Gadbois bills were grouped and heard
first
No one appeared to favor the Cronin
bill, which provides that where a fish
oil and guand business exists it may
be continued, and that measure was
laid aside.
The second measure provides for the
transportation of garbage, which has
to do with the business of the Bridge
port By-Products company, a subsi-
diary company of the Standard Oil
company and Attorney A. NJ. Marsh
of Bridgeport gave notice of appear
ance in its favor.
The third and fourth concerned the
restriction of both kinds or business,
one referring to Waterford, East Lyme
and Old Lyme, and the other a gem
era1 measure. Attorney Arson T. Nc
Cook of Hartford gave notice Of ap-
pearance in favor of that
Regarding the measure relating to
transportation of garbage. Mr.. Marsh
said that he had no evidence to put
in, but would later argue the PROPOSE
tion of referring this measure to the
judiciary committee. as it concerned
appeals from the decision of town au-
thorities and was really a legal mat
ter
There was some little confusion as
to how the committee should proceed,
the corporation attorneys meanwhile
chuckling over the discontinue of the
opposition attorneys over the prospect
of being obliged to put in evidence in
opposition when none IN support had
been heard. Major H. A. Hull Of New
London appeared for the Mantle Men
haden Oil and Guano company, and
after some colloquy between the attor-
neys and the committee II was at
length decided to go ahead with the
opposition's testimony
DIR. p. H. Dart, the East Lyme health
officer. told of the conditions at the
hoAA WINS Adol manly
plants were made. and he and County
Health Officer Brown visited the plant
and found very serious conditions,
which were not to be wholly account
ed for by the company officials ex-
planation that lot of fish had been
accidentally liberated.
They came to believe that either
lack Of care or lack Of facilities to
handle the large amountof fish eEist-
ed. Dead fish were strewn all about
and the stencil was awful. Four or
five weeks later the health officers
again visited the factory and found lit
tie Improvement. After the issuance
of nm iRjuLctior there was some i'm
provement. The odor came not only
from fish floating about, but also from
the fishworks as well.
In answer to the questions Of DR..
Sedgwick of the committee, Dr. Dart
said that the fish factory had been
there but seven or eight years, and
there were cottages in that vicinity
long ere that.
Witness had a great many COM
plants from residents and non-resi-
dents, and had found many patients i'll
as a result of the stencil
On cross examination Major Hull
tried to get DIR. Dart to admit that
there had been q fish mill in that gen.
eral vicinity for a long time back and
failed DR.. Dart said there had been
no factory there previous to seven or
eight years ago since 1880. He admit
ted having been told that there was an
accident there last summer and had
never known of a similar accident
Major Hull's line of questioning was
to show that the accident and weather
conditions made conditions so bad and
that when a northwest wind came the
bad conditions ended but he made lit
tie headway, for DIR. Dart said that
after the northerly wind the conditions
again became bad owing to fresh
ooZjngs from the fish works. He re-
fused to admit that the company had
spent $4,000 TO DO the things the
health officers suggested they should
do to improve conditions.
Major Hull insisted that DR.. Dart
made q written detailed statement as
to new machinery and appliances ard
other Improvements and he finally ad
mitted that a letter which was ex-
hibited was his, but was written to the
county health officer and not presented
to the company at the conference He
had made these suggestions to Mr..
Brown because he might not be able
to be at the conference.
DR.. Darts official court in suppress
ing the nuisance was gone into, from
the time that on Aug. 9Th he ordered
the closing of the works on through
the injunction period to the time when
Judge ShUmway settled the matter by
recommending that the company clean
DR.. Phillips, the senate chat
man, called a halt in detailed cross
questioning and asked for further evil
Gence.
John Coroley of Crescent Beach fol-
lowed with the statement that the
stencil last summer seriously inter-
fered with his ice cream business. He
is two miles and a half from the fish
mill, but was annoyed by a mcst de-
testable stink
John Manwaring Il RIack Point said
he had noted the bad odor for several
seasons past.
J. Y. Beckwith of East Lyme said
they didn't want a garbage reduction
plant in town; they had one stink mill.
George Hill of East Lyme told Of the
refusal last summer of the towns |
commission to permit the erection OF q
garbage reduction plant.
George p. Eaton OF New Haven, a |
cottager, told of the oder and the scum |
on the water and introduced, a record
Of days on which he was specially an
noyed.
Selectmen Harvey. Beckwith and |
OF East Lyme told of the |
troubles of their town with this fish |
factory in some detail.
Mrs. Knott and Mrs. Taft, New York |
ladies' who are cottagers at Black
Point, added some color to the hearing |
with their appearance before the com |
nittee and told graphically Of the |
at the shore. There's al !
ara trm a cx,aaf1 r~Anr fhc 1nna,-lrm &. 1~, ~.