Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-10-29
'HOLLAND|Z|NG"
SYSTEM IN WAR
ON MOSQUITOES
Essex determination Bearers
Report Fayors Dykes--con-
ditions Last Summer.

Word of s1lollandi2ins New Jersey
bv a system of dykes and gates To
iseep on the tide from the SAT-
marshes is under way and probably
utfl be completed by spring. Al
ready 500 acres of marsh has been
made dry ia this way. and when an
the dykes and gates have been epip
f,e Essex County MOSQUITO EXter-
n1fnation Commission believes the
salt marsh mosquito will be under
control
The protraeted rain and high tides
brought by the rain last July were
responsible for the new idea, which Is
set forth in detail in the annual re-
port of the commission, just forward
ed 10 the Board Of Chosen Freehold
ers a., ooo
The commission spent nearly $4,000
lagr year. part Of il in the swamps Of
Bergen county, where no money was
available for such work. To the
breeding places in Bergen many OF
the pests which affect Essex, Passaie
and Hudson have been traced.
Trunk sewer Blamed.
Another interesting bit OF informa-
tian in the report is that one OF the
completed sections of the new Passaie
valley trunk sewer was found TO be
n prolific breeding place last sum-
nler
The report says in part
ssConditions remained satisfactory
until July Is, when a large brood of
.oarltator mosquitoes developed.
series of rains set in on June 16 and
continued until July 80. Combined
n oh
Invariably affect the tides. These
conditions SO inundated the meadows
as to prevent travel on them; and,
while our forces knew where the
breeding was going on and We're sup
piled with sufficient oil to check IT,
the madows were too soft to bear the
weight of the men.
1T was the first time the commits
sion has had to contend with such
condition. The result of the drainage
work completed by the commission
shows that the meadows will drain
under normal weather conditions in
seventy-two hours: il also shows that
the commission can successfully cope
with either high tides or rains, but
when the two combine for a long
period, as they did in July our drain
age system is inadequate.
Fighting the Tide.
From the experience gained during
the abnormal conditions of juno and
July, it was decided to change our
drainage by eliminating the tides.
which are the menace to mosquito
control. with dykes and tidegates.
and we have begun TO Hol1andize the
salt meadows of Essex county.
with series OF small dykes. which
can be made at an approximate cost
of ten cents per linear foot, and
CONSTRUCTED tidegates, we have
been able to shut out the tidewater
in a section of about 500 acres Of salt
meadow, and where in July this
meadow could not be traversed afoot,
1t is dry today.
Another fortunate phase Of the
work Is that the extensive ditching
system Installed by the commission is
absolutely necessary in the new
method. The outlets of these bitches
must. of course, be blocked with the
dykes. but the bitches serve to lead
the rainwater TO the gates to be re.
leased with low tide.
Work on Meadows.
''plans which the commission have
under way in conjunction with the
Union County Mosquito Extermina-
ton Commission, call for shutting in
all that section of salt meadow lying
south of Peddie ditch and west of the
Central Railroad of New Jersey to
Elizabeth. an area of some $500 acres
This can he accomplished with three
tidegates, located ut Maple Island
creek. Bound creek and Great ditch
We are not prepared at this time to
say what the cost of this work win
be, but our consulting engineer recon-
fnends it as successful solution of
ouf problem on this area of meadow
and its cost, compared to the cost Of
oil and labor win be small