New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-02-25
URGE PROTECTION
OF CITY'S WATER
Civic Delegations Protest
Against Mohansic Hos
pital Sewage.
SANITARY EXPERTS
CONDEMN PROJECT
Say City Would Never Be Free
from Menace of an
Epidemic.
rr,,m,s,r corr..pond.n, Of IN. Tribune

}
Albany, Feb. 24.-Ncw York City''
water supply would never be safe from
pollution and its people. comprising
more than half the population OF tho
state, never free from the danger OF
endemic should the state hospital al
| Mohansic and the school for boys at
Yorktown Heights be put in use, ac-
cording TO the opinions OF expert san
itary and consulting engineers given
this afternoon before the Senate Fl
nance and Assembly Ways and Means
committees.
They came to Albany with big dele
CATION of the Merchants Association
and other civic organizations TO urge
favorable action on the Wagner bills
requiring the removal of the Mohsnsic
hospital and the school for boys to
other sites and TO prevent the con-
struction of any such institutions IN
future on New York City's watershed
"There never was sewage disposal
plant that could give safe potable
water" declared DR.. ". J. O'Suiliyani
ex-assistant corporation counsel. "Ey-
cry plant has proved a failure. They
never work efficiently, no matter how
much money is spent on them. The
Mohansic hospital alone will produce
half million gallons OF sewage
The experts held it dangerous to on
trust the health and lives Of millions
to the care Of an ordinary employee,
whom experience has proved TO be
often careless and negligent. There
was, il was also declared. always dam
ger Of such plants breaking down.
"As for the matter Of changing sew
age effluent into drinking waters said
n. Deb. Parsons, a sanitary engineer
Of thirty years experience, Il should
still consider IL sewage. 10 matter
how clear it looked. Science is not
so perfect that we can guarantee sew
age disposal plants. and | don't want
on my shoulders the responsibility for
any death from drinking such water"
Assistant Corporation Counsel +. 5.
Malone presented a brief from Corpor-
alton Counsel Lamar Hardy and made
an appeal.
Others who appeared for the Wagner
bills or presented briefs in favor Of
them were DR.. +. {. Wells, chief med
ical adviser Of the Equitable Life AS
sursnce Society; Alexander ii. Spen-
Ger. Of the City Club; j. Homer Hill
drcth. of the Bronx Board of Trade,
and w. T.. Youker, OF the Citizens
Union.
Senator George F. Slater. Of West
chester, led the opposition to the Wag-
ncr bills. He read many letters and
documents from health officials in sup
port of his contention that all danger
to the city's water supply could be OBJ
waited BY the installation OF an ade-
duatc disposal system.
"Thc treatment OF the water is the
main protection" he said, "and not the
treatment Of tho people on the water
shed. If the Wagner bills are passed,
there will be gradual depopulation
of one-half Of Westchester County
The Westchester Senator has two
bills of his own dealing with the Mo-
hansic situation, one of which provides
for the building Of trunk sewer to
the Hudson. the other allowing munic-
qualities affected by the Wagner bills
an award Of damages against the city.
What New York City would be called
upon TO pay if the latter bill became
law can be Judged by the statement Of
Senator Slater that 100000 acres Of
land in Westchester County would be
damaged to the extent of 500 an acre,
or total of $50, 0000 900.