New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-03-25

To The Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir: The letter from Mr.. Edward Hatch, jr,
chairman Of the committee on pollution and
sewage OF the Merchants Association OF New
York. printed in The Tribune March 10, call
ing attention 70 the fact that New York must
drink sewage IL the proposed state instltu-
lions are established in Moharsic, is well
adapted TO another sewage mensce-namely,
that of the sewage-fed oysters Of Jamaica
Raw. known to the trade AS "Rocksways.'
The wise consumer avoids sewage not only as
A drink, but as food ingredient.
The facts in the Jamaica Bay oyster case
are as follows: on November 6, 1915. the Bu-
reau OF Chemistry seized 400 bushels OF
oysters which had been taken from Jamaica
Bay 10 Cheesequake Creek n. j., and there
nut into fresh water in order to'"fatten' or
"Aoa," them. so that they would look fatter
and better. They were then shipped back
into New York State TO an oyster house IN
New York City at the foot Of Pike Street
Merrill Haviland. The oysters were tried
before Justice Augustus n. Hand in the
United States District Court, the trial last
ing several days. On March IS the jury
brought in verdict that the oysters were
nolluted. The government had won It's case,
DR. PANE 3. Parsons, a bacterolosist en-
ployed by the Bureau of Chemistry, testified
that ne had analysed samples OF the seized
o,,s.ers. They showed high scores OF the
colon bacillus, which indicated that the
oysters were polluted by human excrement
and were unfit for human food. IN his sum
ming I'd for the government Assistant Dis
trict Attorney Barnes stated: 1--WE have had
testimony a. 10 what. 3. coli when found in
oysters mean You will agree that y. coli
rbcn found In oysters mean sewage. There
IS no question about that B. coli come from
human intestnes and the intestines Of ami
mails. When you find B. coli in oysters near
city they must come from the sewage Of
the city We eat certain things that feed on
filth, like pork, but We don't eat the pigs
stomach with the filth in it. When We eat
oystcrs they contain in them undgested filth.
These oysters we're taken before the hiber
mating period, a. time when they had the
filth in them"
The amount OF sewage poured into the
twenty square miles Of Jamaica Bay amounts
TO about 100000 gallons daily. The oysters,
in other words may be likened 10 scavengers
gathering up the sewage pouring into the
bay from Jamaica, Far Rockaway, Rock
AWAY Beach, etc When Dr.. Charles Z.
North, Psychologist, on March -, exam
med the sewage disposal plants-three OF
them-he found that this great volume OF
sewage was not being purified az all. but was
being emptied in its full dizziness into the
bay. Mr. Vreeland, a witness against the
government, testified that the sewage that
gets into the bay never gets out. Does II go
into the "Rockawsy" oysters? II So where
is the satisfaction in eating plate os raw
"Rockaways"7 viii cooking sewage-laden
oysters completely kill the posons in them
There were number Of scientific men
called b. the government who testified rs to
the dizziness Of these sewage oysters Among
them were Or. Hugh Cumming, of tho United
States Public Health Service: DR.. r. F.
Stokes, professor OF bactcriology. Maryland
University. and Professor c. T. A. Winslow.
Yale University.
But this IL not all. The suit brought out
testimony from Or. Pease and Mr.. Provost. Of
the Lederle Laboratories, which apparently
oontradicted their previous testimony One
asks. Which testimony am | TO believer A
civil suit was brought By the oys.ermen
against the city of New York for the pollu-
ton Of these same waters Of Jamaica Bay BIZ
sewage from the city. DR.. Peass and Mr..
Provost admitted on cross-examination Tint