New-York tribune., 1922-06-01
UnkemptCondition ofGraves
of Soldiers i'm Ocean View
Cemetery Is Brought TO
4. =. Senator'S Attention
State Commander Deegan
Writes Wadsworth and
Calder Government Plot
Looks Like Dump Heap

oe..e View Cemetery. on staten ISL
- ,,iii he inspected to-day BY Stat'
eor,r,sndsr william 2. Desgan. IN
i.,,.r 20 the state Department tdNhfG
r padeau. chairman 81 kicnmonc
co,-ty calls attention % the conal'
80, ~ the graves ~ former service
,,.r In that place Command pee
%, vss,.rday sent letters 20 senator
T.Ssuor,h and calder inviting tn'l'
.,,en,ior 70 these conditions ara ie
o,,s.ing immediate attention.
CLsirran Badeau's letter reads
.e.,c. ~. Veterans Bureau ana tn'
public Health Service between ~ ~
b,ve failed % do justice 20 me ii.,nk
,,,,ose n is useless % ask tnat the!
-.-torr, their duty 90 tho dead. let
fr.,,o, hein feeling that some pressure
ssoyid be brought 20 bear 70 compe
80. ., N. other 20 make the govern
-, rio, a. Ocean View Cemetery
iook less Ike a backyard dump. ,,.
~, ;s N this cemetery that tne Ms.
zine Hospital has buried its dead io'
.or,e tine Part Of the piot was a..
Io,,ed 20 Fox Hills Hospital "heh tne'
;n,,itusion was opened. when ois
sbled man died and had 40 one y
cisino his body il was sent tnele'
There are about 500 (my estimate
.~,,.o. IN all. Most % these are maIkeo
s.;sh nlsin headstones. With some o,
,hs stones cracked and broken sno
,.;.b others standing az direreh,,
angles ard with all Of them grass enc enc
'r.s5 cyown. they are all unsighty
n,ovcb Looking. But they don com
pare In ugliness with tnose VI ~"
~, would be hard 20 recognize .' tnes'
last as graves. Most OF them are eoa
"rsd win the refuse Of other e~eAVa-
sies. wn.vsnlv thrown up in rougn
niiet Here and there a sunkeh 90
Fnrs where n coffin had been SUNK
n,o,,ed that I could not believe az hIs'
that there were graves unoei '"'
refuse. ...a.,+
might have saved the enort, ~ at
p.sred TO know little. though ne ssie
I nat the cemetery was not gettlnK Ps'e
10 keep the graves IN shape ne M nLG
vague idea, however, tnst seiheln,..,
should be done and promised tnat SON, tI,
NJ the earth would be removed ~,
will have q do a good deal more wa
that " the graves are 20 pe iO.d',u
But nothing has been made oi 'neS'
possibilities. .A -,
"When the promoters opened W
nlace they built a magnificent entranc'
Ard A fne big msusoleum' ne.
stonn,d there. Now they keep the en
trsrcs in good shape. but apparent.
nake no effort elsewhere. The GENE
terv IS commercial enterprise an
several promoters have failed 70 rnak
/. 20. The Lord knows that they nav,
trisd 70 rope in everybody in their 81
fort, The Richmond County organ
zation Of the Legion was spproa'cn'e
about two years ago. A propositio
was offered which. had Il been acc,ep'
ed. would have made Us the 'eilln
AGENTS Of the cemetery company
"Ihe grounds Of the place are ex
t.nsive. But don't believe hall doze
bodies besides the government dea
are buried there. But V we have IN
slightest respect for our deceased cor
rades let us Al least see 70 It that tnei
graves are decently kept.
~ you want any further iniorm'
tior shall be glad 20 furnish what
can. IL YOU could arrange a persona
inspection shall be only too glad :
make the arrangements