New-York tribune., 1922-09-22
|I)riftwood Fuel
Plan for Poor
Brings Protest
Merchants Association A
Committee on Health
Writes Mayor Warming
# Would Be Insanitary
Points to River Pollution
COMMISSIONER Copeland,
However, Thinks Germs
Would Die Before Use

p,otest was entered yesterday by
=. Merchants Association against the
s.,,osed use of driftwood from New
yoyt Harbor and adjacent waters as a
.Astitute for coal. In letter TO
w.vor Hylan Edward Hatch ir.. chair
.,n ~ the associations committee on
..,ita,ion and public health, said:
"a suggestion by Captain C. A. Nc
,p;stsr. vice-president of the Ameri-
=. sureau of Shipping, that municipal
Zee he used to gather driftwood
ssass .As narbor, and that this drift
.snoa he given to the poor to be used
~ srewood, appears in this mornings
Nav ysrk Tribune.
eTbe Merchants Association of New
York desires to enter its protest
againet the plan suggested by Captain
NcAlIister. When similar sugges-
lion was made in 1916 this association
addressed a letter to the Dock Com
missioner. pointing out the danger to
uahlie health inherent in the use as
mel Of driftwood taken from the highly
csiluted waters of our harbor and the
uters adjacent thereto.
1ln this letter, which was signed by
re as chairman of the associations
sanmittee on sanitation and public
sasth, the association said:
Lodgment for Germs
'This driftwood has been floating
ssout the docks and sewer outfalls for
3ferent periods of time and has be-
ssme more or less saturated with pol-
Isted water. The fractured and frayed
ideS of the pieces of wood afford a
ssvorable and easy lodgment for dis.
ease germs, such as are contained in
the age-contaminated water in
which the wood has been floating
aThis frewood when used bv the
needy in the city will be introduced
INTO the household, probably split. anf
skeed near the kitchen stove To dr[
,rd TO Js convenient for use. Its
srssznce In fhe household is a distinc,
menace 10 the health of the family
hd of the community, unless some proc.
ess be applied whereby the wood is
thoroughly sterilized or disinfected be.
fore its introduction into the house.
hoia.'
"The objection which was made in
1918 is even more pertinent TODAY. il
possible than it was then. While we
sympathize with the desire to alleviate
lie coal shortage which evidently in.
1 gied Captain McAllister's suggestion
We believe that it would be highly
dsngerous to the city's health to use
tbs driftwood as frewood without pre-
vOusly treating it in some manner that
would destroy the disease germs which
It contains"
Praises Purpose of Idea
protest by Chairman Hatch in 1918
when similar suggestion was made
led to abandonment of the idea.
There is no doubt" Chairman Hatch
sad, in discussing the matter, "that
the purpose of the suggestion is a
pra!Seworthy one, but there is also no
@ubt that it would prove disastrous
the city's health. Nobody who is
:uamlliar with the real condition OF
ne harbor waters can have any idea
Of the true state of the case. We must
'snember that the sewage of a popu-
ahon of 10,000,0 900 in the metropolitan
astnct is daily poured into these
waters. This sewage is abs solutely un-
treated and the conditions which il
creates are shocking. No other large
'ommunity of the world submits te
sssn degree OF pollution.
"Driftwood gathered from such
viters would certainly be impregnated
Esh disease-carrying germs, and its
presence in dwellings would prove a
serious menace. Probably every mem
Der Of a family using it would handle
this filthy firewood, the children would
play with it and it could not fail to
come in contact with food, thus giving
'ise to typhoid fever and other
seourges. l am sure that DR.. Copeland
would never consent to the family use
Of such dangerous fuel"
Copeland Differs
DR.. Royal S. Copeland, Health Com
missioner, refused to recognize the
eogeney of the associations argument
when he was Questioned last night. He
declared that most of the germs on the
driftwocd would die off while the fuel
,wa,s, drying before delivery to house
holders and that the kindlings would
Dc oe so dirty that any cook who touched
them would have to wash her hands be-
iore she could go on with the rest of
eer work. He said that driftwood is
s sanitary fuel as any other.