Year: 1876

States and adopted at as carly O moment as


possible.


THE STENCIL NUISANCE.


It is strange that Dr.. 1IcV1csAE should
| think it necessary to organize Smelling Com


mittees to nose out theory Of the South


Side stenches which arc visited upon tie
most desirable residence portion Of the city
Of hot nights, when the facts we're ascer-
tanned years ago. It is stranger still that
gentlemen Of scientific nretensions should be


misled by mere local smells of ponds anu


cutters, which they iud under their nose


when they reach Bridgeport, md conclude


that they have discovered the origin OF the


awful stenches which fill the air IN the


garbage, and filth, and animal refuse which
they see lying around the Stock-Yards, and
in the cutters and slonghs of Bridge
mort. The smells that come from this


stuff do not watt beyond block
or two, are always confined to the ncighbor-
hood which tolcrates them. and rarely trouble
anybody, for the reason thar the neighbor-
hoods are Inhabited by people who have
grown accustomed to them, or ut any rate


would rather endure them than take the
trouble to make any other disposition Of the
garbage and offal. But these are not the


smells which infect tie residence portion of


the South Division east Of State street, and


are carried for miles in the direction of the


wind If they were, the nuisance would be


continuous and the smells would be Us pal


pable in the daytime as at night But


the fact is-and everybody living in


the southern part Of the city knows it-that


the insuferable stink which is the real


object of complaint is noticed only in the


evenings and nights, comes suddenly and


in a mass like cloud, and is almost thick


enough to cut with knife. If an attempt


is made to follow it up the strata will be ex-


haustcd long before the place where it orig


mated is reached, and the establishment


which sent it forth may be found apparently


clean and pure.


Between the years 1871 and 1878 these


stenches were thoroughly investigated, their
cause absolutely proved, remedy dis


covered, and for a time they were
prevented by n vigilant enforcement of


the remedy. But since then the vigil
anco has been abandoned, and even the
philosophy of the smells seems to have been
forgotten They are simply tho gases gen.
Grated by the rendering establishments of
Bridgeport and the Stock Yards, and set free
at nights so Us to avoid discovery. They have
no connection whatever with the local gutter
and garbage smells, or Healey s1oughs and
Ogden slips, discovered by the Committee
who have been recently engaged in investi-
eating the subject; and the conduit which is
talked of, though it might cost million of
dollars, would not one whit abate the nui-
sance or diminish the particular stinks which
furnish the principal cause of complaint. Dr.
1fcV1cKAn will serve tho general public bet
ter, therefore, BY turning back two or three
years, and recalling the results Of the
investigation at that time. If, then, he can
secure the active cooperation of the Mayor
and police, the remedies then ascertained
may be applied with relief until q better one
shall be discovered.


Each of the thirty or forty rendering es-
tablishments in Bridgeport has one or more
large boilers from 6 to s feet in diameter, and
from 20 to 25 feet long, which stand up
right. The animal and carrion refuse gath
cred from the adjoining slaughter house, and
consisting Of the entrails, trimmings, and
every part Of the slaughtered animals that
contains fatty substance, is emptied into
these boilers from the top. Steam at a high
temperature is introduced into the boilers,
and begins its work Of separating the gases
from the fat. Then it becomes necessary to
get rid Of the gases. The easiest, quickest,
and cheapest way.-and, therefore,
the way generally adopted,-is to let
them escape through valve into pipe,
thence into chimney, aud so into the at-
mosphere at considerable elevation above the !
ground. The gases, being hot when they es-
cape, rise readily, and IRE emitted into the
air without any disagreeable effect in the i'm
mediate vicinity of the establishments
which make them. They cool and condense
after they are freed, and, blown away like |
smoke. they settle down in noxious mass
at distance of half a mile, more or less,
from where they start, and are then
carried in the direction of the
prevailing wind. This is the whole |
story. Now rs to the remedy. It !
was found that these gases cou1d be cooled. |
condensed, and run off through cold water |
by discharging them into tank in which q
large stream of water is poured, in order to
countoract the heat Of the gases, the latter |
are transformed into sort Of liquid which, |
may be carried of with the water the Same |
as any other sewage, aud without allowing |
any Of the stencil to escape. The TURNER'S !
also claim that they have in active operation
at their establishment another means for dis |
posing of these gnses and utilizing them. BY
this process the gases are passed through |
charcoal and other purifying mediums into
retort, and are then in condition to be
burned either for illuminating OF heating
purposes. The practical working of this
process would be superior to The water proc
ess. as the gases would be entirely consumed |
and made useful