The New York Herald Newspaper, July 20, 1873, Page 5

CRYSTAL CROTON. New York’s Resources for Supplying Herself with Virgin Pure Water. The New Storage Reservoir Near “‘Boyd’s Corners.” A Magnificent and Massive Engineering Work Accomplished—An Artificial Lake Con- taining Three Billion Gallons of Water in Putnam County. Six Billion Gallons Stored for Emergency. Proposed Preparations for Go- tham’s Future Wants, The city of New York ts justly famous for such magnificent and colossal water works as are not equalled anywhere in the world. Recently a great engineering success has been consummated by the engincers of the Department of Public Works, but 80 quietly and with so little ostentation that very few of the citizens who have paid the taxes whereby the work has been carried on have had more than a dim and vague idea of what stupen- ous projects were being executed. ANCIRNT AQUATIC WORKS, It is a striking and important fact, illustrated in Distory and among the hoary monuments of former great enterprises of mankind, that those which had for their object prosaic and practical usefulness have outlived, in most instances, the magnificent efforts of artistic gentus, or, at least, remain more intact and more palpable as indications the energy and strength of the civilization of the de- parted generations. The use of artificial conduits for the supply of water to large cities can be traced back to avery distant epoch in Persia ana Judea, and Jerusalem still drinks the clear liquid which is drawn from the ‘Pools of Solomon,” near Bethle- hem. Therefore, as a moral, it may be well re- marked that the false brilliancy given to reputa- tion in the restless and varying light of municipal politics may in the future time, when we shail all sleep with our fathers, be forgotten in the durable grandeur of the blessings conferred upon the, people by practical sctenoe. Among the chief marks of the greatness of the Incas of Peru and the Montezumas of Mexice are the gigantic aque- ducts of the Andes and of Chapultepec, the ruins of which are still visible to the wondering gaze of the traveller. The conduit which crossed the great valley of the Condesuya, passing along the precipitous sides and winding around the bases of the mountains, penetrating through huge tun- nels and spanning the deep quebradas upon walls of stable Masonry, was no less than four hundred and fifty miles in length. The pure and glistening water from the high springs still trickles down through the ruins of the old works, and in some places even finds its way through portions of the artificial chanuel which still remain, making the vegetation greener and more Inxuriant along its course, Nature in this way generally gives expres- sion to the fact of the greatness and power of aci- ence. The Romans built water works—many of them still existing—which have been the wonder of many ages, exceeding all other nations, both ancient and modern, in the skill which they dis- layed in their construction. The aqueducts and reservoirs of Egypt and Babylon, built: under Se- sostris and the great Semiramis, are now only known through history; but the idea which it con- vey8 of their magnitude and perfection impresses most critics with the thought fhat the civilization of those nations was not, aiter all, 80 very far behind our own. Among modern works of this character those of Marseilles, Lisbon, London, Philadelphia and Boston are far famed; but none of the present approach those of our own city in extent and perfection. They were completed in 1842 at acost of $12,500,000. Since then innumerable improvements have been ac- complished, and a few very expensive engineering mistakes have been made, of some of which the citizens, who have “paid dearly for the whistle,” have never been made aware. Letting these, however, sleepin the general shadow of ignominy im which repose the other doings of the Tammany dynasty, the fact cannot be over-estimated that the results ring up in spite of them are mag- nificent ¢1 eering works, of which any muni- cipality in world might well be proud. TAKING TIME BY THE FORBLOOK. .. The recent arereneoeye feeling among citizens FO fo ri to has affiicted the country for mi two months, and now, apparently, threatens the city with affliction still more dire, has caused Opce more a strong interest to be manifested as to ve real resources of the Department of Public orks in case of genuine water famine, and aiso in ‘view of the probable rapid multiplication of popu- | future. This problem was not first mooted, however, this season by the people who thought themselves in danger of privation— tor it apprehension did not present itself until long after the drought began—but Time was Verily taken by his august forelock some two or three weeks ago by Commissioner Van Nort, who already anticipated possibie cir- c nces. in the latter part of June Mr. Van Hote pores Ei jeer Tracy and a representative of the HERALD paid a visit to the new Croton dam, near Boyd’s Corners, in Putnam county, a work which was then just completed, alter having been im progress of construction for over six years, It was begun under Mr. Tweed’s administration, in 1867. In btn read it is the most important pro- ¢ ever undertaken by the Department o: Public ‘orks, and its completion was naturally the cause of much satisiaction and congratulation ameng the omMcials wno had been connected with the project. At Brewster's Station the visiting party was met by the contractor who had done the work, and the Resident Engineer, under whose direction it had been executed. A drive of six or seven miles brought them to SMOKY VALLEY, where the new dam is built, stretching across the chasm like an immense and invulnerable bulwark of war. The hills that bound the valley are very diversified and omen in their appearance, very precipitate im surface and abound in clear and sparkling springs, which gush ireely from the slate rocks of which they are formed. An inspection of the dam and of the immense sheet of water whose Whole pressure and weight rests upon it took place soon alter the arriva! of the party, aud when this was followed b; jail back ward frou the head to the foot of the lal their hungry appetites were Ministered to in an abundant lunch spread in one of the rade temporary outhouses, but which was heartily enjoyed. This reservoir, which has been constructed for the eof storage of water only, is on the west branch of the Crovon River, which formerly meandered in quiet and retiring modesty among meadows and stony pastures at the bottom of the valley. The fleids were aiso dotted with farin- houses, orchards and baros, all of which are now no more, And the blue waves roll nightly on deep Galilee. Fences, oieake. trees and bridges were all cleared away by the laborers to give place to the huge, transparent mass of crystai water, which forms one of the prettiest i in the country. ‘The impress of two old roads still might be seen at ics bottom, were it drained; but they have been restored in taf better form and wind pleasantly lation in the along either shore of the lake, giving a fine view of the whole vailey and the Yue hilis. At the point where the dam is constructed the mountains approach each other very nearly. The height of the structnre is about sixty feet above the original bed of the river, and its foundations are sunk about thirty feet below the suriace of the ground. Its length is about seventy feet. The walls ure built of dressed gran- ite, and at the top form @ surface of ten feet in width. The space between the outer and inuer walls is filled with hydraulic concrete masonry, ked in by the atmost of manual force. ‘The inner side of the dam is covered by an immense embankment of earth, about one hundred and | eighty feet deep at the bottom and sianting grad- ually to the pounds to the square inch. ‘THE STUPENDITY OF THR WORK can best be conceived by viewing it from above, when alone its colossal Log op altitude and extent can be for the first time fully comprehended. The water is drawn through the bottem of the am in large cast iron pipes, which are encased and secured in masonry and fitted with stop valves in gach @ manner that it is under complete control. At the egress of the pipes isa tower of masonry built from the bottom of the dam to a height above ‘the high water mark, aud provided with screens and - planks,”’ arranged sv that the water can be at all times drawn from the surface of the reser- Voir, In most basins of this kind the water is ‘drawn from the bottom, and, remaining undis- Sarhed for a ianeth of time, whe surface in Summer top. ‘The pressure on the dam is thirty | | becomes coated with a jas scum, emitting Miasma and poisonous ides poliuting the luguid itself. The present it will be seen, is, therefore, a great improvement, as by its use the surface is continually chan; and never becomes stagnant, while at the same time that which is } drawn off is very carefully flitered. ‘The natural flow and the freshets of the river are carried through 4 canal cut out of the solid rock around the north end of the dam and pouring into the bed of the stream in the valley below. THE ARTIFICIAL LAKE is more than two miles in length and covers 303 acres of land. Its capacity 1s equal to three bil- Hons of galiol { water—as much as that con- tained in all the other reservoirs belonging to the department. The gates oi the dam were first closed in January, when the filing of the pond commenced, and on the 1st of April the water commenced running over the “spilling-way” and through the canal in @ stream ninety feet high and more than @ foot deep. In some places the depth oi the lake is over ninety teet. It is fed by two saber’ tributaries—one of which is a brook that rains the water irom the Black Pond, and the other leading from the White Pond. Numerous other littie rivulets and creeks aiso empty into the lake, the waters of which are clearer and more white than crystal and very cool, NATURAL PONDS. In this region there are numerous natural ponds, which in the aggregate have an area of over two thousand acres, and in case Of necessity can be drawn from for several feetin depth, Many of them are situated in secinded nooks among the hills, and could be thus used without any inconve- nience to the inhabitants living in their vicinity. Some have already been provided with bulkheads &t their outiets, so that they may be drained-wien needed; but it 18 stated by Mr. Tracy, the Chief Engineer of tue Public Works, that it has been de- termined not to draw on either Lake Mahopac or Lake Gieneida, im any case, until very late in the Fail, and noi then unless it is absolutely neces- sary. ‘The Croton Lake, which is formed by the Croton dam at the head of the Croton Aqueduct, has an area of 600 acres, and, whenever necessary, two or three feet depth above ite ordinary surlace are used as a storage reservoir, The party visiting the new dam also drove over ® great portion of the county, inspecting the sev- eral lesser works and the natural sources of water. All through the richly mantied hills, shaded with dark greep foliage, nestling inthe deep valleys that yet are a great Yay above the sea, are goms of lakes, frmged by beautiful woods and refectin in their placid bosoms the dreamy visions of eart! and sky. Their beauty i@ very attractive to the visitor, and one is not iinmediateiy led, in the poet- ical influence of the moment, to turn his thoughts to the question of their usefulness to humanity. But they really comprise IMMENSE RESOURCES still held in reserve by the managers of New York's Croton water for the season of necessity that will come in the future, when even their peaceful and romantic waters will perforce be desecrated by a passage through iron tubes to the thirsty gullets of naturalized and unnaturalized Americans. It is, however, @ pleasant thing to know that this en- slavement of nature by science is not going to de- tract in any degree trom her charms and enchant- ments, as it is the benevolent purpose of the engineers in all cases to avoid marring the scenery, which, in these sequestered spots, is 80 charming. THE WATER AT COMMAND. With all these means of sustaining the supply of water there is now a storage capacity of over five thousand millions of gallons, as follows :— fallons. Distributing Reservoir at Forty-second street. _ 20,000,000 Old Receiving Reservoir in Central Park. 50,000,000 New Receiving Reservoir in Croton Reservoir or Lake. 'v00, Storage Reservoir at Boyd’ Natural Lakes (three feet from surf. Total... an = Some curious 4nd very interesting facta may be learned by an examination of the records of the supply and consumption of Croton water in the city during past years. At its introduction, in 1842, and until 1848, the daily demand never ex- ceeded 18,000,000 galiona, At that time the city. had only 450,000 inhapitants; and iu 1872, witl @ population of 1,000,000, the quantity required each day by thirsty Gotham was 88,000,000 gallons, show- ing af average increase in the daily consumption of about 3,000,000 gallons a year. From April 1, 1870, until April 1, 1871, the actual supply was $4,000,000 gallons a day, and from the 1st ot April, 1871, to the ist of April, 1872, it Lao gl 88,000,000 alions. The present daily supply averages 5,000,000 gallons, indicating almost an alarming increase either in the use or waste of the water. ANOTHER PROJECTED STORAGE RESERVOIR. These facts show the necessity of ample prepara- tion for the future wants of the metropolis when her population shall have expanded as widely as it must within a very few years. In 1871 gpreral surveys and examinations were made with the ob- ject of establishing another elie rretalts in Putnam county, even larger than t 1 ¥ Corners and capable oj containing. 2885 aS alions of water. The site Of ‘this pro- se artifictal dake %% éven more __ pic- turesau than Briokéy Vailey and includes a inch tal tger hrea of ground, being. in fact, about five hundred acres in extent. Other valleys have piso been selected, in view of the possible exigen- cies of the future, and as Putnam county is a sort of miulature Switzerland, with hundreds of such romantic spots which can be turned to civilized use and be made at the same time even more beau- tiful, it is not hkety that New York will ever really suffer the dire miscry of a genuine water famine. The present alarm about the continuance of the is somewhat premature, There has, cer- tainiv, fallen during the past two months a re- mark*bly small average quantity of rain; but, guided by experience, it isnot a rash statement that there is little doubt of a fall of moisture dur- ing August and the Autumn months which wili make the average of the year fully as large asit ever has been. This prediction is founded upon the known fact that for thirty-four years the average fall of rain during the three months of June, July and August has not varied in scarcely any perceptible degree. The following table snows whe AVERAGE PALL OF RAIN at the storage reservoir in each month of the year since 1868 & = 1873. 51] 3.80) 5.66 1.33} 40} 3.81 3.09 2.55) $0} 4.27 3.08 3.871 2. 45} 3.01 3.77 8.79 30) $45) 20 4.53} 06] 5.73) 0.71 2.13) 43) 5.071 40.87 6.98) 10) 5.24 - i 9.33) 85) 1.44 66] 0.87 73) 6.13) - 3.80) 3.10) 4.65) 51) 4.36) = 3.27) 2.62] 2.35 49} 2.59) - December . * Average of the same months in four preceding years. + To July 13. 4 ey The figures given above will be reassuring to such individuals as have lost confidenee in the provi- dential generosity of Heaven, and altno the average rainiall last month was the lowest known in many years, it would be no surprising matter if that of August were the highest. Since the recent Slight showers which nave visited the earth, the quantity of water in the various reservoirs is esti- mated as being sufficient to supply the city for a much longer period than two months. The great- est dependence is now pened in the new storage reservoir near Boyd’s Corners, which alone con- tains enough water to satisfy the demand for a period of thirty-three days. THE HOBOKEN POLICE OUTRAGES. a verre ‘The trial of Sergeant Ringe for refusing to lock up the men who so ruManly assailed the stranger on Sunday night in Newark street came off before the Police Commissioners on Friday evening. | Although the principal witness in behalf of the stranger kept away, the evidence of Officers Jaco- bas and Ford clearly showed that the parties should have been immediately imprisoned. There was no denial of the unwarranted assault made on the stranger, but the assailants entered a flimsy plea of mistaken identity. On the same plea they might have blown the poor stranger's brains out. When one of the Commissioners moved that the ae be dismissed, Mayor McGavish refused to put the motion untii he told Ringe that all the par- ties should have been imprisoned. Then the case was dismissed. And so, when a stranger passes through Hoboken on a dark night and is ASSAULTED BY ROUGHS, he must only defend himself as best he can, be- cause he can fing no redress from the police or from the Commissioners. It is, of course, of para- mount importance that the Commissioners should enjoy the iavor of one of the political elements in Hoboken; but it would be infinitely better to en- Joy the confidence of all upright men by disre- gurding the suiiles or frowns of political factions through a rigid dispensation of even-handed jus- tice. It excited no little comment when the Com- missioners fined Mr. Edmonson fitteen days’ pay because he merely absented himself for four days without permission. But the most grevious out- Tage of all was left unnoticed. As already pub- lished in the HERALD, one of the policemen re- cently committed an alleged highway robbery. A prisoner, about to be discharged from custody, was ROBBED BY THE POLICEMAN, For reasons best known to themselves the Com- | missioners passed this case unnoticed; and lest the publie should ever learn their deliberations thereon they semt a request to the Hunaxp repre- sentative to leave the reom, he being the only journalist then present. They cannot add any- thing to thetr good name by excluding the only press representative who could be gotto notice this robbery, The alleged gd seh thereof is stillon duty. Rotten as was the ring commission of Jersey {t immediately dismissed such of the olice oMictals as were charged with robbery. (here are five menon the Hoboken Commission, two of them without fear and without reproach, but neither of these two objected to the exclusion of the press. Mayor Schmersah! once broke down the system of secrecy at these meetings. It is now built up again, and will give no impetus to the dis- Pensation of justice, RAILROAD SMASH-UP, Early yesterday morning 4 collision took place between two freight trains on the Beividere and | Delaware Railroad, at a place called Titusvilie, eleven miles from Trenton. The engineers firemen had a narrow escape from instant deaths The locotuotives and twenty-live cars were badly soattered and travel was delayed about five hours, NEW YOR | PESTILENCE IN THE AIR, | The Dirty Dumping Grounds on the Harlem Marshes. ee INFECTIOUS DISEASE. Slime from the Slums €pread Out Un- der the Noses of Uptown Residents. pete lL ale al THE SMELLS OF A QUIET NEIGHBORHOOD. ‘The great region of low and swampy land bor- dering on the East River, in the upper end of the city, and known ever since the time of George II!- as the Harlem marshes, is to-day a source of trouble to the Health Department, It is not the miasma which arises irom swamp lands, and the effects of which upon health are readily accounted for, but itis the foul ana noxious smelling garbage with which this tract is being filled up toa level with the surrounding country. The marshes upon which this work is being Gone were the especial object of much attention from the late Tammany Ring, Several thousand piles were driven upon this land, and it was in a fair way of immediate improvement when the disaglu- tion took place, It then passed into the hands of Mr. Brown, the street contractor, Who are the present owners or the persons who are having the work done is diMcult to ascertain, The object of the contractors 1s undoubtedly to add about one- hatf square mile to the property of the city, and thereby to construct ground upon which a water- side population shall gather. Preparations for ex- tensive docks are also making, and future sites for Warehouses and steamer piers are selected, When the rocks at Hell Gate shall have been removed it isa matter of current prophecy that the price of all real estate on the East and Harlem rivers is to advance to extravagant figures, TAKING TIME BY THE FORKLOCK. Instead of purchasing the great quantities of earth which are being excavated by the tunneling of Fourth avenue, or the masses of stone which are removed ‘rom beneath the river bed at Hell Gate, the owners of the Harlem marshes have ao- quired the use of all the offal and garbage collected from the dirtiest districts of the city and dumped this rotten substitute for terra firma upon the low lands, Evidently impressed with the intention of owning a8 much land as possible, and holding it for a rise, THE HARLEM MARSH SCHEME has been energetically pushed by the corporation which owns it. The filling used ts very much of the same sort as that found at the foot of West Thirty-fourth street when the excavations were made for the new market. The stench which arises from the steaming mass of ‘corruption al- ready spread over this meadow land 18 so great that the sense of smell of the thousands of inhabi- tants adjacent to the piace uave, for several weeks, been thoroughly outraged. The recent heat term rendered the neighborhood intolerabie, The district which is being filled in extends from Ninety-fifth street to 104th street, and embraces all that tract lying east of Secoud ave- nue. It 18 not proposed in this article to go into the various kinds of odors and nauseating exhalations which render life in the upper east side next to unbearapie. The abuses Of the present outrageous dumping and garbage gathering systems culminate at the Harlem marsh, where all that is so offensive sight or smell within the whole of the city is brought on barges aud epread out to the sun and the alr. THE KPFKCT UPON PROPERTY. While it is an admitted fact that if this district were brought up to the required level by the use of good earth and broken stone and rendered hatitavle by the construction of cross sireets, the eneral effect upon the price of property in the neighborbood would be to cause an | advance, it is equally true that the pres- ent system pursued is having a most | disastrous and depressing effect upom value: Real estate men who operate large! hos ¥ cinity declare that the sales have Hind hai en vo! of late, and that, bad thy egal xe ther not set in, they would havo closéd thelr odices until the Au- tumin. Many property owners have personally visited the offices of the Board of Health and com- plained tu the clearest terms of the outrage. NO HOPK FROM THE HEALTH BOARD, Nothing has been done to put a stop to this pal- pable violation of the city ordinances, and the citizen gets his trouble for his pains, At present | More than two thousand signatures nave veen ob- | tained toa petition to the same Board, and it is | hoped that some official notice will be taken of this | glaring outrage to the health of the upper part of | the city. A petition was circulated last year and the nuisance was temporarily abated; but alter a few weeks the work Of unloading filth from the slums Was resame6, and has regularly proceeded up to thia time. ' HOW THE SLUMS ARE CLEANED. i ‘The present Street Cleaning Bureau bave located | at certain points on the East and North rivers, ee alongside of which are moored large flat oats, UPON which are dumped ail the contents of the carts which belong to the district. Foilowing one of these carts or securing a seat by the side of the driver, the reporter penetrates dark ailevs, flithy streets.and stops belore the entrance to foul- smelling courtyards. The driver vegins his work of gathering a load and empties imto that cart all the refuse of a dirty neighborhood. ROUND THE CLOCK. | First @ barrel of ashes, then the back door of a | restaurant contributes its share of garbage and rotted fish; then a box of broken plaster, and after that a heap of street filth is sliovelied in, and then, turning up into an alley, the refuse matter ol several | large tenements is gathered. So the work goes on until a load is gathered, aiter which the cart moves off toward the river, and, backing up to the | pier, deposits its load of miscellaneous filth upon the scow below. Thence in the progress of afew — hours the same barge, under tow, takes its way THE DIRTY DUMPING GROUND | at Harlem, where it is moored to the side of the wharf. During the trip up the East River its foul- ness has offended the nose of every one on the boats located along the route, and if late im the afternoon it causes the resident of Harlem or Mor- relish for bis dinner. The convicts on Blackwell's Island actually complain of the nuisance and de- clare tl the Mith should be transported at night. ‘This mass of nauseous and SICKENING GASES which the cart found and coliected it. A new | force is now put in operation to spread this foul- ; Ness out in thin layers, so that the full effect of the hot sun shall be tad and aii the various kinds of smells extracted. THE SEEDS OF DISEASE. Formerly when preparing the place for a pier tt | was a matter of frequent occurrence for the entire barge and load to be sunk in the water to effect a basis upon which to build. By this means the coast line was extended many feet out into the water and upon these submerged and rotten caissons rests the weight of much that is to-day apparently firm land. At talians transfers the barge loads to wheelbarrows and carts, by which they are spread to the depth of @ foot or more over the low grounds. About ten | carts are employed in unlogding and spreading this dith. ODORS INDESCRIBABLE. | The powers oi! the pen are inadequate to give | @ proper idea of the terrible stench which bangs over tals place on a Warm, sunny day, and which wafted off to the north, south or west, as the wind favors. The effect upon the lungs is to cause op- pressive breathing, while the odors are such as make any man’s stomach a traitor to his best interests. The entire shanty population, resident for years | upon the rocks, and which street openings ana health ordinances have been of no avail toward re- moving, have lately, jor the most part, taken their departure, and the greater portion of the re- | mainder are preparing to follow. ‘The fear of the | coming of the cholera is too much even for a dirty race like this. The more civilized and health- loving citizens abide the action of the Health Board with evident uneasiness and anxiety, Will the Board do something to remove this outrageous | east side nuisance? FAT BOILING, a Determined Action of the Board of Mealth. War ts being vigorously prosecuted upon the fat rendering and boiling companies by the Board of Health. The monster nuisance which has for so long @ time spread disease and pestilence in the neighbornood of West Thirty-eignth street is in process of removal, and to-morrow will probably witness a demoktion of the dock. The necesaity “for those measures were most urgent, The filthy pA of jat boiling and its attendant evils had come 80 intolerable that the inhabitants would | have taken the law into their own hands had not the Board of Health intervened in time. On Saturday aiternoon an order was issued to Mr. Smyth, the Superintendent of the New York Rendering Company, instructing him te proceed at once to the shed at the foot of West Thirty- eighth street and remove all the barrels which were stored in it and the offensive fas, The order | =e he | risania who seeks his home by boat to lose all | | 1s up to this time retained in the solid form in | resent, however, @ force of about twenty-five | | on the | entere was complied with in about two hours, and the | barrels agd offal disappeared from the place which | they had infected so long. Resolutions were also | “passed by the Board of Heaith to the effect that any | ther delay of the Rendering Company in com- plying with the orders | the Board would | seriously affect the health of the city, and that on Monday ail rendering should cease within the city hinits, The fat boiiing people had been nou- fed of what was required of them previously, but | they paid little attention to it, They will now be | compelled to obey orders, peaceably if possible, but obey they must, at any cost, A resolution Was also passed directing that the sheds in which the offal haa been stored, and which are situated between Thirty-ninth and Fortieth streets, should be taken down. This order was enforced by the police on I'riday evening, with- out resistance, mm yesterday Captain McE}- wain arrested a man named Timothy Cong- don on @ charge of boiling fat “without @ license, He was taken to Jefferson Market and heid to answer in default of $300 bail. ‘The police are continually on the watch to prevent the nuisances, and squads of men in plain clothes are on the lookout to prevent any one from -bolling who has not alicense. Nearly all the tat boiling Eons the precinct are closed, the fate of the iew York Rendering Company having frightened the smaller fry into compliance with the law, Captain McElwain says that the Rendering Com- pany will have to be away by Monday or he will compel them. The Secretary of the Rendering Company says it will be impossible for him to move at 80 short notice, but he will have no alternative and he had better make al! the progress he can, THE COURTS. oes Sees SUPREME COURT—CHAMBERS. Decisions. By Judge Danteis, wenanienaon vs. Just.—Motion dented, with $10 cor Loony vs. Loony.—Report confirmed and judg- ment of divorce granted, Wolf vs. Wolf.—Report confirmed and judgment of divorce granted. Briggs vs. Briggs.—Report confirmed and judg- ment Of divorce granted, TOMBS POLICE COURT. Burglary in Gold Street. About eight o'clock Friday night Oficer Devins, of the Second precinct, noticed a man walking up Fulton street with a large package, irom which some smoking pipes protruded. He arrested the man on suspicion and took mm to the Beekman street police station, where the prisoner contessed to ‘having stolen the articles found in his posses. sion from Hitchman & Redlick’s store in Gold street. He forced open the locks of the doors with a jimmy and carried off $85 worth of brierwood Riek The prisoner gave his name as Otto Peice, le Was arraigned before Judge Bixby and held in $1,000 bail to answer, Two Shoplifters Captured. Two young men, named Frank H. Meredith and Meyers Monbammer, went into the jewelry store of Thomas B, Brown, on Broadway, yesterday al- ternoon, and asked to see some of his goods, While showing his customers a trayini of neck chains and lockets Mr. Brown noticed that the pair were acting in a suspicious manner, becoming tired of their seemingly useless in- 10n, accused them with stealing some of his goods. leredith took out of his pocket a locket and chain, worth about $107, and dropped them on the tray, as he thought, unnoticed, Thetwo young men then attempted to leave the store, but were detained till the arrivai of Oflcer Hinchey, of the Twenty-seventh precinct, Judge Bixby com- mitted both of them for trial at General Sessions, JEFFERSON MARKET POLICE COURT. A Bold Robbery. On Friday morning last, about eight o’clock, as Thomas Deignan was approaching lis residence at 421 Seventh avenue, he was attacked by a party of men, one of whom strack him & violent blow with his fist, knocking him down into the gutter. The Others then Dent over him and took from his bosom his watch,’chain and locket, valued at $36, alter curing Which they ran away. Mr. Deignan sub- quently identified Robert Fisher as one of his assailants and he was yesterday arraigned before Justice Cox, at the Jefferson Market Police Court, who committed hum to answer, Burglary. George Walker, of 442 West Thirty-fifth street, was charged with breaking into the premises of Samuel Stiner, at 267 West Thirty-sixth street, during the absence of the family in the country, and stealing @ quantity of dresses and clothing valued at $840. The evidence showed that Walker | had sold a portion of the stolen property toh second-hand clothes dealer, a fact which led to his detection. He was held to bail in the gum of $1,000 to answer at the General Sessions, ESSEX MARKET POLICE couRT. Highway Robbery. As Mr. Flenry Heine, Jr., of 240 Kast Tnirtieth | street, Was passing through Canal street yesterday morning be was met by William Kerigan, from the Fifth ward, Brooklyn. Discarding the polite for- mality of introducing himself, Mr.Kerigan punched Henry in the nose, took his watch and ran away. Heine soon recovered trom the shock and called aloud, “Watch |’? Officer Smock heard the wail, and responded to its call by “going fot” Mr. Kerigan, whom he captured onthe next corner, Kerigan threw the watch away, but the oficer saw him and when he had secured his prisoner he walked him back and took the watch from the street. Yester- day Justice Scott hela the gentleman from the Fifth in $1,000 to answer the charge of highway robbery. THE WILSON HOMICIDE. nm Investigates—Cassels don Bail. The Coroners’ room, at the Coroners’ office, 40 East Houston street, was yesterday well filled with the friends of the late Peter Wilson (brother to Captain Wilson, of the Thirty-second precinct,) and also those Of Patrick Cassels, the latter of whom stood charged with causing the death of Mr. Wilson, on the night of Monday last, by knocking him down an the pavement, near the corner of Delancey and Sheriff streets, thus causing fracture ofthe skull and other injuries, Messrs. Howe & Hummel appeared for the prisoner, who is quite a respectable appearing man. Below will be found the most material portions of the testimony elicited :— Peter McAleer, of 245 Delancey street, deposed that on the might of the 14th instant Mr. Wilson entered his place and gaid he would take some rye whiskey; soon after drinking it said in a joking way that ne had no money, but, paying for the liquor, Went out, saying that he was goin; home; he went out followed by the witness an stood by @ truck; Cassels came from across the street and faced Mr, Wilson; they bad some con- versation, when Cassels raised his left hand and struck Wilson, who staggered and fell on his back; the witness advanced and spoke to Mr. Wilson, but ashe didnot reply the witness procured & club and ray on the walk for assistance; Roundsman Smith respouded, and Cassels went to his own house; the witness ts of the opinion that Wilson was not intoxicated at the time of the oc- currence; Cassels struck deceased in the face or on his neck ; did not hear the conversation between deceased and Cassels. William Storr, of 251 Delancey street, testified that at about half-past ten o’ciock on that night there was a disturbance in the house, and, goin; out, he saw @ man with @ straw bat standing still In the street, and @ few feet distant another man talking to 4 woman; this man turned around and struck the other Man with his open hand on the side of the bead; tha man fell at once on his back vement; the man who struck the blow ie Pext door with the woman; there was no fight or disturbance between the parties; the police came and examined ‘he injured man; it was after eleven o'clock P, M. when deceased was knocked dowa, Mrs. Maria Van Winkle, of 243 Delancey street—Am acquainted with the prisoner; on the night of the 14th the third floor, and Delancey streets; at that time a man came from the corner aud placed his hand ou a cart and said something, but she did not hear what he the man who stood on the sid i toward the other man, who said, butif |had I would respect her and men;” this man she subsequently identified as Mr. Wilson; Mr. Cassels then shook Mr. Wilson by the coat collar, and, raising his fist as lr to strike, Mr, Wiison fell back onthe paye: t. 1 Mrs. Catharine Sailr a Wilson go to the cart and vomit, and heard him say, “What makes toa woman so for?’ Mr. Wilson was you approached by Mr. Cassels, and, after speaking a nt dot re he struck Mr. Wilson; thg a " {aarti Wee tn - The medical testimony showed that Mr. Wilson had iracture of the skull and laceration of the brain, the latter being the cause o/ death. Coroner Keenan then submitted the case to the jury, who, after @ short deliberation, rendered the following VERDICT :— “That Peter Wilson came to his death by lacera- tion of the brain, the resultof a blow at the hands of Patrick Cassels, on the might of the 14th of July, 1873; and, further, we believe that, in strik- ing the blow, said Cassels had no intention of tak- ing the lite of deceased. "on the finding of the jury Mr. Hummel moved u his client be discnarged on ball, which was ranted uy the Coroner, who fixed the amount at 2,000, ir. Thomas P. Galligan, of 632 Kast Seven- teenth street, gave the requisite security, where- ‘upon Cassels was discharged from custody. ! Mr, Cassels, who is thirty-nine years of age and a native of Ireland, denied that he was guilty of anv intent to seriously injure Mr. Wilson, K HERALD, SUNDAY, JULY 20, 1873.—TRIPLE SHEET. 5 ITALIAN OPERA, The Nilsson Company at the Academy of Masic from a Parisian Standpoint— What We May Expect im the Fallea Cage of Singing Birds To Be Carried Away from Europe, Panis, July 4, 1873. The adage, “itis an i)! wind that blows nobody good,” receives a stking illustration in the condi- tion of operatic affairs here at present. The tempt- ing offers held out to the brothers Strakosch to assume the management of the Salle Ventadour and Italian Opera kave failed in their object, as these operatic magnates have come to the coneiu- sion that their American season, with Mme, Nilsson Rouzaud as the principal star, will be of sufficient magnitude to engage their undivided at- tention, Well, what is our loss is your gain. There Was @ hope that these indefatigable impresarii, par nodile fratrum, would undertake the resuscita- tion of the lyric drama here, but that hope has van- ished. A natural feeling of envy must be felt by the Parisians at the contemplation of what they might have gained, but which was snatched away from them by the voracious Yankees. I am enabled to state On authority the complete arrangements made by the brothers Strakosch for the New York season of 1875 and 1874, First, there is the reigning queen of song, the fair Swede, Christine Nilsson, who won her earliest Jaurels at the Italiens, and who bas gained, since her American tour, still higher honors in the do- main of music. Her voice has increased tn volume and many important addiiions have been made to her r¢pertoire. The London season at Drury Lane was an unbroken series of triumphs. in the present dearth of great artists on the operatic stage it should be a sabject of congratulation for the American public to be able to secure such a surpassing priina donna in spite of the efforts of the managers in all the capitals of Europe. The absence of Mme, Nilsson leaves a blank in opera on this side of the Atlantic whieh cannot be filled, judging trom present indications. Then you are to have-u charmifg young singer who made a promising début in this city a year ago. This 18 Mile. Torriant, an artist who, by her grace and beauty alone, would be calculated to create interest anywhere. When to those desirable qualities 18 added a voice of that sympathetic quality which insures popularity and trained in all the taking graces of the lyric stage, there is every reason to expect for Mile, Torriant in America the popularity which has been her reward in Paris and London. From La Scala and Genoa come the most flattering accounts of the third prima donna of the Nilsson company, Mile, Maresi, who wiil have some of the most important rd/es in the repertoire of the season te fill, Her singing in “Lueretia Borgia’ and “Aida” is much praised. It is not, 1 suppose, necessary to say anything about a country woman of yours, Miss Annie Louise Cary, who will be the principal contralto. There will be three tenors in the company, Ca- poul, Campanini and Boniratelle, The first of the three artists has lost some of those qualities that, report says, made him such a favorite in America. ‘Tbe young Italian tenor, Campanini, has won his way to fame in London, and will ve the great at- traction in “Les Huguenots," “Aida” and *Loken- grin,” MM. Maurel and Del Puente, who are the prin- cipal baritones at the two London opera houses during the Summer season, have become. celeb- rities in the operatic world, The bass, Signor Nanetti, also Won renown across the channel. In Signor Muzio, who has been engaged as the ‘chef orchestre, Messrs, Strakosch have secured a prize. It 1s said that this engagement was made al the express desire of Verdi, who wished to have his last and grandest opera brought out under the direction of his tavorite pupil. ‘The production of the operas of ‘Aida’ and “Lohengrin” will, beyond doubt, create such a furor in New York as will give a fresh impetus to the Italian Opera reiorm movement. The former work abounds in delicious music and surpassing scenic effects, and the futurists cannot point to anything more colossal than the ches dquvre of Wagner, Messrs, Strakosch have bought en gros the mise en scene and costumes employed in the production of both operas in Italy. Besides these great works the répertoire of the Nijsson season Will include such operas as “Dmorah,” “[amiet,” “Huguenots,” “Faust,” “Mignon,” “Nose di Figaro,” “Martha,” “DL etia Borgia,” “Don Giovanni ' “Trovatore,” ‘Tuviata, goletto,"? “Othello,” “Ernant” and ‘Sonnambula,.”’ A CARD FROM MR. SHEPPARD HOMANS. ——_ To THe Eprror or THe HERALD:— The July number of the Spectator, a monthly paper devoted to insurance, contains an account of an “interview” between the editor and Mr. Frederick 8. Winston, President of the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York, from which the following is an extract :— Eprton—What were the causes of Mr. (Actuary) Homans’ retirement from the Mutual Lile ? Winstor—In brief, untaithfulness, incompetency, ob- stinacy, impracticability and insubordination, in my opinion, were the reasums why the Board rid themselves of him. lam by profession a life insurance actuary, and depend in @ measure for my support upon the re- sults of my labors as such, I am also bound to protect my character from defamation. I cannot, therefore, let the statement above quoted remain unnoticed, Had Mr. Winston given to his interviewer the facts instead of his opinion, and allowed the public to form their conclusions, no notice of the matter on my part would have been necessary. The facts are these :—In November, 1869, 1 was the Auditor of the Mutua! Life Company and Mr. Winston the President. He brought to me for audit the official quarterly statement of receipts and Ve deel prepared under his directions by the bookkeeper in such manner that upon investigation I detected the fact that certain items had been itaproverly withheld in the final payment of death claims to the representatives of deceased policy-holders, the books of the company having 8 eee pared under his order with a view to deprive suc! Parties of said amounts 80 due them. To audit this statement by certifying the same im the usual menner to be correct would have been justifying him, and involving my- self as an accomplice in the perpetration of an act of dishonesty to the policy holders and @ direct vio- lation of the charter of the company. I theretore declined auditing the statement beyond certifying that the same ‘was in accordance with the entries upon the books of the company.” This certificate he passionately and violently erased, with the threat that if | did oot audit the statement in the usual manner he would find some one else as Actu- | ary who would. That tn this matter I was unfaith{ul to Mr. Win- ston in his scheme for defrauding the beneficiaries under certain policies of the company I admit: but unfaithful to the company never, ‘That to Mr. Winston I was tn this matter obsti- nate, impracticable and insubordinate, is certainly true. Upon this occurrence tt of course became neces- sary that! should be got rid of; bat Mr. Winston does little justice to his position in the company by stating that the trustees determined to get rid oi me. Ifthe trustees had come to such a deter- mination it would have been practically of but little moment unless Mr. Winston so willed it, I was got rid of by Mr. Winston. ousted Mr. Collins from the presidency by the se- cret collection of proxies Mr. Winston has held ab- solute control of the company by keeping in li Reever proxies of such policy-holders as, Ing given them originally upon the solicitation of his agents, have been too indifferent or too indo- lent to cancel them. Each of his trustees hoids his vd by the appointment or toleration of Mr. inston, and from time to time the most respecta- ble merchants who have been members of his board have been got rid of for exhibiting obsti- nacy, impracticability and insubordination, amounting to unfaithfuiness to Mr. Winston in re- gard to such schemes and practices of his as he may not have been abie to conceal from the know- ledge of the trustees, 18 charge of incompetency, in that I wae ac- countable jor the fearful blunder in the distriou- tion of surplus in 1870, and that said blunder was occasioned by a mistake of mine, is simply untrue, It was uccasioned by the direct interference of Mr. Winston, in opposition to the decision of distin- guishea referees, which had been pgptored,, adopted and ordered carried out by the Board of ‘Trustees, and he is responsible for the blunder, as he weli knows. Mr, Winston never would have made this charge against me except under the ex- citement of feeling growiug out of a circumstance beyond my eontrol, viz.:—That 1 lately gave testi- mony under the compulsory process of subprena before the Assembly Committee during an investi- gation, the result of which is well known, : daa HOMANS, A NEWARK LAW STUDENT SENTENCED T0 PRIBO! Ever since he = = Aeife 251 BRoapway, July 16, The fate of Andrew B. Crarey, a respectably con- nected youth, who studied law for nearly two years in State Senator Taylor's law office, in Newwark, ought to servo as a warning to respecta- bly connected young men generally. By represent ing himself as, ason of Dr. McOosh, President of Princeton College, he induced Admiral Emmons, of that place, @ month or six weeks ago, to advance him $25. Asrelated at the time in the HERALD, he was arrested, and on Friday in the Trenton Court was sentenced to serve five months in the County Jail, the Court teen bie fk that it made his crime reater the fact oi his intelligence and connec- jons, “You ought,” said the Court, “to have known better then to commit the offence to which you have pleaded guilty. All your former condition of lite is against you. Having the ad- | vantages of education, you neglected to promt by them, of your confine months, The Court is only 1enient to you om account outh, end the sentence is that you stand inthe County Jail to hard labor for five THE MARKET NUISANCE, - A Legal Hiteh—Jndge Barnard’s Old Injune- tion Still Staying the Broom of Reform. Commissioner Van Nort Asks Advice from the Corporation Counsel—The Filth and Stench Unabated. Holders of the gutter booths around Washington Market were in an unusual ferment yesterday. The day was muggy and their premises were more than usually untidy and odorous. The action of the Board of Health on Friday, requesting and direct: Ing the Board of Police to cause the total removal of the objectionable structures on or before Mon- day, the 2ist inat., tended to increase the heat and irritation. This element was not needed to make intolerable the grievious lack of ventilation re. ported by Sanitary Inspector Janes, or the foui stench given off by the obstructed drains and the littered heaps and accumulations of decaying vegetable and putrifying animai refuse. Vesey street, from Greenwich to West street, being reduced by the stands on both sides to the width ofa narrow alley, was strewn with half-rotten cabbage leaves, tomatoes, pota- toes, lemons and otner matters rejected from the stands, Washington street was very foul as to its gutters, most of the way from Chambers street to Dey street, Fulton street, on the north side, along the rear walls of the market stands, was a line of collected filth and nasty pools of water, West street, which is so crowded by the booths that there is not room for a large truck to stand between the market and the railway tracks, was in a disgusting state, fully bearing out the condemnation of the Board of Health. Unsound poultry was added to the usual aggregation of offensive deposits on the dirty pave- ments which enclose the main depot whence our families, boarding houses and hotels draw their supplies of edibles. Pervading the sidewalks, by which customers approach the composite architec tural monument which has 80 long been a disgrace to our city, was the usual air of shiftiess indolence and lack of thrifty neatness, Dirt and litter are the distinguishing characteristics of all the approaches to Washington Market; nor do they disappear as one enters its imposing and artistically decorated walls, Disorder and untidiness seem born from its low position, its defective drainage and entire ab- sence of ventilation, It was no better yesterday, in the gloom of a close, cloudy atmosphere, re- quiring the use of gas, No place could well suggest more perfect compliance with all the conditions known to induce and foster those diseases with which the season threatens us, POSTPONING THE ABATEMENT, Under the urgency of the resolution of the Sank tary Board those interested in continuing the gat- ter stands sent a deputation to use their per- suasive powers. upon the . President of the Board and the Mayor, So effective was their eloquence that the Mayor was induced to advise a delay of summary measures by the Commissioner of Public Works till the opinion of the Counsel to the Corporation could be procured upon legal points. It was also reported that the President of the Board of Health consented to a further delay of forty-eight hours before the execu- tion of the mandate of destruction or removal. SERKING LEGAL LIGHT. A HeRaLp reporter called on Commissioner Van Nort yesterday afternoon to learn his action tn the premises. That oficer stated tnat he labors under two restrictions which for the present tle his hands, First, he lacks money, He has in hands for abating all nuisances throughout the city only a trifing amount, wholly msufficient to pay for the labor demanded to free Washington Mar- ket of its unsightiy and offensive excrescences. Second, the couns for the marketmen has served upon him a notice anda tion order made some years ago by Judge Barnard forbidding the Board of L th, its officers and servants, from molesting or interfering with the market booths. Commissioner Van Nort therefore yesterday despatched to the Counsel for the Cor- poration a letter, of which the following 18a copy :— Orrico tx Commissions or Funtic WoxEs,} New ¥ y 18, 1873, vixen 8 Counsel to the Corporation :— rinarke erein enclosed, was received by the 10th inst.” The purties referred to were duly jed to move, and, upon applica: fa committee of aarketmen, further ‘action was delayed for one week. Yesterauy the papers B.C, Dand E were delivered to mo by A. K. Lawrence, Ir, he claiming that the injunc- tion fy still in force, and all persons are prohibited from or removing the stalls or stands mentioned Please, ut your earliest convenience, in- Hon, Dena in said form me, First~-Whether or not the Board of Health have full power and authority to remove the stalls and stands nnd and fn the vicinity of Washington Market, whea declared by them as being nuisan Second—Whether or not the Commissioner of Public Works is authorized, 1p femovsy us aforesaid, at the re- of the Board of Health. d—Can, or could, the Commissioner of Public Works e such’ stands as encumbrances and obstacles in the streets and sidewalks? Pourth--ls the injunction order, referred to in the ac- + And are ail present ng papers, still in force Sflelals hindered and protibited by said iujunetion or ve me your der from acting in the premises? es) kindness to Fifth—Piease also have the ane Pa 3 pas at city of New York, Saat and sidewalks in. mn Sartieularly Thoxp near to, and ecnticted with, the sev- eral markets, Yours, respectfully, sy None Commissioner of Public Works. missioner stated that no action will be taken Syne Department to carry out the order uf the Board of Health until nc has the advice of, the. Law Oficer of the Corporatjon. LOOKING UB Nite LAW, On calling at the office of the Corporation Counsel Mr. Smith was secertalned to be out of the city, but his assistant, Mr. Andrews, informed the repre- sentative ‘of the Hfxnaip that he had just received the request of the Commissioner of Pablic Works and was engaged, with bis clerks, in hanting for the various charters, statutes, opinions and decisions bearing on the | case, He said there were many and tangfed complications involved in it, and some days would be consumed before a full survey of the subject conid be completed, so as to enable the Counsel to safely advise the exeentive officers o/ the city in a matter of such importance. Probably it will be the middig, of the week, if not its end, before his report wil enabie Commissioner Van Nort and the Board of Health to know the views of the Corporation Coun- sei upon their powers and duties {n the matter, THE NUISANCE TO CONTINUE. * Meanwhile, and as much longer as the power, in- fluence and money of the outside holders can and abating stay the necessary work of Cepia: & nuisance which threatens the whole city, the booths will remain, in spite of vain talk about re- ducing the limits in which they Lge a upon the roadway. Under the floor of their front runs the choked and noisome sewer. There is the main cause of stench, and that can only be amended by the entire removal of the booths, As to the ob- struction of air and cutting off the market proper from ventilation, this, too, is a matter not to be helped by reducing the depth of the stands, To give the market air the entire sidewalks require to be cieared. THE TRUE REMEDY. Market men as well as citizens generally agree that the only way to make Washington ‘ket clean, tidy, attractive, destitute of offensive smell and free from danger of breeding pestilence, is to replace the old, rotten, tumble-down shell with @ modern edifice of tron, stone or brick, properly constructed, drained, ventilated, lighted and supplied with water. Suclia building could be kept clean and sweet, while the opposite condi- tions are inseparable trom the present one, which is a standing and monstrous disgrace to the great- est city of America, ALLEGED POISONING BY MISTAKE, Yesterday afternoon Coroner Young received in- formation that Ellen Baumen, a woman sixty-three years of age, had died the evening previous, at her residence, 415 West Thirty-ninth street, from the gffects of a dose of medicine which she had swal- lowed, the medicine, as alleged, having been pro- cured at the drug store of Julius Boetschman, 515 Ninth avenue. The nature of the medicine alleged to have been sold to deceased did not appear, and it 1s possible death resulted from other causes than those stated. Deputy Coroner Marsh will make a post-mortem examination on the bedy of the de- ceased to-day, and thus definitely determine from what disease Mrs. Baumen died. RUN OVER IN BROADWAY AND KILLED, During an alarm of fire in the lower part of the city yesterday afternoon, while the engines and trucks were hastening to the place indicated by the signal, an unknown woman, about twenty-five years of age, dressed in the garb of a domestic, cross Broadway, at Cortlandt street a tne ongeas remonst f OMeer Fraser, ofthe 7 the wom: Trance o} way squad, and others, Seeing Broadway ‘was ih lominens dangers fire. man seized and attempted to drag her back, but in doing so both of them were knocked down ty fire truck No. 10 and run o ‘The woman was so terribly Injured that she died soon aiterward while being conveyed to the Twenty-seventh pre- ation house. Tue body was subsequentl: cine! taken to the Morgue, where Coroner Kowaan wil hold an inonest.