ALBANY, July 12, 1898 Hon. FRANK S. BLACK, Governor of the State of New York, Albany, N. Y.: Dear Sir-I have the honor to enclose herewith for your information, copies of two reports made to this Board by Prof. Olin H. Landreth and Orville Lewis, covering their examination of plants located on Barren Island. Very respectfully, BAXTER T. SMELZER, Secretary STATE OF NEW YORK, EXECUTIVE CHAMBER. ALBANY, July 20, 1898 BAXTER T. SMELZER, M. D., Albany, N. Y.: Dear Sir-I am directed by the Governor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter regarding the Barren Island matter, together with report. Very truly yours, WM. M. GRIFFITH, Private secretary CATSKILL SHALE BRICK AND PAVING CO. ALBANY, October 12, 1897 Honorable State Board of Health, Albany, N. Y.: Sirs-I enclose you herewith a petition, a letter, and some samples concerning an alleged nuisance in Catskill, N. Y. The Governor is anxious that you should investigate that matter and make a report thereon with a view of mitigating the so-called nuisance if possible. The samples which I herewith send of bolts show the effect of the smoke and gas during ten days exposure. The samples in the envelope show the effect of the smoke and gas in a chamber in one night. Very truly yours, WM. M. GRIFFITH, Private secretary ALBANY, October 12, 1897 Hon. FRANK S. BLACK, Governor of the State of New York, Albany: Dear Sir-I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 12th inst., with enclosures in the matter of an alleged nuisance caused by smoke and gas from the Catskill Shale Brick and Paving Company, of Catskill, N. Y., with the request that this Board investigate as to the conditions complained of and report the result of such investigation. In reply you are informed that the matter will receive immediate attention. Very respectfully, BAXTER T. SMELZER, Secretary CATSKILL SHALE BRICK AND PAVING COMPANY To the Governor: The undersigned citizens of the village of Catskill respectfully represent: That they are residents and property owners within said village, owning and occupying real estate for residence purposes on the southern part of Main street and in the neighborhood immediately adjacent thereto. That said Main street in this vicin ity has been used for residence purposes only for 50 years or more. That some three years ago a company called the Catskill Shale Brick and Paving Company purchased a tract of land lying along the Catskill creek and adjoining the properties of sev eral of your petitioners, and erected thereon a large plant for the manufacture of paving brick from shale. That the establishment of said plant at this place was protested against at the time, and the assurance was given by said company to interested parties and through the press that no soft coal would be used in its operation and no gases or foul odors allowed to escape therefrom. That said plant consists of one large building, containing heavy machinery for the crushing and grinding of shale and pressing the same into bricks, and 10 specially con structed kilns for burning the brick, each kiln having 24 neys. That an intense heat is maintained in said times, both day and night, soft coal being used for fuel, and the machinery in said large building is very frequently run in the night-time. That by the operation of said machinery great and unnecessary noise is made and created, very trying to the nerves of your petitioners and their families and rendering it impossible for them to sleep at night. That said kilns constantly give out great quantities of heavy black smoke and coal gas and noisome and foul smells and odors, which said smoke, gas and odors, owing to the location, construction and method of operating said kilns, are carried directly into the houses and living and sleeping rooms of your petitioners at all hours, both day and night, making it necessary for them to keep doors and windows closed and causing much sickness and ill health to your said petitioners and their families. That this condition has prevailed continuously for the last two years and over, except for a few months last winter when the works were shut down owing to a change of ownership. That said works are now operated by an incorporated company known as the Eastern Paving Brick Company. That during the summer of 1896 an effort was made to secure the abatement of said nuisance and deferred on the promise of the company to remedy the same, which the said company and its successor has utterly failed and neglected to do. That in the course of such proceeding a great number of affidavits were obtained verifying the complaint and detailing some of the features of said nuisance and filed with the State Board of Health, which said affidavits are hereby referred to and made part of this petition. That the operation of said works and plant by the said Eastern Paving Brick Company constitutes and is a nuisance to and in the locality wherein it is situated. Your petitioners therefore pray that you require the State Board of Health to make an examination into the said nuisance and proceed in relation thereto as provided by section 6 of the Public health law. And your petitioners will ever pray. Dated at Catskill, N. Y., the 21st day of July, 1897. Jno. L. Driscoll and family, B. F. Conkling and family, G. B. Bentis, F. S. Lynes and family, G. A. Howard, D. D., John H. Van Hosen and family, Edward Crispell, Geo. N. Brandow, G. W. Besadors, Benjamin Wey (p. L. B. W.), A. A. Lounsbey, H. S. Scutt, J. L. Spoor, Wm. Kruger, Charles Egnor, A. Van Pieper, C. G. Hazard, pastor Presbyter ian church, Clark Lynes, Henry B. Spencer, W. E. Thorpe, IN THE MATTER OF THE INVESTIGATION OF THE STATE BOARD OF HEALTH INTO AN ALLEGED NUISANCE CAUSED BY THE EASTERN PAVING BRICK COMPANY AT CATSKILL, NEW YORK. To the State Board of Health: Gentlemen-In pursuance of an order of the Governor directing the State Board to investigate into the said nuisance, your committee appointed for that purpose met at the Irving House, Catskill, N. Y., July 21, 1898, and after considering the complaint of the petitioners visited the locality and works where said nuisance was alleged to exist and made a personal inspection of the After observing and inquiring into the methods employed in the manufacture of paving brick at such place, your committee notified the petitioners and the superintendent and other persons representing the manufacturing establishment, that a formal hear ing would be given at which both sides would be represented. same. Many lay witnesses, physicians and health officers of the vil lage of Catskill were examined in behalf of the petitioners, and such witnesses and representatives of the establishment as appeared were also examined under oath and their testimony reduced to writing. The Eastern Paving Brick Company is a corporation engaged in the manufacture of paving brick at Catskill, N. Y. Its officers are H. P. Ells, president; Jonathan Potter, vice-president; B. G. Borem, general manager, and James F. Hughes, secretary and treasurer. The brick manufacturing establishment complained of was constructed in July, 1894. The company that constructed the plant failed and the plant is now leased by the Eastern Paving Brick Company from the Woodland Avenue Savings and Loan Company of Cleveland, who are the trustees of the bonds of the Catskill Shale Brick and Paving Company. The plant is situated along Catskill creek and between said creek and the main street of said village which has the same general direction as the creek and has a frontage of about 700 feet along the creek. The main street is much higher than the creek, and on a level with the tops of the chimneys extending from the brick kilns. There are ten kilns each having 24 chimneys. The process of manufacturing is briefly described as follows: The shale is obtained from the hills some ten or eleven miles from the village on the line of the Catskill Mountain Railway and is brought down by cars over the road to the plant and dumped over trestles. The clay is brought from Leeds some four miles away in much the same manner. The shale is passed into what are called dry pans, crushed and then taken over belts and passed through screens so that the finer material may fall through. This with the clay is then taken into what is called a pug mill and is there pugged or mixed, then it is carried on again by the endless belts and passed through another pug mill and from there to the brick machines. It goes into the brick machines in a mass more or less damp, and is passed out under steam through a die the proper size. From the brick machine it is passed over another endless belt and carried into what is called a side cutter which cuts the bricks into shape. The bricks are then put on to a car and taken into the dryers to take out the dampness. They are then taken and placed into kilns fired slowly at first until the kiln is gotten up to its proper degree of heat and kept at that |