The Stench of the Fairhaven Mudflats
Citizens demand immediate action to address the foul refuse dumping ground north of Harris Street.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Immediate action should be taken, and that at once, to stop the throwing of refuse into the bay just north of Harris street. During the day, the heat being warm, the stench rising from the mudflats was almost unbearable. For some time past, it has been used for the dumping grounds for the residents and hotels, and at low tide, the presence of the old tin cans and other refuse brings disgrace to the general appearance of the city. Until some general system for disposing of this matter is adopted, it should be burned; by so doing, the citizens of Fairhaven will not only remove an eye-sore, but will also accomplish another good by the best means of preserving the public health.
“The stench rising from the mudflats was almost unbearable.”
This early environmental complaint highlights the tension between rapid urban growth in 1890 and the basic sanitation required for a liveable city. The fight over who keeps the waterfront clean remains a foundational civic issue for the region.
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