Good news for Yonkers. She has been delivered from a mighty nuisance. Three of the Nepperhan dams have been completely demolished and that river may now cleanse itself from the pollution which has disgraced it. People of Yonkers will feel a great relief from the fear of sickness that has tormented them because of the filthy condition of the river’s semi–stagnant waters, filled as they have been with all sorts and kinds of dirty refuse and disease provoking matter.

The Board of Health, at a meeting held in executive session on Wednesday afternoon, formally declared the dams at water powers one, two and three and their adjacent ponds a public nuisance, detrimental to health. This fact was published to the Mayor of the city, and, acting under the provisions of the charter of the city of Yonkers, vesting him with this right, the Mayor thereupon issued a warrant to the President of the Board of Health for the suppression of the nuisance.

Upon the suggestion of President Treanor of the Board of Police the warrant was issued to John Mangin, Captain of Police, who thereupon made arrangements with Contractors Ahearn, Pennell and Brechaud to engage the necessary force of laborers, and commence the destruction of the dams at 10 o’clock last night. This was done. Contractor Ahearn at dam No. 1, Contractor Pennell at dam No. 2, and Contractor Brechaud at dam No. 3, each with a force of 20 sturdy men, and guarded from interference by a portion of the police force of the city were promptly on hand and commenced the work of destruction. This they carried bravely on, and now the people of Yonkers may see the Nepperhan flowing placidly within her banks, where before were unsightly structures backed by great and filthy ponds of water.

At 9:45 p.m. Captain Mangin called Roundsmen Quinn, Woodruff, Johnstone and Patrolmen Carroll, Peter McGowan and R.M. Johnstone into his private office, and read to them the following warrant:

To John Mangin, a Policeman of the City of Yonkers, Greeting:

WHEREAS, the dam at the first water power in the Nepperhan River, in this city, and the dam at the second water power, and the dam at the third water power, in the same river, in this city, for some time past have been, and have repeatedly been declared, by the Board of Health of the city of Yonkers to be each a public nuisance, detrimental to the public health; and

WHEREAS, Pursuant to the authority vested in it, the said Board of Health has declared the said damns and adjacent ponds to be a public nuisance, detrimental to the public health, and has directed the issuance to you of this warrant commanding you to forthwith remove the said dams on the Nepperhan River, in the city of Yonkers, which are more particularly described as follows: The dam creating the first water power, the dam creating the second water power, the dam creating the third water power—

You are, therefore, authorized and commanded to forthwith suppress, abate and remove such public nuisances by tearing down the dam at the first water power on the Nepperhan River, in this city of Yonkers; the dam at the second water power on the same river, and the dam at the third water power on the same river.

In witness whereof the Board of Health of the city of Yonkers has caused this warrant to be signed by the hand of its President, at the city of Yonkers, this 30th day of November, 1892.

THE BOARD OF HEALTH OF THE CITY OF YONKERS,
PER JAMES H. WELLER, PRESIDENT.

“At 10 o’clock” said the Captain, “Contractor Ahearn, with 20 men will be at the first water power. Roundsman Quinn and Patrolman Peter McGowan go there and protect them. At water power number two, Contractor Pennell with a like number of men will be at work. Roundsman Woodruff and Officer Carroll will see that they are not bothered. At the third water power, contractor Pennell [sic] and his men will work. Roundsman Johnstone and Patrolman Johnstone will protect them. No one has the power to stop the work. Do not leave till the dams are leveled.”

The men left for their destinations. As the clock struck, 10 gangs of men were seen to leave work on Main street and with numerous lanterns wend their way toward the dams with picks, shovels and crowbars upon their shoulders. The gates were first opened and the water poured out of the ponds in volumes which were soon emptied and the work of destruction began.

It was slow work at first. The cold weather had frozen the wall of the dams into one solid mass as it were. The aprons were first removed, being cut away with axes. Then the men pitched in with heavy crowbars, and one by one the huge stones were pried off and fell into the stream below.

The news that the dams were being destroyed spread like wildfire about the city, and soon a large number of persons gathered to watch the work of destruction. They could obtain but a passing glance, as the officers kept them moving and would allow no one to stand.

By midnight a fair start had been made and about one third of each dam had been removed. At this hour the men stopped work for a few minutes and were given sandwiches and a little spirits to wash them down. At 12:30 the men were again at work, and they labored with a will. As we go to press, the dams were nearly all demolished.

The action of the Board of Health in making this move met with universal satisfaction. Groups of men would congregate near the scene, and the universal expression was “The dams should have come down years ago.”