The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-05-27
LONDON RUBBISH.
How It Is Brought Again Into
Useful Channels.


If any of our readers are in the habit
Of passing contractors or towns
yard, he will, perhaps, remember per-
ceiving, alongside the outer walls. a
busy scene going on, which he can not
exactly make out. A crowd of women
toiling and moiling amid heaps of rub
bish, two or three barges laden with
vegetable refuse, he can distinguish
plainly enough, but it is not until he
sees string of dustcarts slowly wend-
ing their way towards the distant
wharf, that the thought flashes upon
his mind that the busy human ants he
has been watching are scavengers,
sorting and arranging the refuse of the
great towns and cities. There is moth
ing particularly attractive in scaven-
gers yard: neither the sights nor the
smells are pleasant; nevertheless, the
scene that here meets his eye, repellant
as it is, could not exist in any other
than high state of civilization. When
we think of it, the dust bin is the tomb
of the householder; it is the grave into
which all our domestic surroundings
inevitably sink. Of old, in the ruder
states of society, this dust and refuse
found its final rest in mother earth;
but with us, its removal by the scaven-
ger is only the first stage of its eleva-
ton to higher existence, if we may
so speak. In detail, as it exists in
every household, it is a nuisance to be
got rid of; in the aggregate. it becomes
. valuable commodity, to be re-im-
ported into our arts and manufactures.
As the great numbering carts arrive
IN dust-contractor's yard, their con-
tents are emptied into isolated heaps.
No sooner does this take place, than
they are each in detail attacked by
] grisny men, who remove all the larger
,xrticles, such as vegetable matter, old
'coal-scuttles, old crinolines-or rather
crinolettes-old hats and old garments.
This is kind of rough sitting which
prepares the heap for the attacks of
the women, who instantly settle upon
every heap like flock of crows that
may happen to spy any carrion in a
field. Each woman as she settles upon
the heap comes sieve in hand and
spreads around her a number of bas-
kets; the man now fills the sieve and
the process of separating the dust-heap
into its elements begins. The first few
shakes of the sieve throw down all the
line ashes and the coal dust. This de-
tritus becomes very valuable COM
modify when collected and put to its
right use. 1t is used by brick-makers
TO mix with the clay, and does It's part
in the ultimate baking of the brick.
In the neighborhood Of most of our
railways our readers may have noticed
vast heaps of fine black dust burning
with slow combustion and with much
smoke. These heaps consist Of bricks
which are being baked. They are
placed in rows little apart, and their
interstices are filled with the fine
breeze, as the coal-ashes are termed;
light is set below, and
gradually the whole mass fires
70 dull red heat, the breeze
intimately mixed with the clay helping
70 bake the inside. of the brick in the
most perfect manner without vitrify-
ing i. The breeze is the most valu-
able portion of the dust, and it rises
or falls in value according to. the
amount Of building going on and to
the rate of its production; in the sum-
mer but little, comparatively, is made.
Coal-dust, it must be remembered, is
entirely a distinct refuse from road
uast, which also possesses q certain
value, as we shall show by-and-by.
mhen all the finer refuse has passed
through the sieve, the larger and
% coarser articles remain upon the top.
ihere glisten some pieces of broken
PASS this, of course, only requires to
oe remelted to be put once more into
circulation in the world. Considering
.ae brittle nature of this material and
me enormous quantities of it employed,
= is Fortunate that it is almost inde-
suuctble. When we break window
se only alter the arrangement of its
paftlcles. Broken into a thousand
pieces, it remains as good glass as
sseri ume will not touch it. The rem
aants OF glass that are found among
,ae Roman remains that have been
lng IN the ground for two thousand
n, inesas, are as fit for the glass-pot as
~: Aougn 1t had been made yesterday;
pu'sls aa and old bottles are rarely even
al 1Ppea. hence they are merely washed
aa = 'hey pass again into the drawers
pa 'le chemist or apothecary.
ones form another constant contri-
s'On 70 the sieve. and a valuable