The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-02-20
THE DISPOSAL oE GARBAGE.
Plans for the scow Being Made
Cost of the Scheme-An
Objection.

Councilman Green. chairman, of the
committee on health and police, is pre-
pairing the plans of scow that is to
be used by the city in the disposal of
its garbage. The scow will be 70x20
feet in dimensions and win be so ar
ranged that the garbage will be dump
ed in 3 hopper and contained in a
main compartment in the middle of
the scow.
The bottom of this compartment
will be built with two large doors,
that can be let down and the contents
let out into the water. Air tight COM
partments viii be constructed around
this garbage apartment, that will rem
der the barge buoyant and make it
possible to operate the trapdoors. The
middle interior of the scow will of
course always be filed with water, and
that part of its contents which will not
sink when the doors are let down will
be allowed to float out of an end-gate
in the rear of the scow.
Captain Green's scow plan is Ger
tainly the best that can be adopted
under the circumstances, said Coun-
Gilman Durie, who is also q member
of the health and police committee,
yesterday. THE plan is to secure a
dock on the water front that will have
a sort of slip in which The scow shall
lie. The garbage wagons can 60 on to
kind of bridge over the scow and
empty the contents into the hopper.
When the scow is sufficiently full it
can be lowed out into the middle of
the Sound mot in Seattle harbor, as
some supposeD. and there discharged.
The best time to turn out the offaI
into the water will be when the tide is
about to turn, All the matter that is
sufficiently heavy will sink into one or
two hundred fathoms of water. while
that which is light will float with the
tide. There is no danger of any of the
matter floating ashore.
Everyone who is acquainted with
the action OF the tides will tell YOU
that it will go straight out 10 sea.
There can be no objection to this
plan on the ground of expense. There
are q number of t0w-boats which can
be secured to take the garbage scow
out into the Sound and return, every
day, for an average of from ST. to 81 50
per day, If yearly contract is made.
One man could be hired by the city to
take care of the scow and keep it
clean. Garbage would be carried TO
the scow by private scaven gers and
the present public teams, and the total
additional running expense could not
be more than s. per day. 1t is likely
that one scow VIII be found not OF
sufficient capscity, and two will have
TO be built.
Il think this scow plan is the only
practicable one that has been offered.
and feel quite sure that the Council
will adopt il. The Council, in line
with this plan is considering other
propositions for lettering the sanitary
condition of the city, and some radi-
cal measures may be adopted very
soon.n
OPPOSED TO THE PLAN.
II think it would be cheaper to
dump the garbage in the water said
Mr.. A. NJ. Gilman. agent Of the Seattle
Land & Iron Co., yesterday, ''but
do not consider ii the best way.
The garbage is mostly of light
nature and would about all drift
ashore and poiIute the beach for miles.
think that the best way would be to
cremate the garbage, as is done in
some other cities. Ii this cannot be
done conveniently then a system like
that in use 1t Boston should be
adopted. There the sewage is led by
a system of pipes to one spot, and is
rendered innocuous by q system of
Qualification. The residue is sold to
farmers to be used in fertilixing their
fields"