Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-24
FIGHTING THE SMOKE.
Efforts in Chicago to Abate the Black
Cloud Over the City.
CLEAN CLOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE
Where Every Stack Belches Forth Its Quota
of Greasy SCOT.
REFORMS NOW UNDER CONSIDERATION

CHICAGO, March 23-The movement fol
the suppression of the smoke nuisance in
Chicago is meeting with success. No city
in the country, perhaps none in the world,
produced more smoke than Chicago. The
offense had become unbearable. A black
cloud, like pail, hung over the city from
morning until night. The town looked
grimy and greasy, and the people could not
have been more uninviting if they had spent
the winter in farmers smokehouse. Clean
clothing was out of the question. A new
sait turned gray within "a hours, and a
fresh collar was black before the wearer
could get to his place of business
The impossibility of maintaining a re-
spectacle appearance developed habit of
slovenliness in dress that was painful to a
visitor. Because a collar was so soon soiled
there was little to be gained by changing it,
so the average business man wore the
dirty covering of his neck day after day.
Men did not shave when the beard began to
show, because the inconsistency in appear
ance would have excited comment. The
Health Commissioner, in his last report to
the CITY Council, said: 1.-THE all-prevading
smoke permeates every home and saturates
the air we breath, the water we drink and
the food we eat. The most sacred precincts
of every home are defled; the very founts
from which infancy draws its sustenance
are polluted.
Curing without a Prescription.
A city cannot live and prosper under such
conditions as these. Notwithstanding the
Health Department of the city government
realized the magnitude of the smoke nuis-
ance, it was powerless to prevent or lessen
the smoke. In the first place the depart
ment had no remedy for the disease. 1t
went about commanding a cure without
offering any prescription. Manufacturers
and other producers Of smoke became sullen
and defiant under repeated prosecutions.
They paid the. fines levied against them, but
continued to smoke. They could do moth
ing else unless they went out Of business.
Many accepted the alternative and moved
to suburban towns that were willing to eat
and drink smoke to gain business. 1t be-
came question demanding serious con-
sideration whether the exodus would not in
time affect the prosperity of Chicago.
1t was under these circumstances that the
Society for the Prevention of Smoke was
organized by the leading business men of
the city. 1t elected an active young news
paper man, Edward J. Phelps, Secretary,
who is practically Manager. An expert
White, was obtained at Dunkirk, n. Y,
and a staff OF assistant engineers and in
spectors was added. The active work of the
society was begun January 26, last Pro-
ceedings against offenders were begun about
February 9. The first offenders whose
premises were examined were those who
sent applications for advice. There have
been about 20 such applications to date, and
in reply Is reports have been sent.
How Examinations Are Made.
Examinations and reports are made some
what as follows: An inspector or engineer
is sent to examine the premises, and spends
from three to four hours at the plant If he
concludes that he can make report which
will enable the owner to make sIch changes
as will abate or lessen the smoke, he does so;
if not he refers to some well-known engineer,
who can make a more detailed examina-
tion. The information which the inspector
acquires covers the following ground: APP
proximate size of the building served by the
boilers: number of steam elevators, with
size, bore and stroke of cylinders: number
of steam pumps, with size, bore and stroke
of cylinders: number, kind and size of boil
ers, with rated horse power, if water tube
boilers: square feet of CRATE surface per
boiler; height Of the furnace from CRATES to
boiler SHE'LL depth of ashpit; inside capac-
1lN OF C0lmneNs. nelgHI Ol chimney from
CRATES; special furnace or burner used; kind |
of coal and how much to do the heaviest
work required.
The inspector returns to the Office and, |
after full consultation with the consulting |
engineer draws his report, which is imme- |
diatelv forwarded to the offender. The So |
ciety is now sending out reports at the rate |
of about 80 week. To offenders who have |
not sought the assistance OF the society, no.
tifcations have been sent These have |
been in keeping with the expressed wish of |
the directors of the society, and have been |
sent first, to the steam users, who were the !
worst offenders in the business district of |
Chicago.
Offenders Asked to Stop Smoking. |
Eighty of these notifications have been |
sent out When the offender has not an |
swered this communication within seven |
days a second has been sent. This was in
the nature of a. personal letter from the So |
ciety through the secretary. 1t was drawn |
in courteous, but fairly pointed language, |
and in it the offender is asked whether the |
society shall infer from his silence that he |
does not wish its assistance. L: is intimated |
to him that, if he is unwilling to accept as
sistance, methods will be used which will |
be equally unpleasant to him and the So
ciety, which the society would be loath to
adopt. Eighteen of these second notifca-
tions have been sent out, and replies have
been received from all but one. Four third |
notifications have been sent out. These are
in the form OF plain statement that, un-
less the communication be answered, the |
offender will be prosecuted.
Tests of five devices used or roailroads |
have been made. Three of the five practi-
cally abated the smoke when in use. With
one exception they make so much noise that |
engineers do not like to keep them in oper-
a.ion. The single exception was that
OF an appliance used on the Wa
bash road. 1t was devised by the super
intendent OF motive power of the road ard
was as successful as could be expected of
any device. The only opposition, prac-
tically, which the society has encountered |
has come from the owners of tugboats, the |
worst offenders in the city. The society
has undertaken to show them that the nui-
sance can be abated on their boats and is
now engaged in attaching a device to tug
boat, which will be tested in few days.
The Nuisance Can Be abated.
Secretary Phelps says that about three
out OF every five offenders require actual
evidence that their chimneys are smoking
before they will permit an examination of |
their premises. 1t has required as many as
four men to watch the stacks of offenders at |
different times during the day to convince
the owners that smoke was issuing from |
their stacks. In the majority of cases the
society has met with hearty cooperation.
Mr.. Phelps concludes with the indorse-
ment of the directors OF the society that the |
smoke nuisance in Chicago can be abolished
As rule the causes Of smoke are such as
can be easily and ine1pensively removed by