St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-07-26
A WISCONSIN SCIENTIST.
He Gives the Health Board Some
Very Practical Suggestions.


The council committee on health and
hospitals met yesterday afternoon but
transacted nothing aside from routine
business. The garbage question was
not even referred to, the committeeman
evidently desiring to allow their dead
to remain buried, at least for the time
being. A letter was received from Gen.
Eaton, of Helena. relative to his garb-
age blast furnace. but no action was
taken save to lay it Oh the table. The
com mlttee also received a cOmmunica-
ton from gentleman living in
Rice Lake. Wis. which occasiOned con-
siderable merriment. 1t was the most
unique affair the board ever had the
felicity of perusing, and in order that
the council may not miss a treat the
communication was "Spread" upon the
minutes of the meeting and will form
part of the committees report next Fri
day night. 1t is possible that Aid. Gray
may adopt some of the suggestions con-
tanned in the communications, especially
those relative to manufacturing liquors
and fire-prOOfing materials from the
city's garbage. The communication is
printed below verbatim ct literatlm:"
Gentlemen: / see in the papers that We are
having another tilt on or about the Garbage
question AS to how to dispose of it in the
ch3apest way possible From october 1887 TO
October 1891 was idle most of The time hav-
ing dislocated my Hippat that time i'll those
four years spent much time experimenting
in the winter of 1870 and 1891 | experimental
with Filth matters and wn with it so far as
could without spending Money in it and
found out that Filth matters OF all kinds (or
at least those could &c hold of contain two
very strongly uposing eliments. One is very
infiamable and the other will not Burn. at
all l think it was i'll the saltwater Prison
where some years ago some kitchen attachie
made liquer out of table and kitchen offall.
which he sold to some of the Prisoners.
This stuff too in Big cities is Put among the
garbage and thus too becomes Newcense if
not Dispose off. The experiment with Garb-
age is nasty work indeed and a person ingag-
ing IN 1t must of necessity have fair knoiage
OF chemistry and people of that stamp are
not TO work unles assuret of it least fair pay.
should therefore sugast that several large
rewoardS be offered to the successful dScov
erers OF some useful material wherein Garb
age can be uSet to good advantage in fact so
much SO as to make its economical handling
paying object. l think then some people
with fair nolage in Chemistry would find
mat the garbage could be uliliset to produce
al least usuful elimeuts, one q fuel Alcohol
and the other fire proofing material At
least my experiences led me to believe that
the reason suggest that several rewOards be
offered is because if such offers were
printed freely and quite often ADVERTISED
the price and several of them be successful,
and then if another price or prices were
offered to the newspapers through which
these successful partys gaivet their nolage
that then there would be a good incentive TO
persuade them to make mentioning in their
columns quite often.
Gentlemen. | have made the ebofe sujes-
tons in good faith, without desire or expec
tations or either thanks or other remuner
ations, and if you choose 10 question my
sanity or other carcterristics then can refer
you 10 any honorable party in this city,
for L have Iesidet here for over IA
years. And now again l am engaget as
night watch in store ownet by Knapp. Stou
d GO. This position held from 1883 to 1887
when / left it and soon after got hurt and
last fall they kindly offered it back to me
have here some spare time which use TO sci
entific experimenting ! should follow up
the experiments with garbage but have no
noiage of chemistry except what l have
picked up. 1t may he that have to visit an
oculist of your city in Exposition time and if
you wish then l should be glad to call on you
i'll person Yours most respectfully
A. G. SIcKMANN
Rice Lake Barren county Wisconsin.
p. s. l did not mein that these prices
should ne oferet by city nor a state, but by
the U. S. Government.
Rice Lake, Barren County. Wisconsin, July
S, 1892.