The herald., 1893-07-23
A HORSE CREMATED.
A Model Way OF Disposing OF Dead An
imals.

a mOdel way OF DfspOsfng OF Dead An
imals.
Yesterday at half past IL O'Clock
two carriages left the city hall filed
with councilmen intent on again visiting
the city dumps.
The occasion of their visit this time
was to be present at the cremation of
horse, and judge from the methods
used whether the contractors were in a
position to satisfactorily dispose Of all
dead animals which the city would con-
sign to them.
The contractors, Ramish q Marsh,
had on hand a grey horse.
The councilmanic party, consisting of
President Teed, Messrs. Innes, Rhodes,
Peseel, Munson, ex-Councilman Collins,
Health Officer Powers, City Clerk Luck
enbach and the press representatives ar
rived on the ground about o'clock
They were shown around the cremstory
and all it's different appliances explained
to them.
The CARCASS OF the horse was resting in
dead animal wagon on the upper floor
of the building, and when the upper lid
OF the furnace was removed it was swung
into sea of seething flame at exactly
l rs O'Clock.
The lid was shut down and the re-
mains left inside to the mercy of the de-
vOuring element. Nothing extraordinary
took place after the body had been
placed within the furnace beyond an ad-
ditional amount OF black smoke from
the chimney. There was no smell of
burning flesh which could be noticed.
Naturally as the animal was thrown in
there was an odor of singed hair, but
when the lid sank back into its place all
that disappeared.
The councilmen wandered around and
exchanged notes. They became wearied
at the monotony and at last proposed
that q reporter, or perhaps in lieu, one
of the dogs present, be thrown in, to
help cremate the horse and hell make
time. They probably supposed the
gasses generated by each would help cre-
nation. The proposition was, however,
overruled and some Of the party are still
living to tell the tale. So the minutes
rolled on. Some of the party, amongst
which was Health Officer Powers,
strolled out to the dumps.
They Investigated thoroughly, and
nowhere could they discover an odor.
The dumps are in fine condition now,
having been covered with chloride of
lime and are sprinkled with it three
times week. The contractors are will
ling to dig a deep trench and bury this
mixed matter, If the council 30 orders,
and cover it up completely with earth.
All this time the never-ceaBing flames
were turning into ashes the carcass of
the horse lying in the crematory fur
mace. . The time approached, however,
for the raising of the lid, and exactly
at IL minutes to 2 O'Clock the interior
of the furnace was exposed to view.
What remained of the horse was simply
mass of blackened matter, which on
the touch of a poker subsidized into
ashes. Only the bones Iemained, and
they were go calcined BY the intense
heat that they were of the consistency
of chalk.
The poor old horse, who day before
yesterday was gaily nibbling tips of
alfalfa, only remained as a blackened
mass of fertilizing matter. The furnace
at the city crematory is supplied with an
apparatus which facilitates the consump.
tion of all matter thrown into it. Petro-
leum is used instead of common fuel
and the oil is forced in at the rate of
from go to 80 gallons a day, according to
the amount of garbage and refuse thrown
in.
The flow from each of the six injectors
which at present surround the crema-
tory is one-eixteenth of an inch in di-
ameter, and the oil is forced into the
furnace by pressure of 25 pounds. IS
The draft is 90 arranged that it oscil-
lates back and forth, and by this means
the burning oil, which enters inssthe
form of a spray, is carried over and
through the offal desired to be cremated.
The councilmen were entirely satis-
fed with the exhibition. and drove off
behind their pair of spanking bays in a
great good humor.
1t took just "a minutes to reduce q
horse weighing 1400 pounds to bone and
ashes, and that was done without any
obnoxious smell pervading the neigh
borhood. When this disposition of the
city's dead animals is compared with
that hole of iniquity which at present
exists in the cafion back of the Arroyo
seco, it would seem that both for the
benefit of the neighborhood and the
general health OF the city, the PROPOSE
tion of cremation is one which should
be quickly decided upon by the council.