Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-01
short Paragraphs.
CLEANING GLASGOW STREETS.
A System That Might Well BE Follow
ed Out Elsewhere.

From the Chicago Journal.
An article in Paving and Municipal En-
cheering contains brief description by
Louis H. Gibson of the way in which the
city of Glasgow is kept clean, and 1t would
be we'll for our officials to examine into the
system. of which the writer speaks in the
highest terms. So far as the streets are
concerned,a member of the Glasgow street.
cleaning department said that it was q
mere matter of sweeping and gathering up.
This work is pursued with such thorough
ness that Ii leaves little to be desired. All
rubbish, garbage and manure is taken to
cleansing stations, of which there are three
in the city. Each load of the stuff is
weighed and the time of its arrival is
marked down, so that the record will show
whether wagon has been over under
loaded, and whether it's trips have been
made at proper intervals.
Let us suppose now that a wagon has
come in with mosaic of ashes, offal, AMI
the miscellaneous household rubbish that is
gathered from galvanized iron receptacles
in Glasgow and from utterly ineXcusable
wooden boxes in Chicago. One load is
dumped near an opening which leads to a
large revolving screen that IS made of
metal perforated with holes about one inch
and half In diameter, AMI that looks like
an immense revolving coffee roaster. When
the refuse reaches this screen the dust and
ashes and particles of coal and cinder pass
through and fall upon board set at an III
cline. Here a separation occurs, the light
er stuff dropping into a hopper below and
the humps OF coal and cinder RAISING over
to a landing arranged for them.
The coal that is saved in this manner
more than sufHces to keep the cleansing
works going, though the material handled
in one of these houses every night amounts
to 300 tons Another source of profit Is the
mixture of ashes, street manure and the
product of vault cleaning, which is sold
for fertiliZing purposes, ami brings in Sin)-
600 during the year. As the total cost of
the department is only 500, 00O this is a very
large saving for the rity.
The bulky rubbish which does not PASS
through the screen is carried eff by a drag
belt. Bones are sold as fertilizer, bottles
and metal as junk, and cans have the tin
and solder melted from them. What then
remains is burned in furnaces that have
been built especially for this work.
The mechanical contrivanceS that have
been mentioned serve their purpose admira-
bly, and deserve consideration, but there is
another factor in the cleaning of Glas-
COWS streets and alleys that Is of still
greater Importance. That is the public
spirited manner in which the work is per
formed. a member of the town council
said to Mr.. Gibson: Il am quite dishearten-
ed at the work there is ahead of us. True
We have done a great deal, yet so much
remains to be done that 1t is quite disturbing
to contemplate it," This was not a cry OF
despair. 1t was rather recognition of re-
sponsibility, behind which was the determi-
nation to succeed. AS Mr.. Gibson says, il
was Indicative of splendid spirit; the
spirit that makes clean streets and keeps
order of sanitation, that protects the peo-
pie and leads them in the direction of more
comfortable living. Would that we had
more of ii in Chicago