The herald., 1893-07-21
TOO MUCH UNBURNED GARBAGE
Public Works Board Inspect
the Dumping Ground.
A Cold Crematory Found and Plenty
of Outside Filth.
The Council Continues on the War
Path OF Investigation-What
the Members Found
Yesterday.

Yesterday afternoon about o'clock,
Messrs. Rhodes, Nickel, Munson and
Innes OF the board OF public works
started out from the city hall with fire
in their eyes and a slight taste for gore.
They were on an investigating trip, in
fact Investigations have been the order
OF the day with them lately. Last week
they visited the dead animal canon, and
as result, before long the present ami
NAL executioner will have lost his oc-
cupation.
Yesterday, ''like wolf on the fold"
they descended upon the city dumping
ground, which is situated at the foot OF
East Ninth street. When their pair OF
.dappled graye drew up in front of the
wooden building in which the crema-
tory is located, two scared employees
peeped out, one = gentleman OF color
from st. Louis, and the other one OF our
ordinary Angels. The members of the
council were invited into the building,
and after examining it, made thorough
investigation OF the surrounding terri
tory.
The dump ground was not a pleasing
place to visit with southern sun pour
ing down his rays as he did yesterday,
but it was long way ahead OF the
"horse heaven" where the condemned
animals OF the city meet their fate.
There are few in the city who know
what becomes of the immense amount
of garbage which daily is removed from
the hotels and restaurants. There are
no hogs In this city, as in the east to be
fattened on it, and ii the sewers were
used, in short time they would burst.
The disposition OF this garbageis made
according to written contract, which
is drawn under the sanitary conditions
of the board Of health.
The present contract reads that the
garbage shall be cremated.
At the present dumping grounds is a
wooden structure, within which is
large furnace. The wagons containing
the refuse are driven into the building
on the upper floor and their contents
dumped into the furnace through two
immense holes, over which fit circular
cast iron plates.
The garbage is not consumed by means
of coal and wood but is destroyed by
burning petroleum which is injected
through the sides of the furnace by air
pressure. After the contents OF the
furnace have been reduced to ashes they
are taken out from below and emptied
on the surrounding ground, forming in
process of time considerable piles which
are called dumps.
Some of the matter brought to the
dumping grounds is OF a nature which
cannot be destroyed by fire and this the
contract says must be buried and thor
oughly covered with earth.
The members of the board OF public
works who visited them yesterday found
matters little "rocky." There was no
fire in the crematory and it's contents
appeared about half burned, the attend
ants said, however, that they would be
ashes when eventually removed. A visit
was then made TO- the different dumps
and it was >fohnd that an area of
ground, some 60x20 feet, was liter
ally covered yEwithy nreiuse which
was in the rams stat6 I'd when it left the
different hotelk and restaurants, while
multitudes of flies whirled merrily
through the aif and had ajoily game of
cross. tagg as they returned to their feast.
Green corn ,cobs halt (eaten, fruit par
ings and watermelon rhines, mingled
indiscriminatelys with pieces of paper
and corn husks. covered the ground and
proved conclusively that fire had never
singed the hem of their garments. Here
and there over the other dumps, among
countless tin cans of every size and
shape, small whirls OF smoke arose from
places where the ashes of the cremated
garbage had been dumped.
The premises showed that while por-
ton of the refuse was burned, much
larger part was spread out in the sun to
dry. The city fathers looked at it and
then at each other and shook their
heads, as they picked their way back to
the dappied greys, and drove off with
parting salute from the colored gentle
man from st. Louis, whose worries shone
In the sunshine.