Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-03
DISPOSAL Of GARBAGE
Improved Sanitary Methods in Use Here
and Abroad
The System of orenat,sa Ha. Proved
Practical and to p, Free From
Objectionable Features.

From the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal.
Within the past ten years or more public
attention has been aroused to the necessity
Of better methods of disposing of the offal,
garbage and refuse of cities than those
which had hitherto existed. In inland cities
especially. the collection and final disposal
of the putrescible material resulting from
the waste of hotels, restaurants, boarding
houses and private families has proved a
serious question to local boards Of health
until radical measures were adopted to rem
edy the evil The ancient swill cart, with
it's leaky contents. travelling slowly through
inhabited streets. proved to be a nuisance,
which the authorities were often importuned
to abate. No less Objectionable was the
feeding of such material to domestic ami
mails. In Massachusetts, a statute was en-
acted in 1880 prohibiting the feeding of
such garbage to milch cows but no bar was
imposed upon its use as food for swine, not
withstanding the fact that Investigations Of
the state board of health upon several thou
sand hogs fed upon the offal produced by
the city Of Boston showed that thirteen per
cent Of these animals. when slaughtered for
use as food. proved to be infected with
trichinae. Epidemics Of this disease occur
red in the state in 1892 resulting in the loss
Of several human lives.
In seaboard cites a partial remedy had
been effected by towing the material out to
sea, leaving 1t to be disposed Of at q distant
point from the shore. Objections have been
made to this method. in consequence of the
nuisance caused by floating material driven
ashore by easterly gales, and by the diff
Guilty Of such disposal in rough weather. To
remedy these evils. the plan Of burning or
otherwise treating the sarbage at a central
mot hos boon ID
eral cities in this country-at Milwaukee,
Buffalo, Providence. Detroit. st. Paul. Chi
cago, Lowell and other places. The pro-
cesses employed may practically be divided
into two classes, destruction or cremation by
nre. and rendering or treating the material
in such manner as to utilize a portion Of it,
In one Of these processes, for example, the
fat Is extracted for use In making soap and
candles, while a portion Of the remainder Is
converted into fertilizers.
Destroyed by Machinery.
England has the reputation of being the
country where the practice Of cremating
garbage originated. or, at least, where II
has been more thoroughly accomplished;
and at the present time about fifty English
sities and towns are now supplied with de-
structors of some sort or other. The first
was built at Manchester in 1878. A sum-
mary Of the operations of these establish
ments has just been published by Mr..
ShaiieS JUICES VI EdlihSs near LONDON, which
gives many facts which are worthy OF note
Mr.. Jones obtained his facts mainly by
means of circulars addrsssed to the author
tiles of many English cities and towns, and
from the replies to these circulars val
liable information may be obtained.
Omitting some Of the technical details
We find that 40 English cities were supplied
with 81 establishments, for treating oftal
garbage. refuse, &c. The area of the dis
tricts from which collections were made
varied from 4O6 acres In the densey settled
district of Whitechspel london to 21572
acres at Leeds. The largest population sup
piled by single plant was that of Liver
pool. In the case of 30 towns all Of the
house refuse is buried. In the remaining
towns part Is burned ana a portion other
wise disposed Of; In Liverpool a part is
towed out to sea. The quantity of mate
rial collected varied front 10 loads per day
In town of 10000 Inhabitants to $40 loads
per day at Birmingham.
The cost of collection exclusive of in
terest in the plant, varied from IL pence
per load at Southampton to 4 shillings O
pence per load at Battersea Zone of the
London establishments. The materials
treated In these Instructors differ according
to the circumstances and conditions pre-
vaiing in the cities where they are located.
The following summary presents the aver
age composition Of he refuse collected at
Paddington Ia district of London), as stated
by Prof. FOrbes