The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-10-05
HOW TO GET RID OF GARBAGE,
Incinerating Furnaces in Operation
Throughout Eastern States.
smith System said 10 BE Sanitary in the
Highest Sense-Adopted
in Washington.

AprOpOs the recent agitation regard
ing the disposition of garbage, and
which the cholera epidemic makes
immediate action imperative, it may
be of interest to record some facts
about incinerating furnaces now in
use in different cities in the caste rn
part of the United States.
The plant adopted by the Washing
ton, ID. c., commissioners, and which
will be in working order during mex
month, is known as the Smith fur
mace and is now in operation in Phil
adelphia, Wheeling, Muncie and At
Iantic City. The Smith furnace con-
sists of two connected retorts or cham
bers, each Of which is provided with
a regenerative furnace through which
all OF the uncOnsumed gases and
vapors pass in contact with highly
heated friedrich, and are completely
sterilIzed, thus destroying all disease
germs and noXiCus Odors. The liquids
of the garbage are decOmposed by
intense heat, and hydrogen gas
evolved, which furnishes additional
combustible matter, so that the garb-
age itself supplies a large percentage
of the fuel consumed. The furnace is
supplied with artificial gas made from
a cheap grade of coal, culm and slack
being utilized for this purpose.
1t is claimed for this system OF dis
posing of garbage that it is sanitary i'm
the highest and broadcast sense of the
word, there being no offensive odors
emitted from the stack of the furnace.
The furnace is prepared for use by
heating the two chambers in an in
candescent stage by means of the arti-
fetal gas generated, after which the
chamber is filled with garbage. The
heat produced acts on the garbage in
the chamber, driving out the water
and reducing il to a charred mass.
The products of combustion pass out
through the checkered brick work,
which is also red hot, and the gases
are decomposed, thus doing away with
Objectionable odors.
While the contents of this furnace
are being consumed, garbage is empti-
ed into the second furnace, where il is
partially dried by the flames passing
through it at the time. When the
mass in the first furnace is completely
incineTated the direction of the flame
produced by the burning gas is re-
versed 80 that it operates upon the
second furnace, which has just been
filled with garbage. At the same
time furnace No. i is again filled,
so that its contents may become
warm and dry by the hot air
passing through. Thus while one
furnace load OF garbage is being in
cinerated, the mass in the adjoining
one is being prepared for incarceration
by the heat and gas generated in the
other.
1t is further claimed for the Smith
furnace that its operation is absolutely
odorless, and cannot be Objectionable
to q neighborhood. The capacity of
the furnace will vary from so to 100
tons a day, working most economi-
cally where the most garbage is re-
duced. Liquid matter and garbage is
destroyed, and the vessels in which
the garbage is collected may be rinsed
out over the furnace, the water rum
ming into the combustion chamber,
where it is Immediately evapOrated
and carried off.