Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-02
the refuse of the city within their ter

the refuse of the city within their ter
ritory.'' ;
To Invest1gate.
Harbor Master Sutton put in an early ap-
pearance at the Commissioners Office. He
said the river was frozen over. and the
ferry boats were having considerable diff
Guilty getting through. He had investigat-
ed the garbage situation and found it bad
enough. All day yesterday he-had tried to
get scows to take the garbage away, but
was unsuccessful The owners were afraid
of the ice denoishfng their scows. Tug
boats could be obtained to break the ice,
Beggs looked over the situation yesterday,
and found it. substantially as set forth In
Mondays Star. The tee was thick near
the wharf and tt was impossible to get
Scows near it.. He could sugEest no way
out of the dffi1culty.
Commissioner Ross said. when asked
what he thought of the situation:
at is a condition not a theory that con-
fronts us. While the garbage is piled up
in large quantities on the wharf, it is
frozen, and there is no odor from 1t. You
can depend upon it that before thaw
comes the Commissioners will have that
garbage removed. We are going to deal
with this matter Immediately"
Harbor Master Sutton was dispatched
to the wharf at noon with instructions to
make a full report upon the conditions
there.
The Contract.
Health Officer Woodward, in converse
ton with Star reporter this afternoon,
said that the garbage will be removed be-
fore it is menace to the health of any
body. 1t will be removed. he said, either
by the contractor OF the District. He
recognizes the fact that 1t Is impracticable
to haul 1t over the snow and ice-covered
roads just at present, and heretofore, ne
Soi6 fhn y~oi1r dc h Uo rofl m
He referred to that portion of the contract
which reads:
''All loss CT damage due to negligence or
arising out of the nature of the work to
be done, or from any unforeseen or unusual
distractions or difficulties which may be
encountered in the prosecution of the same,
or from the action Of the elements, will be
sustained by the contractors
Under this clause he said, the contractors
are clearly liable for any loss that may be
caused by the elements. and another part
of the contract referred to reads:
"Shall transport all garbage, refuse ami
NAL and vegetable matter; condemned food
and dead animals SO collected beyond the
limits of the District of Columbia Cor in
cinerate the same at such place as the
Commissioners of the said District shall
designated"
This clause, DR.. Woodward says, imposes
upon the contractors the duty of removing
the garbage to place beyond the District
limits and this clause. he said, the Com
missioners will enforce, even if they have
to resort to the railroads
The garbage, he said, will not be Often
but, he said. there is bound to be troubled
period unless the garbage is removed be-
fore the thaw.
Dead Horses.
A Star reporter this afternoon visited the
wharf at the foot of South Capitol street.
where the dead animals are taken to be
lc AIDED on scows for removal, and also the
government wharf at the river end of G
street northwest, the spot on which the
garbage gatherers dump their collections.
A score of dead horses mules and COWS,
frozen stiff, were lying. with legs psfhting
skyward, OH the South Capitol street wharf.
There was no stencil whatsoever percepti-
Bile, but with few days or warm weather
the condition of affairs at that point would
surely become alarming. Ihe' animals nave
been accommodating for about one week, and
the pile is likely to be Increased at any
moment. There is no relief possible until
a passage s. made through the ice for the
boat which transports the carcasses W hen
the river Is free of Ice the dead animals are
started down stream within few minutes
after they reach the wharf
A gang Of men was employed today at the
edge Of the South Capitol street wharf cut
ting and pulling ashore blocks of Ice, which
were loaded into carts and taken away Tor
storage in an ice house. This was going on
within ten feet Of the carcasses, ana BY
stander remarked that the attention OF the
health officer should be called to the mat
ter, as, it was claimed, 1t is possible for the
ice to become contaminated by near ap-
proach to the animals.
Pile of Garbage.
huge pile of garbage. little short OF
200 tons, is at present located on the
street wharf, and is being added to every
few minutes, at the rate of 40 tons day.
Had it not been for the impediment to
navigation In the river, every scrap of such
refuse would disappear before nightfall
daily. The mass Is frozen throughout The
shifted to the best of his ability at
the pile from all Sides and could detect not
as much odor as is usually noticeable about
a swill barrel, but, as in the case OF the
horses. with few days or perhaps Few
hours, of milder temperature than now
prevails the state of affairs would un-
doubtedly assume dangerous aspect. Ice
at this point is about five inches thick.
Harbormaster Srtton .journeyed TO the
wharf this afternoon in company with
Capt. Henry Brown OF Baltimore. The
latter is the owner of the heavy tugs
which were employed in clearing the Po-
tomac channel during the exte ended freeze
two years ago. Although 1T would be
comparatively easy matter for such tugs
to pass through the present field Of Ice,
the conclusion was reached by Mr.. Sutton
and Capt. Brown that the Ice would cut
through the garbage scows and, render
them useless. Even were they sheathed
with iron, it was stated, they would not
then be rendered ice proof.
Harbormaster Sutton has not entertained
for moment the proposition to throw the
garbage into the river, for the reason that
it is a punishable offense to do So Thus
every one seems to be at loss what to do
in regard to the matter, but as stated. the
garbage continues to accumulate at the
rate of nearly half hundred tons per
day.
ASKED CARLISLE'S REMOVAL.
Mr.. j. Pierpont Morgan, Representing
New York Bunkers. Made the Request.