Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-27
A New Difficulty in the Way Of
Burning Garbage.
HEARING BEFORE TEE COMMISSIONERS
The Contractor Declines to Accept
the Smith Furnace.
ASKS FOR HIS RFEIT

| The statement in yesterdays Star that
| the Commissioners had selected the Smith
| system of cremation for disposing Of the
garbage Of Washington was fully cor
| roborated this afternoon. 1t seems that
after the contractor was. notified Of the
Commissioner action he was also in
| formed that unless the contract was en-
| tered into and signed by him today the
Commissioners would consider him In the
| light of a defaulting contractor and declare
| his deposit of 1000 forfeit, and readvertise
| for new bids.
The Stars exclusive publication yesterday
brought matters to focus. and the con-
tractor hastened to the Commissioners and
| made arrangements for a public hearing.
The Commissioners were willing, and
shortly after o'clock today the board
! met Mr.. Henry E. Davis, attorney for the
&C ntractor appeared and argued the case
at length. He put in evidence the following
interesting correspondence on the subject
The Commissioners Decision.
1.-The Commissioners Of the District Of
Columbia have the honor to inform you, IN
accordance with the terms provided for IN
your bid for the collection and disposal OF
garbage within the District of Columbia
| that after a careful investigation Of all sys-
TENS or cremaClOn now IN use ltley arc piS-
pared to state that the Smith system OF
cremation, represented by furnaces now IN
use at Atlantic City, N. j., Philadelphfa,
Pa, and Muncie, Ind, will be acceptable
to them, and that they will be glad to have
you select another system Of cremation to
be located In another part of the city or
Washington. subject to the approval OF the
Commissioners. They have made no pub
lie announcement Of the fact of the above
named selection, with a view of enabling
you to make as satisfactory terms as may
be possible with the patentee OF the Smith
system. and they have had no negotiations
of any character with him. Respectfully,
JOHN w. ROSS, President"
The Contractors Refusal.
III reply to this the contractor wrote a let
ter, setting forth that he had not had time
to fully investigate the Smith system, and
did not recognize their right to arbitrarily
select or demand the use of any especial
method of cremation which will not be
| satisfactory to him. He said he considered
that the right of selecting the method of
cremation was his, such method being
acceptable to the Commissioners He said
| further, in conclusion: ,,n'
But If you insist upon the Smith method
I must not only decline, as l have before
| said, to execute the contract, but must
| require the return of my 5000 deposited
| at the time of the submission of my bid"
Mr.. Davis Statement.
get anybody to bond him under the terms
| of the specifications as made by the Com
| missioners. 1t was arbitrary to select a
| system of disposal and compel the contrac-
! tor to put it up; and, further, that accord
| irg to the terms of the contract the Com
rnissioners could change the system every
| day if it pleased them. The specifications
were not drawn upon business principles
Now, as matter of fact, Mr.. Davis said.
Mr.. Warfield is prepared to prove that the
system selected by the Commissioners is
| not a proper one. 1t has been condemned.
In Philadelphia 1t has not given satisfac-
| ton, and he had two affidavits that the
system was failure in Atlantic City.
| Now, gentlemen" said Mr.. Davis. mir.
| Warfield makes a tender to you to do the
| work. He has rights which he proposes to
assert. This is very simple matter and
| should be settled without any trouble"
There was difference of opinion between
Commissioner Truesdell and Attorney
Davis. Commiss ioner Truesdell stopped
| Mr. Davis in the midst of his argument
| and stated he was In error regarding an
| Interpretation of the Specifications. MIR.
Davis suggested that the Commissioner
an end the specifications. nos
DIR. Woodwnrd's Report.
| Following is the text of Health Officer
Woodward's report. published July 8. of an
inspection made by him of the Smith ere
matory in Philadelphia:
| two districts, one in the northeastern part
Of the city, the other in the very center.
The latter. situated near the corner of oath
and Callowhill streets. was visited on the
| I'd instant. Both are exactly alike, and are
similar to those in use In Atlantic City,
N. j.. and Wheeling. w. Va.
THE crematory may consist Of any num-
| Der Of furnaces, arranged in pairs around
an apparatus for the generation of the gas
used as fuel. Each furnace is an upright
iron tank. lined on the inside with fire
brick, and is connected on one side by I'M
derground fues, one leading from the gas
generator and the other to a chimney COM
| mon to both furnaces of the pair, and on
the other side by a short fue with the
other furnace of the pair. The opening for
the reception Of garbage is in the top Of the
furnace.
1.-The ashes are raked out from an opening
low down in the side. There is no crate,
the garbage resting on the bottom of the
furnace and burning only on top. In the
f1ue leading to the chimney Is a mass of
| checkerwork of friedrich to insure the COM
plete destruction of offensive gas. Valves
to control the flow of gas are set in the
fues.
THE crematory is built so as to allow
the carts to drive to the top and dump
their contents directly into the furnace, and
is not inclosed in building. Each pair of
furnaces is Independent of all others. All
are dependent. however. on the proper ope-
ration Of the gas generator.
THE operation of pair of furnaces Is
crematory, depositng all garbage into one
furnace. filling it to the proper height. The
gas Is then made to pass directly from the
generator through the fiue, where it is mix
ed with air to support combustion. to the
charged (proximaD furnace. The flame at
tacks the mass Of garbage in it. and then
passes through the communicating fue in
to the empty (distaD furnace, and thence to
the nue leading into the chimney. The
brick checkerwork in this flue is so intense
ly heated by the flame, and secures by its
arrangement such thorough contact with
the gases from the garbage, that they are
completely decomposed and free from OBJ
jectionable odor, and so find their way out
the chimney.
while the contents Of the proximal fur
mace are being burned, the garbage is
emptied into the distal furnace where it is
warmed and partially dried by the fame,
which, as has been previously described,
passes through this furnace during this
time. AS combustion progresses in the
proximal furnace, the ashes are raked off
| the top Of the mass through the door in
| the side. When the entire charge has been
burned, the direction of the flame is re-
versed by means of the valves, so that 1t
passes into the furnace, which has Just
filled. This now becomes the proximal fur
mace, and the place Of combustion The
other becomes the distal furnace, into
which the garbage is dumped, warmed and
partly dried. The direction of the fame
l = I