Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-27

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rounded by stores, factories and dwellings,
| The crematory has eight large furnaces
| ana was In active operation at the time of
| inspection. It is used for the destruction
not only of garbage. but also of com
prstible waste. The proportions of the two
| classes of materials burned could not be
| ascertained. One furnace was smoking
| somewhat. owing to the fact that it had
not been used the day before, and was Just
oeing started. The smoke was, however
| from the fuel-not from the garbage-and
CITY. me water was finding its way
through the crevices about the lower fur
mace doors. The surface about the furnace
was covered with asphalt, SO that the
| leakage found its way into the sewer The
combustion Ct the garbage did not cause
any perceptible odor. This furnace had
consumed, the day previous to our inspec-
| ton, 14S loads of garbage and combustihIe
| waste estimated at one ton per load.
| AS the result of my study and observa-
| ton, l believe that the Smith crematory
can be operated in this city without Great
| ing nuisance. The leakage from the
| lower doors is, however a defect which it
| VIII be difficult to remedy, as the pressure
from the large amount of garbage and
water on the inside Is very considerable
| "A moderate amount of such leakage might
| enter the sewer without harm, but if any
| is thus disposed of it will be difficult to
unit the amount. especially as it is so
| mucn more economical for the contractor
10 get rid OF 1t in this way than to destroy
| 1t by fire.
This crematory is operated by a mini
| mum OF labor, and the cost of fuel is said
| to be small"
| Complaints in PhilndeIphia,
| In Philadelphia recently there has been
considerable complaint of the rarbap
burning ard reduction plants. Indignation
meetings have been held, and the news
| papers nave been full of complaints of
cltlzens. The company that manages the
plant near 24th and Callowhill streets. de-
serted In DE-. Woodwards report, also has
; plant at 18th and Dauphin streets, which
seems TO nave called out most emphatic
complaints from the residents of the neigh
6orhood The Philadelphia Ledger of last
| Saturday says:
Persons living in the neighborhood of
ZStn and Dauphin streets. where one of
the crematories of the Philadelphia Chem
lcaI 1nclnerating Company Is situated are
| complaining bitterly Of the stencil arising
from TINS plant and claim that it is de-
cidedly preJudicial to their health and COM
Tort Chief Martin, however tells these
people that they are wrong, that she fur
| mace IN their midst is model garbage de
stroying plant. that it emits no odors. and
that 1t is perfectly healthy thing to have
around.
A resident of the neighbour bod having
complained to the Ledger of this place, a
| reporter visited 1t last evening, and this is
what he saw:
Dense clouds of smoke were Issuing from
the four high stacks. and strong, nau-
| SSdtihS ouOT was nOticsabie two SQUARES
away. sun closer it was decidedly dis
agreeable. Ii not sickening. Going under
meath the furnace IN the rear of the plant
the reporter gained an insight into the
manner in which garbage is DESTROYER
| by these contractors. The workmen had
| just raked out the contents of one furnace
| and there lay upon the ground a mass of
smoking. smoldering. half-burned gar
| greatest stretch of Imagination could not
| be termed sanitary.
Only Blackened, Not Burned.
In some places small jets of flame shot up
from the pile and the place was filled with
smoke Plainly distinguishable were corn
cots only blackened, not burned or even
charred, and corn husks, a material easily
destroyed, that were simply curled I'D and
| m some places barely singed. An old rub
Der shoe lay on top of the smoldering pile
evidently none the worse for having been
| In the furnace.
Here ard there was a shovel full Of mat
| ter that appeared to have been reduced to
ashes, but by far the greater portion of the
| heap was long way off from being de.
Stroyed.
This is a sample of the work done by the
plant which Chief Martin pronounces a
model And this is the kind of work which
| tors S A-''p-e
1t was given out by employees of the com.
| pany that this plant was shut down for re.
|
became necessary to boat part of their
! garbage down the Schuylkill river to Della.
ware county. The neighbors say that the
plant has not been shut down during the
| past week. One Of the bookkeepers in the
| once OF coal company just opposite. when
asked If the plant had been closed, said:
No. it hasn't. 1 wish something would
| happen to it and relieve us from this nor
| rble stencil. At times it is simply un.
| and windows"
A lady, who resides just across Dauphin
street. was seen walking up and down with
a small child in her arms. She said of the
place: 1t is simply awful that such a
place should be allowed to remain where
| people live My little one has been very
| i'll. Night before last we thought we were
going to lose him. We can't have our front
windows up and cannot sit on our front
steps OF an evening. 1 know this awful
smeli Is making us all sick. 1t will surely
drive: US out Of our home, for we can't
stay here
Take Lots Out of the County.
Another person told the reporter that the
| half-burned waste was loaded into ash
| wagons and carted away, he did not know
| wnere. While the reporter was there two
loaded garbage carts drove up, and a man
| inside stuck his head out of a window and
shouted to the drivers that the furnace was
iuli and that they would have to take their
loads to the wharf One of the drivers
swore and said ne was not going to the
wharf at that time of night, so, after a lit
tie parleying, the wagons were allowed to
go in.
These contractors, with both their plants
running. do not destroy the garbage as re-
CURED by the specifications-"in a manner
not detrimental to public health and within
the limits of the county of PHILADELPHIA
out they take great portion of the waste
winch they are paid to burn over into Del
aware county, and thus get rid of the ex-
pense Of burning it.
member of a large Washington firm of
contractors, which has the contract for dis
posing of the garbage of the capital city.
was In Philadelphia yesterday inquiring
into the methods Of garbage destruction
said: N
we want to adopt some system in Wash
inston and we want the best. With this end
IN view have been Investigating the vari
Gus systems. Mr.. Martin, your chief of
street cleaning, tells me that the furnaces
OF the Philadelphia Incinerating Company
work to his entire satisfaction and that
they have been burning all the garba Re in
their dis tricts. He recommends them very
highly. From other sources l learn they
are deficient in many particulars. l have
mad practical engineer examine into their
workings and construction, and the report
ne has made to me leads me to doubt their
emciency. l am at sea in the matter and
hardly know what to think