Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-11-18
The Garbage Factory to Shut Down
Tonight.
UNABLE TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS
Mr.. Davis Says the Contractor is
Ready to Fight.
THE SCOW SYSTEM NEXT

Ihe garbage crematory at the foot of
South Capitol street will shut down tonight
and the District will once more return to
its favorite method of the scow system, by
way of the Potomac river
inventor Brown of the crematory called
at the Commissioners office today and
stated that 1t having been found impos-
sible to agree upon the price to be paid
for the crematory the owners had decided
to close it and prevent the incarceration
of garbage there. He stated among other
things that the plant cost $22000.
The contract price was $4,000, and the
difference in cost was due to the fact that
after the contract had been made the Com
miss1oners changed the location. so that it
became necessary before foundation could
be obtained to use a number of piles and a
large amount of cement. Garbage Con-
tractor Warfield, he said refused to recog-
H;Ze this additional cost. The contract
also stipulated that the crematory was to
burn seventy-five tons of garbage per day.
according to the specifications, and no bot
ties. cans or excess of water were to be
considered garbage.
1t was right mere, he said that the terms
OF the contract had been violated, for the
contractor had persis tently deposited at the
plant garbage containing cans and bottles
and large amount of water which of
course. made cremation difficult. Notwith-
standing this, the crematOry had zone
steadily along. hoping that if the systen
proved sanitary 1t would be accepted It
was also stipulated that the price to be
paid for burning garbage would not exceed
2S cents per ton. broad construction
made this possible.
The sale of the ash from the garbage, If
applied to the running expenses, would fix
the cost of burning the garbage at 27
cents per ton. While the contract was ST.
lent as 10 the disposition of the ash, it
was nevertheless understood that the reve-
nue derived therefrom was to be used in de-
fraying the operating expenses.
Arrangement Not Possible.
Fer several weeks. he said, the lawyers
of both sides had been discussing the mat
ter with a view to coming to some under
standing, but from letter received from
the attorney for the contractor today 1t
was evident that no terms could be agreed
upon without great sacrifice to the own
ers of the crenatory.
1t was true that Contractor Warfield had
offered to submit the matter to arbitration,
but desired to control the arbitrators by
stipulating first that no award exceeding
$4,000 could be made, and further that
1880 of the final price agreed upon was to
be withheld until the owners Of the crema-
tory made such changes as the garbage
contractor deemed necessary in the plant.
He said further that tomorrow morning
he would urge the Commissioners to give
him permission to remove his plant
1t was true, he said, that the owners of
the crematory had been considering the
purchase of the garbage contract Con-
tractor Warfield had made them a propo-
sitiOn and the same would undoubtedly
have been accepted had it not been found.
upon investigation, that all Of the profits
from the contract had been consumed up
to July by reason of the monthly pay
ments, as The Star has already shown are
made on different scales according to the
amount of work performed.
Ready for War.
Mr. Henry E. Davis, the attorney for the
garbage contractor, was seen this after
noon. He admitted that up TO the present
time it had been impossible to come to any
satisfactory agreement with the owners of
the crematory as to the price to be paid.
When asked what he proposed to do when
the crematcry was shut down, he said:
The crematory will not be shut down. 1t
is built upon our property, and we know
how to operate it, The citizens of Washing
ton need have no fear concerning the dis
Position of the city's garbage"
When asked how he hoped to operate
another mans plant without his permis-
sion, he said:
mo permission is necessary. We have
men capable of running the plant and
understand It's operation THOROUGHLY If
the owners of the crematory want war
why we will fight them in the courts, and
10 matter how many injunctions are got
ten out, both sides have enough money to
put UP sufficient bond to carry on this
Work for some time"
Mr.. Davis further said that the contract
between the owners of the crematory ard
the garbage contractor had not been car
ried out. Garbage could not be DESTROYED
at % cents ton, even if the ashes we're
sold and the revenue applied to the opera
tion of the plant. Further, the cremarory
could not, under any circumstances, burn
seventy-five tons of garbage per day. as
stipulated in the contract