Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-07-07
THERE ARE SOAPS AND SOAPS.
BUT ONLY ONE
SUNLIGHT SOAP.
HAS SHE SOLVED TIT
The Garbage Problem May Have tt
Yield to WOman's Ingenuity.

Inc GafD0Se FrOOle" nave 10
Yield to WOman's Ingenuity.
From the Chicago Record.
Dr. M H. Bowen has solved the garbage
problem. She has succeeded. after two
weeks work, in bringing about such a
union of effort between housewives, ser
want girls, and garbage contractors that
certain parts of the eleventh ward show
no sign of ill-smelling disease-breediny gar
bage boxes and are so clean that residents
do not recognize their own house fronts
and rears. DIR. Bowen has introdu, ed an
element of music into the problem and the
SUCCESS of the experiment is attested by
nearly all the physicians living In the
ward
One of the drivers Of Contractor Powell,
who has the garbage contract for the
ward, has been armed with a horn. At the
sound of this housewives and servant girls
bring out to the wagon in metal recep-
taces the garbage which has been col
lected during the previous twenty-four
hours. This does away with the necessity
of the ordinary wooden boxes which soon
become saturated with filth. and whether
empty or full are constant breeders Of dis
case. 1t is proposed to give every driver
one of these horns, and as fast as the
houses are provided with the covered met
al receptacles, which can be kept in the
yard, the new system will be extended over
the entire ward.
DR.. Bowen was led to undertake the work
by the condition of the alley in the rear OF
her residence. By a house to house can
vaSS she finally succeeded in persuadina
all the residents In the block to get the
metal receptacles and to do away with the
wooden ones. Then, shesexplained her plan
to Contractor Powell, who saw its advan-
tages at once and readily consented to al
low the driver on that route TO play the
hcrn which would De furnished him by the
residents. s,,,i7
Having cleaned up thu alley in the rear
Of her own residence, Dr. Bowen began to
extend her operations. She gave two hours
every day to the missionary work The
next place attackedi'waS Ogden place, be-
tween Ogden avenue and Paulina street.
There the wooden boxes sent their mi
crobe-laden smells heavonward from the
curbstones. DR.. Bowen found some difficult
ty IN persuading the residents Of the eff
cacy of the metal reeeptscles to be emptied
ut the sound of the horn. Some of the
householders charged her with being in
the pay of the contractor She tn srefore
considered 1t advisable to procure creden-
tails from the physicians of the ward. BY
dfnt of many visits and much talking DR.
Bowen succeeded In baniShing the foul
wooden boxes from the locality, and in
putting III operation the horn-blowing sys-
TEN.
Superintendent Rhode Of the street and
alley cleaning bureau has given DR.. Bowen
every encouragement, and says her system
will solve the problem. 1t also has the
sanction of the civic federation. DR.. Bow
en- said yesterday:
The point for which I am working is
the abolition of the wooden garbage box.
saturated with filth to such a degree that
even when empty 1t is serious menace to
public health. l shall not stop my work
until the entire eleventh ward is free from
the wooden garbage box. 1 am now pre-
pairing a circular which will be sent to
every house in the ward. so that when 1
call my mission will be understood. When
the system has been thoroughly tried
shall endeavor to secure the passage of an
ordinance making the system obligatory
throughout the city,