Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-07
BURNING STREET REFUSE
How the Dust and sweepings Are Utilized
in London.

factory once described how he saw a live
pig put into one end of a machine to in
stantly come out at the other in the form
of sausages. An even more remarkable
metamorphosis is daily performed by the
vestry of the parish of st. Leonard, Shore
ditch. In their new electricity and dust
destruction undertaking at Coronet street,
HoxtOn, which was formally opened by Lord
Kelvin yesterday afternoon. the vestry
transform the refuse of the dust bins and
the street sweepngs of their parish
into potent electric currents. which, for
the future, will help to light the
streets and shops and provide power
in the busy factories of that district.
The experiment Is the first attempt on
great scale to make the disposal of dust
ana refuse source of profit to the local
authority instead OF loss, and judging by
the promise. one can almost say the reali-
cation, of success which has attended the
enterprise of the progressive vestry of
Shoreditch, general adoption of this sys-
tenn of dust destruction should rapidly fol-
low. The very possibility of scheme of
this character marks an enormous advance
both In scientific discovery and mechanical
skill. Any one who had ventured at the be-
before its close the refuse Of the dust
heaps would be used to light the streets
and drive machinery would most likely
have been placed by his friends in the
nearest lunatic asylum.
The present extensive undertaking of the
ST. Leonard's vestry, which consists of an
electricity generating station, worked by
steam supplied from the destructor cells in
which the household refuse of Shoredtch
Is burned had It's real origin in the right
et us desire of the local board to prevent an
electric light company securing the mo-
nopoly of electric lighting in the district.
center of the borough with the public baths
ard washhouses, whilst on an adjacent
site provision Is made by the London coun-
ty council for recreation ground and
technical institute and museum, which will
absorb the municipal technical schools of
the Shoreditch vestry.
manufacturing Center
Shoreditch contains within its boundaries
the center Of the woodwork and furniture
Industry of London; 1t has a very large
number OF public houses and small shops
ard factories which remain open very late,
and thus offer large field for the sale of
electric light and power. The vestry de-
cided that the supply should be In the
hands Of public body. In this resolve
they were supported by the ratepayers,
and the handsome range of works, with the
public baths and washhouses, and library
adjoining was the result of this public
spirit. Some difficulty and delay were ex-
perienced at the outset, but these were
overcome, and the enterprise is now
launched on what promises to be sin
quarry SUCCESSFUL career.
Economy and advanced ideas were the
chief characteristics of the proposal The
Utilization of dust for raising steam to
drive electric dynamos and heat water in
pal rs ana washhouses had been tried be-
fore, but only in small experimental works
ana 1t required considerable courage to un-
dertake 1t on large scale. Careful calcu-
latlons' however. were made, and it YVES
ascerta1ned that the new scheme would re-
suit in profit to the parish of Fl 500 a.
| year, as compared with the old system of
paying 80 I'd per ton to have the dust
thrown into the sea. The cost of the
suit threatens to revolutionize the sale of
electricity by greatly reducing it's cost
-FOUR pence per board Of trade unit at night
and two pence per unit during the day is
the price fixed by the vestry, while the
| adoption Of the Bastfan penny-in- the slot
meters, with free fittings supplied to the
consumer, should bring the light within
the reach of artisans and small users of
motive power, OF whom there are a great
number In the parish.
The Plant Described,
| The system adopted may be briefly de-
| scribed as that Of burning the dust and
refuse OF the parish in specially con-
structed "destructors.' and utilizing the
resulting heat to generate steam for driv-
| ing the electric light plant. The interest
attaching to this work. therefore. lies in
| the peculiar arrangements rendered neces-
| sary by the combination indicated above
| not forgetting that the steam requirements
! OF the electric lighting station must be
! treated as of secondary importance In COM
parison to the hygienic manipulation of the
refuse. The novelty of the destructor is
| further enhanced by the combination. for
| the first time. Of Mr.. Druitt Halpin's sys-
tenn OF feed thermal storage, and the SUBJ
stitution Of the electric lifts and motor
| cars for revising and distributing refuse
Throughout the cells in place of the more
usual inclined road and tipping platform.
| thus effecting considerable saving in
| horsef1esh. The destructor house is go feet
square, and 1t contains twelve cells each
! having % square feet CRATE area, and Six
| water-tube boilers. each with 1890 square
| feet OF heating surface. The boilers and
| thermal storage vessel (which is IS feet
| long and feet In diameter) are designed
| to work at a pressure of 200 pounds per
square inch. and are supplied with duplicate
fittings throughout to guard against break
1 down. There are three motor-driven fans
| calculated to deliver each 5000 cubic feet
| Of air per minute, with q maximum ash-pit
pressure of inches of water. The chim-
ney is $50 feet high and feet internal
diameter at the top. jacketed with fire.
4 brick throughout, and surrounded at the
base with centrifugal dust-separating
| chamber.
Storing the Heat.
The thermal storage adopted is novel