The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-14
DISPOSAL OF REFUSE.
How Garbage Is Destroyed in the City
OF Edinburgh.


Engineering Record. r. ,4E4eYor
The experience of the corporation of Edn-
burgh with refuse cremators furnishes an
interesting lesson to those American cities
which are discussing the best means of dis
posing Of their ashes, garbage, street sweep
ings and other wastes, and it affords addi-
tional evidence of the necessity of studying
the problems of each city independently
without any reliance on applying with slight
notifications the methods in vogue else
where.
In the Scotch city the refuse carts make
daily round of all streets early in the morn
ing and collect all the wastes which have
been put out for them and the street sweep
ings. OF the 140 900 tons OF material collected
annually, 10000 tons are mud and street
sweepings, and the remainder is mixture
of house, shop, market, trade and slaughter
house refuse 1t is unusually light COM
pared with that of English cities, very dry,
and poor in cinders and other carbonaceous
matter. In composition compares with Lon
don ash-bin refuse as follows, the first fig
ures under each class being for London:
Breeze, cinders and ashes, Ga and 25.5 per
cent; fine dust, 10 and 81 per cent; paper,
straw, organic matter, bottles, bones, tins
and crockery, II and 37.5 per cent. From u
to 50 cubic feet of this material weigh a ton,
while only 40 cubic feet of English ash-bin
refuse is needed to make up this weight as
a rule.
Formerly the landholders in the neighbor-
hood were given as much as they wanted,
and the remainder was dumped in ravines
and old quarries. number OF years ago
the farmers paid for the material they took,
but as the demand decreased the price was
lowered and finally no charge at all made.
Even these concessions failed TO maintain
the old system of removal by farmers, and
to-day most of the refuse is dumped In
large quarry at cost of &c cents ton.
When it became apparent about eight
years ago that some Improvement must be
made in the method of disposal the sub
Ject was carefully investigated ana II was
decided TO construct and operate d crema-
tory Instructor where the burning of the
wastes of part of the city could be con-
Quoted on scale sufficiently large to
furnish results of practical value. About
$4,000 was accordingly spent on plant of
which the deStructor cells were built by the
company having the longest and largest ex-
perience in such work in England The
contract called for the construction and
operation for year of ten cells; each capa-
BILE of burning eight tons OF Edinburgh re-
fuse in twenty-four hours, without causing
a nuisance from dust and fumes, and leav-
ing the material in the form of clnkers
amounting in bulk to not more than q
fourth of the original mass. The cells
could not do this, however, for they burned
on an average. perhaps, six tons each in
twenty-four hours. at a cost of "a cents
ton. including labor. supplies and interest at
5 per cent. on $50 600 of the prime cost.
Moreover, they caused such a nuisance
chiefly by dust from the chimney, 1855 feet
high, that the managers of ne1ghboring
nursery obtained an injunction against the
continuance of the works in their CONDITION
at that time. Improvements were made
which reduced the nuisance somewhat. but
they raised the cost of cremation to 90
cents a ton it was decided to Try another
system of cells
The old Instructors were accordingly
pulled down and cells of different type
built on their foundations. the contract pro-
vided that each should burn eight tons or
ordinary Edinburgh refuse in twenty-four
hours. that its bulk should be reduced 20
per cent, and that the temperature or ere
nation should be 1900 degrees Fahrenheit.
No fumes or dust must be emitted from
the plant, and the builders were required
to operate it for a year from its completion.
These cells were found to be just aDlt 10
comply with the requirements when new,
but at present they are worked at the rate
of six tons per cell in twenty-four hours Al
the cremation is more thorough, and the
clinker is more satisfactory. This last point
is important because broken clinker is used
for a number of purposes, when or good
quality. and its value can be credited on the
balance sheet of the works. At Ealing, for
example. the clinker has sufficient worth 70
Z cents a ton The cost of cremation at
Edinburgh is now ~ cents TON.
without allowing for the cInker Wnlcn
still seems to be so poor as 20 De or uncer-
This experience may be taken as good
indication of the uncertainty whlcn sun
hangs over the cremation OF reruse even IN
Great Britain, where ii is extensively prac-
ticed. OF two leading types OF oestructoIs
installed under circumstances tending 70 OF
fer the higheSt inducements for good designs
and workmanship. one was complete fall
tre and the other barren success anu ds-
fective in several respects me process =
expensive, and Is now known % rsq l11asS
well-trained and intelligent men IN al posi-
ff0na IL IL Is to be conducted without cAuH-