The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-18
SANITARY WAGONS NEEDED.
The Present Open wooden scavenger
Wagons out of Date.

Wagons out of Date.
The need of sanitary vehicles for the
scavenger department is very fully dem
onstrated these days. wnen the old-fash-
Toned open wagons, heavily loaded with
accumulations of filth Of every description,
are driven through the streets in the hot
sun, with their contents exposed to the
heat and making their presence even
more perceptible to the nose than to the
eye.
That Savannah is behind the age in the
matter Of the equipment of her scavenger
department is evident to any one who
| has ever given the subject any attention.
That the wagons now in use are of the
style that has been used for the purpose
for many years past. is no reason why
they should continue to be used. All up
| to-date cities are now equipped with mod
| ern sanitary vehicles especially construct
| ed for the purpose.
The bodies of the sanitary scavenger
wagons are constructed of iron with metal
lids, 50 that they neither leak from be-
meath nor smell to heaven from above.
Ihey are also so adjusted as to permit
of much greater facility in loading and
| unloading, the latter beng very simple
operation.
The iron bodies of the modern sanitary
,
and can be easily cleansed at any time
This is one of the chief objections 10 the
Old wooden wagons now in use. The
wooden bottoms and sides become soaked
with filth and are always foul smelling,
as the only way to cleanse them would
be to burn them up.
Another objection is that there are
cracks and crevices in the bottoms of the
wagons from which Nth is scattered on
| the streets, thus combating the very pur-
pose for which they are intended. AS the
old wagons have no covers, portions of
their loads are frequently jolted off or
| blown off in the street This is especially
| likely to be the case with an overloaded
| wagon.
The attention of a Morning News report
er was called the other Gay TO a trail of
| broken bottles, tin cans, meat bones, filthy
| rags and paper left on one of the principal
| paved streets by a scaVenger wagon which
| had just passed. The wagon was doubt
less overloaded and the driver careless.
| Director Gadsden of the public works de
| partment was spoken to about the mat
| ter
The driver was doubtless careless said
| Director Gadsden. Just now however
| the scavenger department is hard worked
! and the wagons are frequently overload
ed. AS we are unable to use the crematory
! ii is necessary to haul al garbage to
| point two miles from The city limits This
| makes it impossible for the wagons to
| carry the same number of loads they
| formerly did. The number of wagons has
| recently been increased by seven. how
ever, giving us thirty in all. The addition
has proven a great help and the City is
| now in cleaner condition than for some
/ time past. With the mass of watermelon
| rinds, stale vegetables and other summer
! products unloaded on the scaVenger de-
| partment a this season of the year il Is
no easy matter to keep the city clean
| One complaint to-day, however, is the
! first in a week.
His attention being called to the matter
! of sanitary wagons Director Gadsden said:
"A sanitary wagon is simply a big iron
| tub or shell, mounted on a wagon frame
| and so adjusted as to facilitate loading
| and unloading. They are much more
| sanitary in every respect than the wagons
now in use, and besides, have other adj
vantages. One of these sanitary wagons
weighs less than our present old style
vehicles while its cubic contents are
! greater. They can be easily kept clean,
| and being especially constructed for scav-
enger work, give more satisfaction in every
! respect than the old open wagons. At
least three of the sanitary carts are need
ed for use In cleaning out the sewer
! traps. The material from the sewer traps
being almost liquid cannot be properly
conveyed in the wagons now in use Be
sides the carts, the city should have at
least seven of the two-horse wagons.
While their cost is greater than that of
the old square wagons, it is rot prohibi-
tive, and they would answer the purpose
far better"
The seven wagons recently added to
| the scavenger department were not pur-
chased but leased by the city, as il Is
likely that some of them can be- dispensed
with when the watermelon season is end
ed