Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1899-09-23
MUNICIPAL SANITATION.
New Schemes For Preservation of
Public Health.

Public Health.
A plant for purifying refuse water
has been established at Wiesbaden,
Germany. 1t comprises n channel
through which the water flows.
Screens are located at several points
to intercept particles of refuse mat
ter, and provision is made for raising
the screens and removing the accumu-
lated refuse.
Paris is to have electric fire engines,
the government having found a salts
factory type. \ new electric engine
capable of seating n dozen persons and
travelling at the average rate of 10
miles an hour and ascending hills east
ly and stopping quickly has been built
and will be in use from June |.
The Glasgow corporation has accept
ed a proposition from the motor car
syndicate to furnish an electrically OPP
Grated van for the collection of refuse.
Hamburg Is said to have an ideal
system for the cremation of garbage.
The works consist of 36 IIorsfall fur
naceS. The material to be burned is
cles. Combustion is promoted by fore
ing warm, dry air into the furnaces.
This Is found to be superior to the
English practice of employing steam.
Except for kindling purposes no ad-
ventitious fuel is required. The COM
bustion is complete. The heat general
ed Is turned to account in operating
electrical machines for supplying cur
rent to the street lamps.
The street cleaning branch of the
Sheffield (EnglanO government is
working on an electrical street sweep
ing apparatus. The sweeper will run
on the electric railway lines and re-
ceive its power from the trolley wire.
The front brush, which will be fixed In
an oblique position, will project from
the track to the channel on one side of
the road 1t will leave the refuse
swept up in ridge near the middle of
the road. \ second brush in the rear,
which will be just wide enough to
cover the track, will then drive its own
refuse and that left by the front brush
into receiver. From this the refuse
will be carried into a large bin by
means of an elevator. The front brush
will be made to swing in order that it
can be adjusted to the varying width
of the road and also drawn on one side
to enable vehicles to be passed. The
practicability Of the scheme Will be
largely determined by the width of the
street to be cleaned and the period of
the day chosen for sweeping. The
practice of American cities to sweep at
night would prove advantageous.
Professor Tyndall, when experiment
showed that one Of the best ways OF
rendering the atmosphere in his eX-
perimental box free from germs was
by incloSing in it a naked platinum
wire which was kept at n red heat by
an electric current. Every particle of
air was thus in turn brought into con-
tact with the incandeScent wire, and
the dust it carried was consumed, and
in just the same way our gas flames
and oil lamps, although they use up
some oxygen in the process, act as
germ destroyers. If the Nernst electric
light should turn out a success, its ma
ked incandescent rod would no doubt
give us back again the sanitary advan-
tage of which we have been deprived
while using the inclosed light. The
air purifying properties Of the arc light
are believed to be still more marked,
depending, as they do, not on heat
alone, but on the constant evolution of
ozone which goes on, but here, too.
the inclosed lamp is gradually forcing
the old form out.