The Topeka state journal., 1899-10-14
STEP FORWARD.
Topeka Now Has a Garbage
CrematOry.
City Dump Forever Done Away
With.
WORK is COMMENCED
Furnaces Started In the In
cinerati0n Plant.
Dead Animals and All Refuse to
Be Consumed.

The Dominion Crematory has just
been completed and was started for the
first time Friday afternoon All the
refuse of the city. as well as all dead
animals. and such waste matter as
should be destroyed, viii be burned by
this crematory
S. c. Thompson has charge of the ere
matory, which is situated on the river
bank, about a, mile and quarter from
the city, just the east side Of the old
city dump.
The building is a substantial two
story one, built of stone and wood, and
is situated just off the main road, along
the river bank. In the basement are
the four big furnaces, where the mater
1al IS burned, while above in the first
story are the holes for dropping in the
refuse. At one end of the furnaces, is
the rear furnace, as it is called, and
connecting direct with this is the large
smoke stack. Some idea of the magni-
tude of these furnaces may be had,
when it is known that 1900 fire brick
and $4,000 common brick besides iron
braces and other material We're used in
their construction.
The furnaces proper, where the re-
fuse is burned, are constructed as fol-
lows: From above, the hole opens
down into the top of the furnace,
through which the refuse is thrown.
The refuse in falling, drops on a por-
Gus fire brick arch, and also on several
iron bars, which are extended across the
opening above the CRATES of the fur
mace, and on these CRATES, under the
iron bars, is built the fire. The fire in
burning, goes up through the refuse
piled on the bars, and towards the back
or the furnace, where it passes under
the porous fire brick arch, and passes
out into a liquid chamber, which is 43
feet long, and runs the entire length of
the four furnaces. The fire passes
through this chamber, and then out
the rear fires, and all goes up the Chin
ney.
The fire is built in the rear furnace,
and when it is burning in good shape,
the fires are started in the furnaces
proper. The dead animals and refuse
are dropped into the furnace, through
the holes in the top, and the solid mat
ter falls on the iron bars while the
liquid matter, seeps and runs down
through the porous fire brick arch, and
is caught in the liquid chamber. Then
the cremation begins. The heat by
this time has reached the enormous
temperature of from $500 to $500 de-
grees, and the entire mass of refuse
matter is quickly consumed. The solid
matter is burned, and as the stuff dries
out the oils and other inffamna BILE
The liquid matter soaI1s down into the
liquid receptacle and being converted
into steam is passed off.
Artificial heat is used in the crema-
tory. That there is no smell from the
burning. of all this refuse, may be un-
derstOod, when it is seen that all the
heat, all the fire, all the smoke and
gas, and smell has to pass through the
rear fire before passing out into the air
The advantage of this is that the rear
fire acts as a purifier, a sort of a smoke
and gas consumer, and all the smell is
thus burned up, and the residue pass
ing off in a white vapor. The capacity
of the crematory is 40 tons every ten
hours. The receiving holes are Sc inches
in diameter, and plenty large enough
to receive the largest horses or ami
NAL to be burned. The draft, caused
by the immense heat during the pro-
cess of cremation, is so great that it is
almost dangerous to stand near one of
the receiving holes, when it is opened
and a mans hat will be drawn into
the furnace, even standing twelve feet
away.
This crematory is one of the latest
patents, and is guaranteed to give the
best of satisfaction. Already there are
like crematories established in nearly
every large city in the United States.
During the Worlds Fair one of these
crematorieS burned the refuse of the en-
tire fair grounds, amounting to, over
100000 tons a day The cost of the To-
peka plant was about IS 900.