The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1900-06-01
HOW CITIES HANDLE GARBAGE.
Interesting Report from American
Consuls on Methods EN-
plOyed Abroad.

Interesting Report from American
Consuls on Methods EN-
ployed Abroad.
Some time ago the agricultural de-
partment became interested in the
study of the disposal of garbage, sew
age, ETC., in foreign cities, and solicited
the aid of the state department in OBJ
tanning information. The department,
says the St. Louis Republic, directed
the consular officers of the United
States to forward all information OBJ
tainable. Among the first to respond
was the consul at Marseilles. To a
Frenchman's mind there was some
thing very like in our words garbage"
and ''cabbage," for the one to whom
the consul applied gayly responded:
"Garbage is one of the finest dishes Of
the place. Well cooked and nicely pre-.
pared, as they do it in this country, it
is something very exquisite.''
Writing from Santiago de Cuba, Con-
sui Hyatt draws lively picture of the
unique way of disposing of matters in
that place. He. writes that dead cat.
tie, horses. mules and large dogs are
hauled to the suburbs and dumped by
the roadside the same as garbage. All
other matter is thrown into the streets
or on the neighbours roofs, to be de-
voured by buzzards. Before throwing
a dead cat or dog into the street it is
customary to tie a cord to the tail of
the animal; this insures having it
hauled away from the door, as the
children win play horse by dragging
it around the streets, and seldom de-
liver it again to the owners
An uncanny tale comes from Consul
Fowler that makes the reader feel
creepy. He says: =" L.
''The cleanest cities in China are
Hang-Chow and Ning-Pox. In the cen.
ter of these two cities I have myself
seen dogs eating bodies of babies; the
rotting corpses of cholera cases, snakes
slowly winding in and out; many dogs
slime, dead cats; in fact, the most hor,
rible filth on one side, while across the
way the glitter of gold, pomp and lux.
ury; such are the principles of Chi.
nese street. The garbage collector is
the beggar or the starving dog
Consul Ragsdale writes from Tien
Tsin that ''all animal food is compare.
lively costly and the mass of the people
are poor. The methods are from
house-to-house collection. The work
is done by private enterprise and the
,,ofnr;o1 1o,~0c;fol IN
in front of houses where the owners
do not employ the collector. Tin cans
are much priced by the natives and are
a regular article of commerce. When
beyond use as a bucket they are fiat
tened out and made into anything from
candlestick to bathtub-the latter
being used only for foreigners. Broken
glass is reheated and made into lamps
and curios, snuff bottles, tetc. All OF
this material is collected by private
enterprise and the sorting is done in
any place most convenient to the col
lector. Household waste waters are
thrown into the empty pools at the
side of the streets and eventually this
water is used for street sprink,ing
The streets and the passers-by are
sprinkled by means of long-handlec
ladies.
''The street refuse collections are
made by men and boys with basket
and small long-handled ladle or shov
ell. The basket hangs on the back from
the left shoulder and great skill is
| shown by some collectors in scooping
up everything and throwing it into the
basket without loss. This material j:
taken to some bright, sunny and con
venient locality, mixed with two part:
of street dust and made into cakes, thu
size OF an orange. These cakes are sun
| dried and sod as fertilizers. The mos
convenient place for a foreigner t.
study the details of these methods i.
the stone bridge on Legation street. 1,
is only few hundred yards from thu
two foreign hotels and the French
German, japanese, English, Russian
and American legations. The bridg &c
being thus centrally located with. q
wind-swept stone floor exposed to thu
sun, possesses all of the requirement.
of first-class fertilizer dryer. It i.
in daily use. The sewage system Of
Picking is certainly combined system
Everything combines in the streets
No filters are used. The supply Of
street sweepings exceeds the demand
by about three inches in depth"
Honestly opposed to Prosresv.
The Chinese have no doubt begun to
szo Eook 4l,ok e. 4 :