The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-08-18
BLACK SMOKE NUISANCE
A Letter to the District Commits
siOners on the Subject.
{. B. Moore, Proprietor of the savoy.
Says lie Has Tried Two Consuming
Devices, One of Which Works
Fairly Weli-Asl<s to BE Informed
Whether He Has Met Requirements

| E. B. Moore, the proprietor of the Savoy
apartment house, letter with reference
to the abatement of the smoke nuisance.
He explains to the Commissioners that
illness has prevented him from giving
| the letter of the Health officer more
prompt reply. This letter enquired of him
| what steps had been taken by him 10 COM
ply with the law since August 2, 1895
In response to this enquiry" says Mr..
Moore Il am pleased tG give you an ac
| count of the efforts I have made o-abate
| the smoke nuisance. and of the course
have further in view to that end, and
| trust Il may result in my enlightenment,
| and that of others who earnestly desire
| to comply with the law, rs TO the means
available for putting our premises in con-
dition to prevent or correct these invoi-
untary infractions of the law and at the
same time not place upon US expensive
/ burdens that in some instances would
| doubtless require the proprietors to go out
! OF business, or to perform that which so
! lar as my knowledge goes. Is up 10 the
present time an iIlpossibility- TO
| burn soft coal with any known smoke con-
| sumner and not have at the time of firing
| an emission OF dark grey or black smoke.
Ny efforts in mis- direction have been
varied patient. and expensive. As the
| agent and general manager, at the time, of
| the Astoria apartment house, l placed on
| its two boilers two of the best smoke con-
| sumirg devices then in the market About
! the same time, or soon after. I had placed
| or the boilers Of the Savoy smoke prevent
| Ing devices of another pattern intending
| thus TO test the relative merits OF the two
! systems Those in the Savoy after patient
| trial and experiments proved ineffective
nd +ESfa g-fr.r arpi
After the decision in the test cases of
/ William B. Moses {, Sons, I had hard coal
| CRATES put in the furnaces of the Savoy
| and for two months or more burned hard
coal at an increased cost for fuel Of 100
| per cent. Finding this increased cost of
/ fuel 20 be almost prohibitive, and also that
! il was difficult 10 keep the requisite amount
! OF steam AT all times on account OF slower
/ combustion, l returned to the use of soft
/ coal believing that some regulation would
soon be issued by you that would allow
| me to adopt and place in my furnace some
| device that would so far consume or pre-
vent the smoke as &c allow reasonable
compliance with the law. and al the same
/ time not make an impossible requirement
or entail an unnecessary burden.
The law prohibits the emission OF
dense black or grey smoke without re-
gard TO the duration of the same. No
smoke consuming device, 10 my knowl-
edge. has yet been made which is entirely
effective IN eliminating or preventing the
issuance of smoke during the time the
door OF the furnace is open and the fire.
box is being charged with fresh coal
which operation requires ordinarily from
one to two minutes. nor for a brief in
terval, probably twenty 10 fifty seconds
after the fre-boX has been closed
The devices / had placed on the fur
naces OF the Astoria have given reasonable
/ satisfaction TO myself ana trust TO the
Health Department. as ! have had no
complaint of the smoke there aud l IN
deFstand that the smoke inspectors have
made tests OF the duration of the smoke
after firing the furnaces and have report
cd that they found a satisfactory compli-
ance with the law. as then interpreted by
the Health Department
believing that the smoke consuming
devices placed in the furnaces at the As
toria. II kept in good order and used after
each firing. would afford about the near
est possible approach to an absolute
smoke consumer. and that you would con
clude this TO be as strict q compliance
with this law as could have been contem-
plated by the lawmakers, I have partial
ly arranged to have similar devices placed
in the furnaces of the Savoy but as no
regulation has yet been issued by you or
the Health Department relative to the
smoke law I have hesitated 10 incur the
dollars for each boiler until l should
know with reasonable certainty whether.
Il l should have such devices placed in
the Savoy anG they should be kept in or
der and operative. ard which should cut
off the smoke say within one minute after
closing the fre-boX OF the furnace. OF. al
lowing two minutes for firing would not
allow the escape of dense black or gray
smoke at any time. say exceeding three
minutes whether such a device would 3f-
ford such compliance With the law as to
you would seem reasonable and lust If
so am ready to have them put in within |
three days from the receipt of such infor-
nation from you.
4 am exceedingly anxious to give
hearty compliance with the law. but know
of way within my reach to do the
same, unless by the use of q smoke con.
suming device that will consume and de-
stroy the smoke within about the time
named after the beginning of each fir !
ing
Mr.. Moore's letter has been noted bv |
the Commissioners and fled for reference |
when the consideration of the smoke law |
shall be next taken up.
Upon the recommendation OF Richard |
Sylvester, Major and Superintendent of |
Police. John McLucas has been assigned |
10 mounted duty TO take effect on August |
Is, vice Whalen, dismounted at his own |
request
Harry E. Offut, also on recommendation |
OF Major Sylvester, has been appointed
additional private for duty on Seventh |
Street northwest, between E and l streets. |
At the instance of the Health Denart-
ment an order has been issued by the /
Commissioners that the owners of certain !
lands IN the District of which no person |
Government Tents zoe