The Afro-American advance. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1899-19??, 1900-06-02
HOW CITIES HANDLE GARBAGE.
Interesting Report from American
CoBsuIs ON Methods Em-
pI0yed Abroad.

Some time ago the agricultural De I
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 oh.
tainable. Among the first TO respond
was the consul at Marseiles. To a i
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:
"GarbaRe is one Of the finest dishes OF
the place. Well cooked and nicely pre-
pared, ns they do 1t in this country, II
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 10 the suburbs aud 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
dead cat or dog into the street II Is
customary To- tie cord to the tail OF
the animal: this iusures having II
hauled away from the door. as the
children will play horse by dragging
II around the streets, and seldom de
liver 1t again to the owners
l., grF ana nj
Fowler that makes the reader feel
creepy. He says:
''rhe 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 aud 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 n Chi
nese street. The garbage collector Is
the beggar or the starving dog"
Consul Ragsdale writes from Tien
Tsin that "all animal food is compara-
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
material deposited on vacant lots and
In front of houses where the owners
do not employ the collector. Tin cans
are much priced by the natives and are
regular article Of commerce. When
beyond use as a bucket they are fiat
tened out and made into ything from
eandiestiek To a bathtub-the latter
being used only for foreigners, Broken
glass is reheated and made into lamps
aud curios. snun bottles, etc. 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 sprinkling
The streets and the passers-by are
sprinkled by means Of long-handled
ladies'.
"The street refuse collections are
made by men and boys with a basket
, and a small long handled ladle or show.
, ell The basket hangs on the back from
the left shoulder and great skill il
, shown by some collectors In seoopinG
up every thing and throwing IL into the
basket without loss. This material Il
taken TO some bright. sunny and con
, venient locality. mixed with two part'
OF street dust and made into cakes, tn,
, sire 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 Il
the stone bridge ON Legation street. 1
! Is only few hundred yards from tn,
two foreign hotels and the French
, German, japanese, English. Russian
aud American legations. The bridge
; being thus centrally located with
!. wind-swept stone floor exposed to th,
sun. possesses all of the requirement
! Of drst-elaSs fertilizer dryer. IL 1
!. in daily use. The sewage system o
a reklpg is certainly combined system
= Everything combines In the streets
!. No alters are used. The supply o
street sweepings exceeds the deman'
by about three inches In depth"