Evening journal., 1901-08-21
HOUSEK KEEPER
OR GARBAGE Man?
Who's Responsible for Com
plants is the Question
COLLECTORS ARE DEFENDED
Board Of Health Official Saws Men
Are Performing Their henial
Duties With Fidelity
COLLECTORS ARE DEFENDED

butiVO WIN Hlutllll
s'Trom every section Of the city comes
complaint that garbage receptaoles
have refused to contain their contents,
that the health of the community is
being threatened by the unpleasant
odor which arises from them, and that
unless some particular buckets are
emptied shortly. occupants 'of several
houses wiz be compelled to vacate the
premises.
Oh, pity the fate of-not the garbage
man-but of those Wilmingtonians
who are suffering because of his failure
to visit their homes.
It is said that misery likes company,
and the Evening Journal, being made
well-nigh miserable by the hundred
complaints which have come to this
office of late. about the garbage col
lectOrs. decided 10 share it's unpleasant
knowledge with officials of the Board
Of Health. but the newspaper man who
carried the burden found little conso-
latiOn there. Moreover. but little or
no relief was promised the ruifled and
disgusted housekeepers, in whose be
half the Evening Journal appealed.
More than three-quarters of these
complaints are unwarranted," said
Andrew c. Cahill. secretary Of the
board. "and when / say that, know OF
what | am speaking. There has not
been one day this Summer that we have
not been complained to about the al
legged neglect of the collectors OF gar
bage. OF course we file all complaints
and notify the garbage contractors az
most Immediately. They in turn re-
move the garbage as soon as they can.
I know this to be true. as on many oc-
casions l accompanied the collectors
to see that they did the work.
Il distinctly recall one occasion
when we received complaint from a
family on the West Side that the gar
bage had not been removed for several
days. Instead Of a great heap OF refuse
we found about two quarts Of fruit
'rinds In a bucket that had been emptied
Of half bushel OF garbage the day be-
fore. This is not the only complaint
that has proved unwarranted. ] repeat
that fully threc-quarters of them arc
from people who either lock their
gates. and thereby prevent the collect
.ors from entering the yards. or from
those peopre who imagine that a quart
of garbage is going to cause contagion.
"T'he four city contractors employ
twenty men. who say they collect gar
bage from every house in the city at
least twice a week. / think the refuse
should be removed at least three times
Ia week in this warm weather. but if it
lis removed but twice I do not think
the health of any community will be
threatened
IF housekeepers will leave their
gates open and place their refuse tubs
and buckets where the collectors can
see them. I am satisfied that all these
complaints wiz end The crematory
lis in condition TO consume all the gar
bage that might be collected here at
this time"
HousekeeDer Has Her Say
One housekeeper who has had fire.
quent occasion to complain TO the Board
of Health about the failure of the gar
hage collectors to visit her home. said:
Previous TO the last visit of the coll
cector to our house, the garbage had
not been removed for one week /
called the board by telephone several
times and although officials there said
the refuse would be removed immedi-
ately. il was not done until four days
afterward. These cans were not be-
hind locked gates. but where the col
lector could see them had he been at
tending to his work.
For the information of the suffering
housekeepers who may want to per-
sonally interview the collectors. their
names and the districts they are sup
posed to keep rid Of garbage. are:
George Slaughter. First district. east
of Market and south Of Sixth street
Martin F. Keogh. Second district.
east Of Market and north of Sixth
street
Harry Witsil. Third district. west Of
Market street and south of Sixth
street
Harry Witsil and Riley G. McCor-
mick. Fourth district. west Of Market
and north of Sixth street