The times., 1901-06-23
AFFAIRS OF THE DISTRICT
How Fertilizing Material Is Ren
dered Out of Garbage.

The Process Described-Fire Alarm
Boxes for Charitable institution
Electric Conduit to the Pension Of
fee The Placing of New Lamps
An odd hundred tons of the garbage of
the District OF Columbia is converted
every day into valuable fertilizing ma
terial at the garbage reduction plant Of
the Washington Fertilizer Company, at
Cherry Hill. Va. Commissioner Ross yes
terday inspected the plant, and was well
satisfied with the disposition Of the refuse
OF the city by this plan, which has been
in effect since about February l. BY a
purely scientific method Of steam cook
ing and hydraulic pressure the liquid and
the solid material of the garbage is sep
arated. there being only a slight waste in
the form of metal and other hard ma
terials
Commissioner Ross was accompanied by
party of gentlemen, who left for Cherry
IIfil at II o'clock yesterday, on the Penn
sylvania Railroad. There were also in
the party Warner Stutler. Superintendent
of the Street Cleaning Department;
Myron NJ Parker, President, Z. Southland
Parker, Treasurer, and Louis Boyer Sec
retary, of the fertilizer company; Major
local newspapers.
Upon arrival at the works the members
OF the party were met by A. J. Morse
superintendent of the plant, and enter
ta!ned at luncheon in his cottage. After
the renast Mr. Morse conducted the party
through the works and explained in de-
tail all the workings Of a system success
fully operated in the disposition of the
garbage of many cities, including Cieve-
land and Detroit.
Under the compary's contract, which
became operative last December, all the
garbage in the District of Columbia is
collected. over fifty wagons are en-
ployed in this work. The garbage is
taken from the cans and placed in the
iron box of the collecting wagon Once
full, these boxes are never opened in the
city. but are placed on fiat cars for
transmission TO the reduction plant. Ar
irving there. the cars are switched onto a
side track. where a huge derrick lifts
the boxes from the cars and swings theln
to the second floor of the main building
of the plant.
a large portion Of this floor is given
over as a receptacle for the green gar
bage, which is piled in a huge heap. on
both sides are the openings TO the steam
ovens in which, by a process of steam
cooking. 50 per cent Of the liquid in the
garbage is extracted. The ovens have
the appearance of large boilers set on end.
After the green garbage is picked over,
which is the only source of offensive
smell in the entire operation, and the tin
cans and other pieces of metal are taken
out, the steam ovens are filled. In the
meantime. if there have been any car
casses CT dead animals brought to the
works, these are stripped of the hides
and thrown into the heap.
The garbage placed in the steam cook
ing watts is left there under a high pres
sure for period of about six hours. The
liquids. of course, flow to the bottom of
the vat and by action Of the steam are
forced through sinai, pipes into tanks on
the third floor of the building.
After a sufficient time in the cooking
watts the garbage is taken out and placed
on conveying cars. At this time about
half OF the liquid has been extracted The
dry material is then placed upon the
frames of hydraulic presses Wrapped in
burlsp TO hold It to its place the remain
der of the liquid is forced from the gar
bage which at this time is of dark color,
the result of the cooking process. The
presses are capable of a force of 400
pounds to the square inch and the liquid
portion remaining in the material fairly
streams from the press frames, flows into
cutters in the floor. and thence into an
other vat From the vat it is forced into
the third floor tanks. already containing
liquid matter from the cooking process.
The contents of the tank is allowed to
stand undisturbed for several hours until
the water has separated from the grease
and fats 1t is the latter which is valua-
BILE This liquid is drawn off through
pipes into barrels outside the main build
ing and shipped direct from the factory.
The liquid strongly resembles liquid oil,
and is sold under contract to Cincinnati
soap firm. From this product the COM