Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-06-24
FOR DISPOSAL OF GARBAGE
INSPECTION OF REDUCTION PLANT
AT CHERRY HILL.
Place Where the District Refuse Is
Made of Commercial
Value.

An official inspection of the garbage re-
duction plant of the Washington Fertilizer
Company at Cherry Hill, Va, was made
Saturday afternoon by the District officials
who have supervision of the collection and
disposition of the garbage of the national
capital. AS stated in The Star Saturday,
the party, consisting of Commissioner John
W. Ross, Warner Stutler, the superintend-
ent of street cleaning; Myron NJ. Parker,
president of the company; Louis Boyer.
secretary; E. Southland Parker, treasurer.
and Mr. Ferguson, former minister to Nor
way and Sweden. left for Cherry Hill.
which is fouS miles from Quantico and al
most directly opposite the naval proving
grounds at Indian Head, on the II oclock
train The plant is in an isolated spot, d.
rectly on the shore of the Potomac and on
the main line of the southern branch of the
Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore
division of the Pennsylvania lines.
Every bit of the garbage collected in
Washington is transported to this estab-
lishment and made of commercial value
The disposition of Washington household
refuse, as now In operation, Is compare
lively new, having been inaugurated only
last February. When the Washington Fer
tlilzer Company secured the contract for
removing garbage in the District house
holders noted the change from the old
two-wheeled carts to four-wheeled wagons
on each of which rested movable tank OF
iron. Each of these tanks Is filled from the
collections made in the back yards. and
once full is not opened again in the city
until 1t returns empty. The garbage wagon
proceeds to New Jersey avenue and K
street southwest, where by means Of
derrick the garbage tank is lifted off and
placed on a fiat car specially designed for
the purpose. An empty tank which has
been returned from the plant is placed on
the wagon and the garbage man Is ready
for another round. Dead animals are also
he cI,i1
pany. il having the exclusive privilege for
that purpose. The carcasses are trans
ported to Cherry Hill in a zinc-lined air.
tight compartment car. The garbage train
makes two trips daily.
The Processes.
Upon arrival at Cherry Hill Saturday
at noon the District officials and officers OF
the company were met by Mr.. A. ].
Morse, the manager of the works. All
repaired to Mr.. Morse's cottage. situated
In clump of pretty woods. and were en-
tertained at an elaborate luncheon. The
tour of inspection was then begun. The
party was first shown how the garbage
tanks removed from the city wagons were
lifted from the fiat cars by huge travel
ing derrick and dumped on a platform.
From this position the garbage Is dis
tributed into about twenty steam cooking
watts. where 1t remains for six hours. AT
the end of this time the oil and the solids
and the solids placed in layers In hy-
draulic presses. A pressure of 5000 pounds
to the inch is exerted. with the result
that practically all of the oil left from the
cooking process is extracted, and the solid
material Is formed into a cake some four
feet square and an inch or two In thick
ness.
Next the solid cake is conveyed to dry
ing oven, where every vestige of Oil and
N DISTURB is removed. A grinding process
removes all foreign substances, such as bits
Of tin, oyster shells, etc, that creep into
the garbage, but should not be there &C.
cording to the law. The powdered ma
terial, at the conclusion of the several pro-
cesses, is brown in color and practically
odorless. 1t Is treated with bone dust and
other ingredients before being finally placed
on the market as finished fertilizer. One
Of the companys greatest profits comes
from the sale Of the crude oil extracted
from the garbage. It Is easily clarified and
Is used by large soap factories The gar
bage plant Is thoroughly modern in all its
details The new manner of disposng of
the city refuse met with the appreciation of
the District officials. The garbage was for
merry towed down the river in barges and
disposed OF in various ways. The officers
Of the fertilizer company are as noted
above In the inspection party with the ad-
dillon Of Mr.. John F. Wilkins, who Is vice
president.