The Washington times., 1904-08-19
CONTRACTORS FAIL
TO GATHER REFUSE
AS SPER AGREEMENT
Infrequent Collection
Where Daily Service
Is Required.
ALL SECTIONS SUFFER
Gross Breach of Contract by
Washington Fertilizer CO.
Reported.
ALL SECTIONS SUFFER

Astounding revelations Of the great
degree In which the Washington Fertil-
izer Company, contractor for removing
garbage from the city. has failed TO live
up TO its contract were made today by
Acting Superintendent of Street Clean
ing Twohey in a report to District Com
missioner MacfaTland.
Says the report:
In the outlying sections Of the south
east and southwest portions of the city
but one collection Of garbage is being
made per week: in the middle secSion
of the same territory the residents are
receiving but one aud two collections
per week; whereas in the inlying section
two and three collections per week are
given.
In the northwest section of the city,
from North Capitol Street to Tenth
Street, householders are receiving three
and four collections per week; from
Tenth Street TO Nineteenth Street gar
bage Is removed from three TO five, OF
an average of four times per week; from
Nineteenth Street TO Rock Creek the
collections vary from two 20 five times
per week, only a very small portion of
that section. however, receiving the
latter number Of collections; from Rock
Greek 70 ThirSy-seveDth Street three and
four collections per week, and in a few
cases FIVE collections.
Entitled to Daily Service.
'An this territory is entitled 10 daily.
except Sunday. service under the terms
OF the contract.
In Washington Heights, Columbia
Heights. Mount Pleasant and Ecking-
ton the collections will not exceed two
per week. and on some streets, such
as Elm, Wilson, Pomeroy, College and
others IN that immediate vicinity the
average has been one collection per
week. In the suburbs OF Tenleytown,
petworth. Takoma Park, RroOkland
Langdon and Anacostia householders
have been receiving an average OF but
one collection per week. BY the terms
OF the contract the above territory is
entitled TO three collections per week.
During the first few days of August"
continues Mr.. Twohey. the fertilizer
company had some difficulty in secur-
ing prompt transportation for their
cars, but since then they have been
using box cars in addition 70 the reg
ular tank cars. and / do not understand
that they have had any trouble in get
ting a sufficient number OF cars TO en-
able them 10 ship 10 their plant the
quantity Of garbage collected each day.
Company's Team Service.
The following list was prepared by
Twohey, showing the number Of teams
the company has had in service each day
since August 1 for the gigantic task
OF removing the garbage:
August /. g. teams; August 2. g. teams
August 3, s. teams; August 4. 6 teams
August g. 81 teams. August G. IS teams:
August Z. "a teams Sunday; August s.
s. teams: August 9, 6S teams: August 70.
20 teams; August II, 69 teams; August
u. 60 teams; August 13 GO teams; August
"A, 20 teams Sunday; August Is, 7Ol
teams; August 16, 20 teams. and August
IL. 70 teams.
Complaints Numerous.
Mr.. Twohey's report concludes as fol-
lows:
The number Of garbage complaints
received at this Office each day since Au-
gust ! has largely exceeded that OF anv
previous year since the present contract
hes been in force, and while garbage IS /
very heavy, as compared with former
years-the present daily average collect /
ed being about $50 tons. as against about
125 tons in 1903-still the emergency can
be met by putting IN service additional
teams. sufficient I'm number 10 cope with
the existing conditions
The complaints have numbered fifty
nine today. In other words. there are
hfty-nine people who say that their gar
bage service is not what II should be AZ
this time.
Today, in reply 10 a notice from Mr..
Macfarland that the service must be
improved at once, as IL was required
for the health Of the city and the con
venience Of the hOuseholders. the com
pany excused itself by saying % is near
y impossible TO secure teams and horses
enough for the transportation Of the
garbage from the houses 10 the rail-
road cars.
Must Be Remedied.
This difficulty. say the authorities.
must be remedied- i IS pointed out that
the company. in a large city like this,
ought 20 be able to increase its total
Of teams by more than one or two per
day. Things have come 10 such a
pass that the officials are determined
that something must be done 70 i'm
prove the existing conditions.
All tho time the company is being
fined at the rate OF 81 for each failure