The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1905-02-18
THE VALUE OF
STREET SWEEPINGS.


A recent interview which appeared
in the New Orleans States calls atten-
ton to a subject which, in the south
: particularly, must sooner or later at
tract serious consideration. The in
terview in question emphasizes the
value of garbage" and street sweep
ings" and lays stress on their utility
as a fertilizer commodity of which
thousands Of tons are annually sold
ana used all over the south. But let
the New Orleans man speak:
There is great value in the street
sWeeplngs Of city like New Orleans. -
SAID W. G. Tebault in discussing the
recently favOrably reported garbage
ordnance recommended bv the Pro
eressive Union.
An instance of the practical utility
and OF the value of street sweepings
is made manifest by the organization
OF a corporation in Los Angeles. Cali
lorna. The Standard Consolidated
Fertilizer Company of that city is
making a demonstration at this time
that is worthy the careful attention of
every city of any consequence. These
.sweeplngs are for the most part horse
manure. The smaller portions of
matter is principally decomposed vege-
tables OF all sorts that has collected
In various ways and been taken I'D
by the sweeping brOOms and ma
chimes. The sweepings are used only
from the paved streets by the new
FERTILIZER company. There is very
little sand or gravel mixed with the
debris thus gathered. The company
has already found through its expert
ments that the stuff it gathers is far
superior TO the bulky barnyarG ma
nure, as it is more compact, contains
the same essential qualities and does.
not contain the excessive amounts OF
straw and water.
Before this company ships its pro-
duct to the consumers il goes through
a process Of refinement or separation.
All matter, such as paper, sticks.
small stones, rags and general rub
Dish is screened out. When taken
from the city the sweepings are run
through a hopper into a rotary colan-
der or seiVe. The. useful portions
drop between the meshes and are
loaded into cars for shipment. There
is a ready market from gardeners and
truck-grOWers generally for every
pound the new company can procure
and indeed they have orders far in adj
vance of the output.
The product coming from the
steam sweepers at night which are
supposed sometimes to collect germs,
passes through a steam process that
must necessarily be antiseptic by its
nature. As the deposits on the street
are brushed into a closed box in very
small PARTICLES, they are carried
through a steam settler, the heat of
which is deadly to baccilli life.
"The fertilizer is especially adapted
10 many fruit producers and growers
who do not desire the barnyard man
ure owing to the straw in il that pro-
duces all kinds of growth. AS there
is no straw in the street sweepings
the user has no fear of weeds and
grain sprouting where they are not
wanted. Competition is now too keen
to allow foreign plant life to absorb
the nitrogen, ammonia and phosDhoric
compounds from trees or tender al
faIfa. Street sweepings eradicate all
danger.
Now as the Progressive Union con-
templates the placing of boxes at each
street corner to gather the sweepings,
II would seem that there is chance
for some enterprising firm of like
character 70 get in on a good thing.
This is the age of utility and wherever
a lesson is TO be learned, 1t is due TO
an enterprising people to profit by the
same"
- 4 +;I, ,,,fler feature in
connection with this matter which
Mr.. Tebault does not mention, and
that feature may be suggested in the
inouiry-what becomes of al Of the
old newspaper?
Thousands of tons of newspaper is
manufactured and used annually in
this country. the newspapers are
printed and read. and then for the
most part are thrown away.
If this waste paper which finos its
way into the garbage cans or is burn
ed up in the back yards within
month after it has been used, could
be placed by itself and taken again to
the mill it would form the best of raw
material for the manufacture again
into white paper.
If the cities of the south which now
buv all their paper from the northern
mills and pay freight on it TO this
section would devise means for saw
ing their waste paper from. the garb-
age heap, a large part of the new
paper used might be manufactured
Tightshere.