Los Angeles herald., 1905-05-27
CITY GARBAGE IS
WORTH MILLIONS
EXPENSE CAN BE TURNED TO
GREAT PROFIT
UTILIZE MUNICIPAL WASTES
Walter n. Dickerson Cites Experiences
Of Eastern Municipalities In 81.
Proof Of His Remarkable
Statements
UTILIZE MUNICIPAL WASTES

Instead of an expense of $4,000
year for the destruction of the garbage
of Los Angeles a net income of over
1000, 900 by converting it into illumi-
mating gas.
Instead of paying out thousands of
dollars to rid the city of it's sewage, a
system by which 1t might be sterilized
and the water used for irrigation pur-
poses between Los Angeles and the sea
bringing in an income of $S0,000
year.
These we're the startling suggestions,
backed by figures and the experiences
of other cities, which were made last
night by Walter II. Dickerson, an en-
gineer of Newark, N. j., before the
Engineers club at the Westminster.
Mr.. Dickerson, who is an engineer of
wide experience, both in Europe and
America, and now in Los Angeles to
conduct Investigations for an eastern
firm, was the principal speaker of the
tNtlllllS' lhC dppiduSC oS tiC NiOoC VI
his remarks, given by men who were
familiar with the subject which he
treated, showed the respect with which
his statements were received.
Local Possibilities
Mr.. Dickerson spoke on the "Utili-
cation of Municipal Wastes" devoting
large portion of the time to dis
cussion of the possibilities in Los An
geles.
Los Angeles should not pay to have
her refuse destroyed. Vast possibili-
ties for material gain lie in what the
city is now trying to rid itself of at a
large expense" said Mr.. Dickerson.
Taking the garbage, treating it
properly with chemicals and using the
common retort method of making gas,
an article of perfect illuminating power
can be manufactured.
by using the proper methods, every
ton of garbage can be made to produce
$4,000 cubic feet of gas. Los Angeles.
each day, has seven tons of street
sweepings, sixty tons of garbage, and
eighty tons of solids, which could be
saved by precipitation of the sewage
Profit of Three Million Dollars
Take merely the sixty tons of gar.
bage, this, in a year, will produce H.
900, 900 cubic feet of gas. Counting
twelve cents per thousand feet as the
cost of manufacture, interest, depre-
citation of plant and all other expenses,
and selling the product at forty cents
thousand feet, the net profits would
amount to over $S,OOO,OOO. Selling it at
seventy-five cents a thousand feet, the
profits would be $6,S00,000."
In the discussion of the utilization of
the city's sewage, Mr.. Dickerson said:
by test made August 4, 1904, by City
Engineer Mulholland, the flow from
the Los Angeles sewers was twenty
four cubic feet per second. Mr.. Mulhol-
land estimated at that time that with
the completion of the new outfall sewer,
cleansing the entire city, the sewage
would amount to thirty cubic feet per
second, or 2,592,OOO cubic feet per day.
Sewage for Irrigation
This, if treated properly and steril-
lied, could be used for irrigating pur-
poses. The Objectionable matter could
be thrown into. the ocean.
"In irrigation between Los Angeles
and the sea one inch of water will ir-
rigate ten acres, and real estate agents
say they would be willing to pay $500
year for irrigating water, netting
sum of $SOOOO and doing away with
the outfall sewer.
"At Essen. Germany, such plant
handling about one-fifth the amount
of sewage coming from Los Angeles
has been erected at a cost of $4,000
and is run at an annual expense of
$1,000"
In speaking of garbage Instructors
Mr.. Dickerson described the Medium
destructor. whose manufacturers were
unsuccessful bidders for the garbage
destructor to be erected by the city, as
being the oldest and most satisfactory
system of incineration used in Eng
land. The larger number of the mu-
inequalities run off the gases arising
from the garbage destroyed and, In
conjunction with boilers, generate
steam, which is used for heating and
manufacturing purposes.
Utilize All Waste
"There is no reason why cities should
not utilize their waste products just
as private manufacturing enterprises
are now doing" said Mr.. Dickerson in
the introduction Of his paper. "The
latter have come to find in many cases
their largest profits from products
which they were few years ago get
ting rid of at an expense"
Lack of public spirit and concentra-