New-York tribune., 1906-07-23
DOTY ON SANITATION.
HE YOU'D BURN GARBAGE
Says Present System Is a 1lenaee to
Heath of Citg.

The recent burning OF the big reduction pan,
az Barren Island. where New TO-k's garbage
was disposed Of. has drawn once more the asten-
tiOn Of sanitary experts % this important ques-
ton. OF all matters cf city government the di--
pOsai OF refuse is the one perhaps in which lcags
progress has been made in recent years. Ths
methods pursued by the Department Of Street
Cleaning the same now 10 all intents and
purposes. as obtained a decade or more ago. ant
I the experts are agreed that these methods are
/ far from being the best New that tine Barren
Island plant is out OF commission. Commissions
Woodbury. has had to revert to the practice .
our ancestors Of long ago and dump the garbage
az sea. the noxious result following that the
shores Of Long Island and New Jersey are IT.
tered with the stuff.
There are three ways in which municipalities
dispose OF garbage: First, by dumping into the
sea or land removed from the inhabited por-
tions Of cities; second. by reduction. and third.
by incineratiOu OF these methods sauitariaus
are agreed that the last named is the best The
only argument OF account against il is that e -
more expensive to the municipality than the re-
ductiOn process. for a contractor is willing 20
pay for the privilege of handling City's refuse
for the sake OF the commercial products he Is
able to extrSct from it-oi fertilizer. etc
DR.. AIvah T., DOty. the Health officer OF ths
port Of New York, is a firm believer in the in
cinsratiOn method for the disposal OF garbage.
He has made exhaustive study OF the subject
both in this country and in Europe. To a Trib-
une reporter he expOunded his views sanita-
ton. saying:
1t seems to me that this is the most aPpro-
pirate time for the city authorities TO take up
this most important question. The plant az
Barren Island is being rebuilt, and suppose IL
is the intention to continue the unsanitary meth
DDS now in vogue.
Sanitation is an exact science. and it's main
principle is that garbage or other refuse should
I DESTROYED
way the matter is handled at present is in direct
opposition to that principle our garbage Is nov
hauled twenty miles before IL is destroyed and
sometimes it takes days to do it. Decomposition
sets in and the nOstris Of citizens are offended
and the health of the city menaced during the
removal of the mess
II is argued that IT is cheaper to dispose Of our
refuse this way In my opinion IL is not Hlu-
nicipal function TO get a revenue from hlth
where it is against sanitation. And that our
present method Is against sanitation cannot be
disputed. IL is dirty. danger to the health OT
the community. relic of ancient times
/ The garbage is collected daily. taken 10 docks
at various points on the rivers and there dumped
into scOws. Sometimes the scOw will stay at
the dock two or three days before starting for
Barren Island During this time the mess Is
purifying filing the air with nOXiOus OdOrs and
nOurishing and disseminating the germs Of
/ typhoid and other diseases. Then il is taken 20
Barren Island. leaving a trail of stencil behind
that is OverpOwerng-
INCINERATION THE ONLY WAY
1 have no fault to fnd with the management
Of the Barren Island reduction plant It. has
been splendidIy conducted. but / do say that
utilization or reduction is not the proper way
for big city like New York to dispose Of its
garbage IncineratiOn is the only way.
What is required is that a system Of educa-
tiOn be started. The ultimate aim Of the munich
pal authorities should be that each household
destroy its own garbage. following that primary
principle of sanitation / have alluded to. Like
the crusade against splitting II will be a matter
OF years. perhaps before results will follow; bu-
also like that educational movement, Il viii win
! out IN the end When the Health Department.
/ got after ''spitters' it was at first laughed at.
but as the people gradually learned the harmful
ness Of the practice they gradually dropped q
Similarly. II the people are taught how TO de-
strOy their own garbage they will gradually
/ learn to do So
But while this educational process is going on
some provision must be made TO tide over that
time. The proper way to do this would be TO
lay out the city In sections. and in each section
70 place an incinerating plant which would de-
strOy the garbage Of that section The plants
might preferably be placed the river front.
although this is not absolutely necessary.
There are TWO principal objections that may
I prooabiy be urged against this plan the first
! Delng the matter OF expense As have already
intimated. do not think this valid objection
; Where II is a question of the city having the
way.
The other objection that may be advanced is
that incinerating plants have not been developed
to point where they are perfect There is a
| measure of truth in this. but only small one
In the Pennsylvania Hospital in PHILADELPHIA
/ where the daily census is about five hundred.
the entire garbage and refuse of the institution
is inci1eTatsd on the premises at cost Of not
B
from neighbOTing citizens. although the hospital
/ is in the heart of residential district In
Hamburg, Berlin. Bradford. Leeds. Edinburgh
/ and dozens of other foreign cities incinerating
plants are operated. and the cost is only from
/ IL to 16 Gents ton. varying cOndi-
/ tiOns differ. Here in New York we dispose Of
roughly. 100000 tons OF garbage year so that
the plants once built. the cost would not be ex-
/ cessive.
The incineratOrs in use successfully in the
cities mentioned are very simple presenting no
difficulties OF construction. Take the one at Ham
burg, Germany. for example. This consists OF
a low, square built apparatus Of brick and iron.
having top thirty-Six cells or openings COW
cred with clOse-f1tting lids These openings con-
meet with the apartment or individual CRATES be-
meath, where the incineTatiOn takes place. The
+ refuse. consisting OF garbage. ashes and sweep
ings. is collected in different parts Of the city
and brought to the incineTatOr in wagons. which
/ are so constructed that their boxes be de-
tached and lifted by crane and carried 70 g
point directly over one OF the cells or openings.
the lid Of which is then removed and the refuse
from the wagon dumped in While this IS being
DONE tin cans, pieces or crOckery. ETC.. winch
have been mixed with the mass are TO a large
extent removed. The mass after entering the
opening passes through chute and Is carried
directly TO the CRATE: the Of the cell Is then
replaced and the process OF tncinerat1On begun
The gases which are formed during the incia-
Grafton are returned 10 the crate or fire and de-
stFOyed before they can reach the outer air
Neither the small amount OF smoke emitted
from the chimney nor the general work OF the
incinerator is regarded nuisance. although
the apparatus is I'm the bUiIt-Up portion OF the
city. The process as conducted in Hamburg IS
not without some revenue. The clinker which
is raked out from the crate Is crushed to diff
ferent sizes and readily sold. IL is mixed with
cement and used for the construction OF streets
Nails and pieces OF iron which have become
mixed with the refuse are removed by a powerful
magnet. which operates as the ClinkeF passes
through the crusher. Compared with redUe-
ton plant, the machinery used is exceedingly
simple and easily operated
In some plants the heat generated is utilized
10 lighting