New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-02-04
LIGHT FROM RUBBISH.
williamsburg Bridge Illuminated by
Burning Waste Material.

Few of the many thousands who nightly cross
the East River. and who look toward the new
Williamsburg Bridge with its mile more of
brilliant electric lights. are aware that all this
dazzling Illumination is derived entirely from
the burning up of a portion of the city's dis
carded rubbish Such is the fact however, and
the great shining arch marks the first success
full municipal lighting plant in the city operated
by the burning of waste rubbish. This econom-
ical achievement has been brought about by
Commissioner John McGaw Woodbury. of the
Street Cleaning Department. who thus saves
about $4,000 year for the city which would
otherwise be paid out for electricity for lighting
the bridge.
NETWORKS first municipal lighting plant is
situated directly under the new Williamsburg
Bridge, at Delancey-st. and the East River and
consists of two structures, one containing the
furnaces and boilers and the other the general
ing and electrical machinery. The most ami
mated and spectacular place in the whole plant
is the receiving department, where all day some
$50 carts, piled to the top with all sorts and
conditions of waste material including a
dozen different kinds Of paper cardboard, milk
cans, bedsteads, sofas. mattresses crockery
ware-in fact, every conceivable discarded rem
nant OF the East Sider's household and trade
establshments-are here unloaded. Each wagon
averages about 1000 pounds
With pitchforks the smaller articles in this
almost mountainlike mass of waste substances
are thrust on an incline, or apron conveyer, four
feet wide and eighty-nine feet long, which car
ries the material to a platform above whore it
falls into a chute leading into the furnaces be-
low. Along both sides Of the conveyer the
italian contractor. who pays in the neighbour
hood of $50 week for the privilege has sta
toned gang of sorters, who pick out the de-
cira Of
salable articles. Near by are wooden bins into
which the various classes of material thus
rescued thrown and kept separated The
bins have openings at the bottom from which
the sorted stuff is delivered to the floor for
packing This tramway, or conveyer, travels
foot a minute, which gives the army of pickers
just about time to do their work. About GO per
cent of the whole mass is thus sorted out. The
Italian contractor is said to be reaping a good
harvest and clearing several hundred dollars a
week out of his rubbish picking monopoly. This.
however, in the future will be open to public
bids
When the remaining matter reaches the top
of the conveyer it falls on sheetiron II2tforrn
containing openings which lead into the fur
naces. Through several separate chutes the
rubbish is pushed down by men witt long
shovels.
Along the outer edge of the building, in order
O save time and labor, inclined wagon road
is arranged, which is used only by the carts
containing such bulky material as Will require
no picking breaking into pieces or asserting,
such large blocks of wood and lumber, whole
barrels, chairs, sofas. etc, which could not so
through the chutes. These are dropped down
and showed directly into the furnace on the
lower floor.
one Of the novel sights to be seen is when one
Of the huge furnace doors IS opened and some
East Side heirloom in the shape of old sofa
or lounge IS showed intact into the burning and
cracking interior. furnishing enough fuel prob
ably 10 keep of the big arc lights going for
several hours on the bridge at night.
TWO boilers employed, which have a
pacity of POO horsepower apiece The cOnstruc-
tive features of the plant were worked out
Jointly 10y Engineer Parsons and +. l.. Stearns,
engineer of the Department of Street Cleaning,
tn latter of whom built the two West Side fur
uaceS BY experimenting Mr.. StearnS has found
that one pound of the material burnt in these
furnaces IS capable OF eVdpOrating one and a
half pounds Of water from ID degrees Fahren-
hot. ana two inciosed arcs could be lit one hour
from the heat obtained by the combustion of
-..-l.t pounds of rubbish. II is also estimated
,-.r IN Thousand pounds OF rubbish be
.tft fr