New-York tribune., 1907-08-14
POOR REFUSE FURNACES.
City Light Plant Couldn't Help
Failing. 1t Is asserted.


communication.
one would suppose for example. that the idea
Of utilizing city waste to furnish power 1or lish
ing or other purposes, hailed one of the great
est industrial steps in the history Of the state
an idea that appealed to engineers all over .iie
world" and which has been exploited III cos'iy
model and well-told story for the giorincauoh Vi
the department and its illustrious chief originated
in the mind of Commissioner Woodbury. 80 laI
is this from true, it may be confdehiiy ds e |
that the Commissioner not entitled to creoit lor
single practical. novel suggestion connected Will
refuse disposal.
Long before Colonel Woodbury. became Con1ihis
sioner the utilization of the heat OF clty eti1S, III
for the production Of power had been successiuiiS
and economically carried out at cohsiuei
number of plants. The fact that unnecessary anu
misdirected experimental work initiated anu -
Quoted by the Commissioner and his associhtes
had resulted after large expenditures In lafnelao
failure, has bearing whatever upon the pi o.
cabilty of accomplishing the desired Results g.. -
the contrary the failure of the two 1uFhaces. H.
at 18th street and more recently at 'he "ii
t,r iridea was an inevitable result of wrong de-
sign and inexperience of the work to be done ~
was not necessary to build either "i ms -
naces 10 demonstrate their ineffictency, Ior to p
ticaI sneciaIists this clearly indicated III "
,apoa and was actually predicted from the designs
If is a mistake to suppose that an engineer now
ever competent and experienced ne iiiaS
profession is qualified without speciai h"o %,
and snecidc experience to design succ>S'A0i
nv the failure of the two plants designed oy oi'S
engineers Not only have the two furnaces s %
cose;va1v Failed as generators OF steam power pul
thew are also inefficient and inordinateiy expensive
when regarded as simple burners of refuse
small part of the money that mas peeii "
" and we NAV even say foolishly, squanoefeo oiA
these experimental plants would nave suiiio.u
der proper direction, to generate INC ,.,
power from the combustion OF refuse LOT eie''
light The declaration is made In this forii oii
,,o-,f;nr, that
citv engineers of power TO be generated 10 ho'
exceed the energy IN the refuse anu pie'u'
available the purpose. -.
Calculations based upon reliable data of the heat
Theoretically available refuse are necessary A'i
tho Guidance of designers of furnaces. put pie'
must be applied with due regard to pracucal "a
perience The effective utilization OF tha1 neat VI
fers a problem which can only be successiuiiS e
cidated by the application of special kno"ieue'
resulting from years of experience in TINS pafuc
1or AaId Even with this advantage 50 many III
verse elements involved that WIDE MAJ e e,l
must be allowed between the estimated prooaoo
output of power and any promise OF actuai pc,
formance Nevertheless, II is not entirety e&pei'
,ap+aI e,,esswork for much has been learned from
the many different plants which have beeh anu
are In continuous operation IL ls theEe,oie' e1
folly for inexperienced designers TO piAn e.pe
mental work of this kind at the expense OF INC
city.
II I, were possible to eliminate from city Work
political influence. favoritism and graft ana 10
apply to street cleaning and refuse destruction
the best of specialized engineering knowledge anu
, ipventtve achievement the city could have oe-
s,ruc+or that would operate effectively and eco
nomicaIly without the expenditure OF ooiar III
experimental work AS conditions arc 'here soeiiS
TO be an irresponsbility about city departments
and high officials whereby the obhsa''oh 70 ao
complsh results in the pest poSSioio ""' "
family recognized
The writer is Of the opinion although without
personal knowledge. that no honest man can ger "a
contract for city work on the basis or just pfo'
on costs alone There seem to be always specians
favored persons and unless they can proht ln
some way means will be found TO reject the oids
most advantageous to the city Moreover tne ofis
fnator or inventor of an important ihpfoFeiiiol'
assumes the risk In submitting designs. that his
ideas NAV be copied and applied (prooably un"ise
ly and neffectively) by the city authorities Will
out recognition compensation
since the time of Colonel Waring the ineficency
and msmanagement Of the Street Cleaning De-
partment have been conspicuously obvious. some
day the people will more generally and keeniy roc
cenf-a the excessive work done In dlnerent
municipal departments, due to irresponsoie au"nii
istration incompetence. unbusinessiike me'hoos'
| political ravoritism and graft And they Will De
moved 10 change all this-because IL increases tax
alton 1t is to be deplored that we cannot sue
cessfully appeal to higher motives TO effect re-
forms There are. indeed. signs OK growing poP"
lar condemnation OF administrative Wrongoolns ana
ineficiency which may lead TO strong. moral. di-
[
| felt.
At the present moment we are particularly inter
ested In the economical utilization OF street feiuse
The Mayor has recently appointed sDeciai COM
mittee of three report on methods OF street
cleaning and disposal. There may De sisti"caiic7
| {, .ha fact that the chairman OF the committee
happens to be the designer OF che TWO iurhace'
which have so signally failed whether an impar-
tal and edifying report is to bs anticipated uhoer
s,cb circumstances is subject to reasonable doubt
gtrange that we Sh0uu DC totu
yba+ ..ysrhage is a poor fuel. which most persons
supposed was known before the experiiheh'ai uehi
onstration It also natural that an eHort shooio
he made to attribute the failure OF the experiments
70 the poor quality of the combustlpies' "tiiie 'e
aal cas of It is the wrong design OF the furnaces
and operative methods. Before the speciai com
rnittee makes its report 1t Is much 10 DC oe'iieu
that the history of the evolution OF the Two costly
governmental plants herein mentioned should Dc
nuhlisbed in full BY all means lot the whole story
he told truly without fear. favor or self interest,"
whereby a great light will be thrown upon much
lauded achievements which are utter failures.
As 10 the erroneous impression that the expert
mental work of the city authorities has shown the
imnracticabillty of economical power productoh III
ressa destructors IL only be said that II the
department really desires to introduce destructor
which will generate continually stated horSe-
mower under specified conditions. at minimum OF
cost such a destructor be obtained directiy,
without the expenditure of dollar in experimental
work without awaiting the report of any special
committee of investigation. without loss OF more
time than Is necessary for actual construction ana
with a responsible guarantee of performance such
&c the condition that exists at the present moment
Such a destructor be had II the department
will adopt fair and straightforward business meth
ods to get it. 1t probably will not get IT II the
specifications are made TO favor particular con-
structors or contractors. What the city needs is
Instructors that will work, not experiments which
can only prove what is already we'll known.
ROMYN HITCHCOCK