The San Francisco call., 1908-08-17
VIEW PLANTS THAT
BURN THE GARBAGE
Supervisors Learn Much From
the IncineratOrs at Seattle
and Vancouver
PayOt Says Local Establishment
That Merely Stews Is a
Decided Failure

Bringing reports of their inveStlga-
tions of garbage plants in Seattle ana
Vancouver, the commission, consisting
of Supervisors Payot and Giannini, L.
M King, secretary of the merchants
association, and T. C. Barry returned
Saturday with an added knowledge of
incinerators, which, in the words OF
Payot, "do not stew. but burn; do not
warm over, but abolish
The last quoted expression sums up
in the minds of the commission the
difference of the obsolete, totally in
adequate incinerator in this city and
the modern systems of the northern
cities. In the incinerators visited the
commission found that the fire did its
work remorselessly, sparing nothing
that was shoveled into it's gigantic
nav, and vomiting out neither smoke,
deleterious gases, noisome odors nor
disease charged refuse. Even tin cans,
which in the local incinerator are
dumped in waste places, are treated,
and bottles and other metallic and
vitreous substances are dumped into the
furnaces, issuing thoroughly purged OF
Infection.
More than this, economic superintend-
ence has found a method of using the
clinker or refuse emerging from the
CRATES of these incinerators for the
formation of roadbeds and pavements.
Rock crushers have been installed
within the precincts of the works, and
all the stony substances are converted
into sizes suitable for a concrete mix
ture
CLEANLINESS A FEATURE
Cleanliness is another feature of the
plants visited. in striking contrast to
the filth and noisomeness of the pre-
cincts of the Potrero institution.
"A man could eat dinner in either OF
the incinerators we visited with entire
comfort" Payot said yesterday. Spa
cious lawns surround the works and
flowers grow in abundance. The walks
are concreted and kept as clean as a
school yard
I'VE Investigated the Heenan-Froude
plant at Vancouver and the Meldrum
plant in Seattle These are said to be
among the best incinerators in America
and are of English construction. The
information we received from Engineer
Booth of Vancouver and Engineer
Thompson of Seattle was of incalcCla-
Bile worth and could not have been OBJ
tanned for thousands of dollars. These
men have studied incineration of
garbage thoroughly and have intro
duced in a practical working scheme
the very best ideas of European cities.
Both plants visited are of so tons
capacity. Our incinerator has a ca
pacity of 400 tons to dispose of 500
tons of garbage The combustion in
the northern incinerators takes place
at 1000 to 5000 degrees centrigrade
and results in entire consumption. Lo-
cally we heat at 600 degrees, and the
result is that we only stew the gar
bage, create nauseous gases, emit clouds
of smoke and destroy only portion
of the garbage.
LOCAL PLANT EXECRABLE
"One of the Objectionable features of
the Seattle plant is that it empties
through the same door through which
it is fed. The Vancouver system is
superior in that the refuse issues from
the rear of the furnace. Compared
with both systems the local one, how
ever, is execrable. We, defying all
rules of common sense, feed from the
top of the furnace, shoveling ton upon
ton of fresh garbage upon that which
is already attempting to burn.
1--WE intend to visit the Decarie plant
at Sacramento this week, which the
commission understands is very good
one. We need four plants of 200 tons
each. The present plant burns but 400
tons day. We will make these rec
concentrations Immediately. and with
the $1,000, 600 voted in the bond issuance
for the purpose of installing a new
system we hope to provide the city
with a plant suited to our needs.
THE present works are absolutely
useless. They are an insanitary nuis-
ance. We are advocating a municipal
plant and we are not going to quit un-
til we have it. The present company
has franchise of so years. IL years
of which has expired. But 1t is not
fulfilling the terms of its contract. We
will offer the company reasonable !
rate for the works. We will start the !
municipal plant whether it sells out
or not"