Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-04-10
CITY MUST BURN
ITS REFUSE NOW
Federal Government Puts End
to Practice Of Dumping
Garbage in River.
KELLER ISSUES AN ORDER
Health Commissioner A. n. Mueller
Recommends Purchase OF an
Incenerator.

One Of the important questions that
win be before the new Rock Island
commission this spring will be the dis
position Of garbage, the custom of
dumping it in the river having been
promoted at the order of Major
Charles Keller, In charge Of the Unit
ed States engineers once here. No
tice was served on the Davenport
council Saturday. Major Keller stat
ed today that the same order would
apply at Rock Island and Moline, and
at all other cities bordering on the
Mississippi. In taking this action, Ma
jor Keller calls attention to a federal
statute which imposes a penalty of
$500 to $4,000 for a violation. Major
Keller states that garbage dumped in
to the river often concentrates and
forms sandbars, and that the practice
has been not only hazardous to navt-
cation, but extremely unsanitary as
well.
Health Commissioner A. n. Muel-
Ter Of Rock Island, year ago advised
against a continuance Of the practice
Of dumping garbage in the river.
Dumping refuse In the river is an IN
satisfactory procedure and sooner or
later cities will be prohibited from pol
luting bodies Of water In this fashion"
his report said. The method is wrong
from every standpoint, and should be
stopped as soon as possible. Then,
too. we are wasting much money year
ly that could be used in giving better
- ~ g.
dump boat below the city limits. Our
greatest expense in garbage collec-
tons now is IN this long haul
INCINERATION RECOMMENDED.
During the past year have made a
study of municipal refuse disposal and
find that there are universally only
two sanitary and unobjectionable
methods recognized today" Health
Commissioner Mueller said. These
are: First. by reduction; and second,
by cremation or incineration. By reduc
ton is meant the process of treating
the refuse by heat and napntna,
whereby byproducts are obtained, that
help defray the cost of operation and
are valuable commercially. These are
grease and tankage, the former being
used in soap manufacture ana the aal-
ter as a fertilizer. Reducuon. while
very successful in many American
cities, is hardly practical for a city of
this size. There is not enough refuse
to make 1t pay. Cremation or incin-
GRAFTON is today considered the most
popular methods, especially as all
forms of refuse can be destroyed, such
rTYh hich 81
night soil, dead animals and ashes.
These are burned under a high tenn
perature in an incinerator which is q
large brick or metal furnace with a
high chimney to carry off the odor
The operating expenses are small.
from 25 to 80 cents per ton. Practical
ly no other fuel is needed, other than
the refuse to be burned In some
cities the steam generated therefrom
is used to electrify tn streets, build
ings, run pumps, engines, etc.
IN CENTRAL LOCATION.
There is no odor or other objection
able features about a properly manag-
ed incinerator, and in a number O.
cities it is situated in the business
district without causing any COM
plant. According to statistics for last
season, we collected six tons of gar
bage per day, or 1921 tons for the
five months, at a cost of S401.SO ne.
month, or SLIGO per ton. What we
need is an incinerator built in a cen
trail location, for instance at the foot
of Twentyfourth street on the river
bank. This would make the haul CEN
trail for all the garbage and rubbish |
wagons. The cost of a 20 to % ton ca |
pacity per day incinerator, which is /
the size needed here, would be be- /
tween IS OO0 and GIN Ooo