El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-02-06

ing IHdI ne was ABOUT TO resign IN
mayoralty, passed the matter on to hi
successor, mayor Robinson. As toll
above, mayor Robinson died as the re
suit of an accident, during the progress
OF the Calisher fire, causing the matte
again to be put over until after mayo
Kelly went into office.
Plans Were Elaborate.
To again quote The Herald:
THE plans, which are very elab-
crate, show power house of un-
usually pleasing architectural ap-
pearance- The main building is IS
feet wide by IS feet long and two
stories high, and will be of strictly
fireproof construction throughout
Tn connection with this building
there IS an extension which con-
tains a 100000 gallon pumping
plant by which the city sewage is
TO be lifted from the deep sewer to
point near the roof of the build
ing, where it will be screened in
order to take out SOLID trash of any
kind, whence the liquid sewage viii
1loW 10 a sewer publication system
three-fifth of a mile distant
Great Capacity on Paper.
me re1use destructOr has a ca
pacity to convert all sorts of gar
page, trash, manure and dead ami
mails into ashes and clinkers at the
rate of three tons an hour Tt is
stated that large horse becomes
ashes in an hour and a half
The engineers take all the risk
and protect the city by a
surety bond Of $4,000 against any
sort of nuisance, such as smoke or
offensive doors.
Pumping to be Done CheaDIy.
The pumping Of the sewage is
expected to be done very cheaply,
as most Of the power necessary viii
De secured from the heat derived
from the burning refuse applied to
two steam boilers Of 125 horsepow-
en- eacn. Inc sewage purifying
plant is warranted to convert the
sewage of the city into clear.
odorless and germless stream Of
water, suitable for irrigation and
harmless as drinking water for
livestock. Over an acre in area
VIII be covered with a spray Of
sewage as II passes from settling
chambers to the filter bed where
the final publication takes place.
Would Save the Water.
me city IS making special pro-
visions to save the purified sew
age 1or irrigation or park use. It
IS said this purified sewage is en-
tirely suitable for street sprfnk-
ling and similar purposes"
As said above, the contract was let
ana me work Of construction was be-
gum While the specifications and plans
Tor the garbage plant were fairly clear
[ IS said those for the seWa pe disnosai
plant were so lacking in detail as to
make It necessary that new plans be
lraWn. Even then the machinery coz
tractor was often delayed and several
times protested against being obliged
- 1urnlsn machinery parts for which
ne could find no use and which would
not work in any possible way.
Finally Ready for Operation.
AFTER many VeVatiOug deIave tho
plants were finally announced as ready
or operation, fires were started and
garbage began to be delivered at the
llaIil 10 be destroyed and rendered in
'cnous- Then the trouble began.
Under the plans agreed upon be-
Ween mayor Kelly and the construct
RS OF the plant, the garbage was TO be
ca INTO the incinerators in certain ex-
.cl proportions Of paper, straw manure
-sn' dead animals, decayed fruit ana
vegetables, sawdust and old boxes ana
uDJected to degree of heat sufficient
o quickly evaporate the water in ma
mass and convert the entire Charge
o ash and clinkers
Could Not Be Done.
II was found, however. SO II is said
( least, to be physically Impossible to
et charge into the furnaces or in
lner ators IN Just the proportions called
Or by the plans, although care was
sed In the segregation of the various
Orms OF refuse and the scales used in
very case. On actual tests it was
ound that after the Charge" had been
umped into the incineratOrs that suf-
.elent heat could not be generated
eVaporate the water in the garbage
nd Oil had to be poured over the mass
order 10 cause it TO burn at all.
Many BreakdoWns Occur.
OWlng 10 faulty construction. ac-
DIolng 10 stories told by those who
atched the operation of the garbage
lspOsal plant during the time if vvss
eng tested, there were many break
owns of one sort or another. which
FUSED long delays.
Found to Be a Failure.
Inc sewage disposal plant was very
ION found TO be a failure. No pro-
sion had been made for keeping open
e screens over which the sewage
Used to free it from trash and other
mas II carried. All sewage carries
ore or less oil and this oil so quickly
ogged the tnterstices in the screen
at no water could pass through it,
IA It was found necessary to use all
lie heat that could possibly be gener-
ed IN the garbage disposal plant to
ed on the screen.
The Thing Blows Up.
II hae been intended to carry the
mas taken out of the sewage by the
cam TO the furnaces to be burned but
icy carried so much water that the
an proved unfeasible, besides. there
as an accident at the plant. The in
1erators were supposed to be able
dispose of Offal of every kind. vet.
e first load Of cesspool filth dumped /
TO the furnaces, caused an .ess2losion Z
Mich nearly wrecked the place and I
used the abandonment Of treatment !
that class of garbage
Water Floods Garbage Room.
Water began seeping through the /
ncrete walls, filling the pits and /
les in the furnace room, putting a. 1
)p' on countless occasions. to the in \
-eration OF garbage and the creation 1
steam for the operation of the /
mps. This seepage also caused the
iintegratiOn Of the concrete floors 4
d. before discovered, permitted the
emerged pumps under the main en-
les to hang from their shafts, there
causing a great waste of power as
I'll as wear and tear ION machinery.
Kelly Admitted Failure.
IN April so. 1912, mayor Kelly nOti-
ID the Public Works Engineering
npany that a number Of changes
'uid have to be made in the plant be- +
the city would accept it. In dis !
sstng the matter with a reporter Of
Ell PasO Herald on that day mayor
lily said: The city has still sew
i months in which to accept the
mt, but it will not do so until II is
perfect condition and working, and
present it is not in that condition"