Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-10-08
LeafY Burden
Begins Annual
Fall on Xanten
Disposal Problem
Equal to 3 Times
Washington .Shoft
By Huqh Humphrey

Dy 1u9H humphrey
When you pass one of the Dis.
trict's 1000 big elm trees again
try counting the leaves over just
q tiny patch of it's bulk.
According to a tree specialists
recent estimate, each large elm
has about 5 million individual
leaves each year. And every one
of them must drop off each fall
That's why William A. Xanten
chief of the Districts Sanitation
Division, is up a tree around this
time of year.
Besides the 1000 elms, the Dis
trict has about 225,0O0 other
trees, not counting almost 200, 00C
more in National Capital Parks
and perhaps 100000 scattered in
back yards and estates here. About
SO per cent of these shade-makers
dump their burden of dead leaves
on lawns and city streets each
autumn. The remaining 2 per
cent are evergreens, which, Mr..
Xanten admits, add or subtract
nothing from his job.
10000 Truck Loads.
AS each leaf falls, it adds to Mr..
Xanten'S burden. When the har-
vest is over. he's had to dispose
of a mountain of leaves that in
cubic foot volume is equal to
three Washington Monuments.
An average years take of dead
leaves fills $4,000 large trucks.
Compared to ordinary trash COL
lection, the bulk of the three
month leaf season equals the to-
tai gathered in the remaining nine
months of a year.
washington has more leaves
because it has more trees than
any other city," Mr.. Xanten ex-
plains.
And how does Mr.. Xanten meet
his problem? What does he do
with a pile of leaves that would
bank up 100 feet high over four
square city blocks if put in one
heap?
Burning them in huge dumps is
no good. Mr.. Xanten'S crews tried
that and literally burned the
pants off a workman.
TO burn them completely" he
says. you have to stir and prod
the pile continuously. It's too
risky having men climb around
those hot piles"
Free to HOmeowners.
Pouring them into incinerators
won't work either. The SANTA
ton crews get rid of about 10 per
cent of the crop that way, but
that amount is the maximum
load.
So Mr.. Xanten offers them to
homeowners free. delivered. He
has nine big vacuum leaf COL
lectors, and they go through the
District streets like great carpet
sweeper. The chopped mulch is
ideal for compost heaps. For
any one with green thumb this
means free opportunity to enrich
his soil. Just call for Mr.. Xanten
at the Municipal Center. He'll
Jump at the chance to get rid of
a load.
Most Of the refuse is hauled
to large compost heaps in Ma
tional Capital Parks for future use
by gardeners. Another stable
portion is dumped into Oxon Run
just off the Potomac River, where
they remain behind a big dam
until they decompose and wash
away.
The annual job of clearing out
the leaves costs the District about
100000 in equipment and man
hours. Mr.. Xanten has stand
ing offer to any one who can
figure out way to beat nature
and keep the leaves from falling.
Do it and see him for a 100000
reward.
Public Can Help.
There's an answer to the prob
lem, Mr.. Xanten says. but it calls
for public cooperation. If each
homeowner raked his leaves into a
neat pile and burned them during
the middle of the day without
causing a smoke nuisance, the
District really could save time and
money. But, that angle has a few
drawbacks, too. If a neighbor
complains about the autumn
aroma of burning leaves, the fire
must go out.
Instead of alternating the neigh
borhood in such instances, Mr.
Xanten points out, why not try
putting small patches of leaves in
the regular trash collection recep-
tacles? For large piles, rake them
up on the parking plots between
sidewalk and curb instead of leav-
ing them in the gutter.
In another two months, the leaf
season will be over. if not forgot
ten. Mr.. Xanten won't rest. how
ever, because the annual winter
nightmare will set in.
Snow and Sleet will keep hin
watching the weather reports. Il
you think his leaf problem i
tough, look at this:
In three months, his men, hau
away $4,000 truckloads of deae
leaves. In a single 10-inch snow.
fall, it will require 10000 truck
loads to clear only 3 per cent O
the Districts streets for traffic.
I'll take the leaves any time,
Mr.. Xanten says. Just don't lie
it snow"
Man Indicted for Murder
nine in Gallinnnr Hnsnifal