Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 9.djvu/859

 THE FIRST GERMAN MUNICIPAL EXPOSITION 825

The entire mechanism is so simple that the driver alone can attend to the collecting and the dumping or reloading without help from a second person. This permits of the direct trans- portation of refuse from the house to the dump. The smaller municipalities still find it advantageous to use the refuse for fertilizer and for filling-in material. As Frankfurt is, however, already finding increasing difficulty in locating dumps, she is investigating the question of cremation of garbage. Hamburg possesses the only large garbage crematory on the continent. The plant, modeled upon the English crematories, was erected in 1895 at a cost f over a half-million marks. Within six years the municipality was able to cremate 1,000 kilograms of refuse 17 pfennigs (ca. 3^ cents) cheaper than she had formerly paid for carting away to dumps. Garbage, ashes, street-sweepings, and other refuse are all emptied into the furnace-room and gradually fed into the fire, which requires no other fuel. The large proportion of burnable material paper, wood, partly consumed coals, etc. makes it advisable to burn all the material without previous separation. The incombustible material, after being broken up and sorted, is used for building purposes filling-in, roadbeds, foundations, etc. Wiesbaden has just built a similar crematory, though on a smaller scale; and both Dresden and Frankfurt a. M. are contemplating the advisability of doing likewise.

A further point which may be included here is the disposal of dead animals, animals killed in the pound, animals with contagious diseases, as well as of confiscated meat and fish. The bodies are cut up and reduced through steaming in kettles. The larger kettles in the Dresden establishment are for reducing animals with contagious diseases without any previous prepara- tion. The heat destroys all disease germs. The grease floats on top and is skimmed off by suction pumps and purified; the remainder is dried and ground to a powder, to be used as a fertilizer. The Miinchen establishment is located in the woods twelve miles from the city. It contains quarters for the superintendent, with stables for the horses and cattle, separate stabling for diseased animals, and a pound for dogs and other