The Project Gutenberg eBook of Dirty Dustbins and Sloppy Streets
Title: Dirty Dustbins and Sloppy Streets
Author: H. Percy Boulnois
Release date: March 28, 2017 [eBook #54454]
Most recently updated: October 23, 2024
Language: English
Credits: Produced by Chris Curnow, John Campbell and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
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TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE
Some minor changes are noted at the end of the book.
DIRTY DUSTBINS
AND
SLOPPY STREETS.
A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON THE SCAVENGING AND CLEANSING OF CITIES AND TOWNS.
By H. PERCY BOULNOIS, M. Inst. C. E.,
Member (by Exam.) of the Sanitary Institute
of Great Britain,
City Surveyor of Exeter.
E. & F. N. SPON,
16, CHARING CROSS.
NEW YORK, 446, BROOME STREET.
1881.
JAMES TOWNSEND, PRINTER, EXETER.
PREFACE.
Some portions of the following pages have already appeared in the monthly numbers of the Sanitary Engineer, and the complete work is now published with a view to assist Surveyors of Towns and others who are directly engaged in providing that house dustbins shall be regularly cleared, and streets kept clean; and also in the hope that it may be the means of drawing some public attention to the question, thus showing the householder something of what is being done for his welfare by Sanitary Authorities, and how each individual may assist in the good work, instead of, as is now frequently the case, inadvertently or purposely retarding the execution of some very necessary though unostentatious sanitary measures. I am not aware that any book, or even pamphlet, has yet been written on this subject, and I venture to believe that in these pages there may be found something to interest all readers.
H. P. B.
Exeter, May, 1881.
CONTENTS.
| Chapter I. | |
| SCAVENGING. | Page |
| Town Scavenging or Scavengering—Subject divided into 13 heads—Public Health Act, 1875, and its bearings upon the question | 1 |
| Chapter II. | |
| HOUSE REFUSE. | |
| Definition of house refuse—The law on the subject—Whether trade and garden refuse must be removed by the scavenger—Statistics on this point—Disputes as to what is trade, garden refuse, or house refuse— Suggestions to settle the question—Other waste materials | 5 |
| Chapter III. | |
| THE DUSTBIN. | |
| The Public Health Act, 1875, on the subject of ashpits—The model bye-laws and six clauses on the same subject— Position of the dustbin in respect of the adjacent dwelling-houses—Suggestions to burn some of the waste products of a house—Objections to the fixed ashpit recommended by the Public Health Act—Suggestions for improvements in this direction—Movable dust boxes recommended | 10 |
| Chapter IV. | |
| THE COLLECTION OF HOUSE REFUSE. | |
| Three methods by which this is effected—The law on the subject—Statistics on the subject—Lay stall accommodation, objections, and advantages—Dirty habits of the lower classes—A house to house visitation by the scavengers the best system—If universal, great expense incurred—The bell or signal system—Objectionable character of temporary receptacles under this system—State of streets in consequence—Suggestions for improvements—Specially constructed conveyance and receptacles—Advantages of this system both on sanitary and economical grounds—Delaying the scavenger—The D signal—Convenient hours for the scavengers' visits | 17 |
| Chapter V. | |
| THE SCAVENGERS' CART. | |
| Its form and construction—Description of the "tip cart"—Splashing and dust therefrom—Other objections to this form of cart on sanitary and economical grounds—Introduction of many new forms of carts and waggons— General description of improvements in their construction—Some names of makers of sanitary carts and waggons | 27 |
| Chapter VI. | |
| DISPOSAL OF HOUSE REFUSE. | |
| Position of a town with respect to the surrounding district—Sale of refuse to farmers and others the most ready and economical means of disposal—Site of the refuse depôt—Loss of bulk in the refuse at the depôt— Difficulty in disposing of old tins, crockery, &c.—Replies from 90 towns on the question of disposal of house refuse—Condemnation of practice of building over tipped house refuse—Destruction by fire—Fryer's patent carboniser—Dealing with house refuse on a gigantic scale at Manchester | 31 |
| Chapter VII. | |
| STREET CLEANSING. | |
| Prosperous appearance of a town—Danger of inhaling dust—The law on the subject—Who ought to cleanse private courts and alleys?—Statistics with reference to this point—Number of times streets ought to be cleansed—Hand labour or machinery—Durability of machines and hand brooms—Materials of brooms— Construction of streets and traffic affect the question of cleansing materially—Returns prepared by the Superintendent of Scavenging, Liverpool—His further remarks on the subject—Disposal of road scrapings—Street cleansing in Paris—The use of disinfectants in Paris | 46 |
| Chapter VIII. | |
| SNOW. | |
| The density of snow—The amount of snow to be removed in an ordinary street in England—The removal of snow in Milan—The removal of snow in Paris—Suggestions for its removal in England—Clearing footways—The effect of salt upon snow—Removal of snow in Liverpool | 61 |
| Chapter IX. | |
| STREET WATERING. | |
| Watering necessary on sanitary grounds as well as to prevent damage from dust—Watering in London—Watering by horse and cart—The points of importance to be considered in connection with this service—The diary of a water cart—Bayley's hydrostatic van—A description of this machine—Its great advantages over the old-fashioned water cart—Mr. Scott on the subject—A trial in Edinburgh—Mr. Tomkins and Bayley's van—A comparative table of effective work by one of these vans—Watering streets by ponding water in channel gutters—Brown's system of watering—Its advantages and objections—Watering by hose and reels or by portable iron pipes— Watering at Reading—Watering at Paris—Use of salt water and other chemicals—Watering with disinfectants | 73 |
| Chapter X. | |
| CONTRACTS V. ADMINISTRATION BY LOCAL AUTHORITY. | |
| Opinions on this subject by surveyors of towns—The dust contractor—A model specification of a contract for removal of house refuse—The system of contracts for such work condemned—Sanitation first, economy afterwards | 86 |
| Chapter XI. | |
| £ s. d. | |
| The cost of scavenging—Difficulty in fixing any standard of cost—Physical character of a town and other causes must be taken into consideration—Statistics show very various results—Average cost per head of population per annum about one shilling—Is hiring horses cheaper than keeping a stud?—Reasons in favour of the latter plan— Cost of carts, horses, stables, land, &c.—Wages of scavengers and carters—Depreciation of horse flesh and of plant—A specimen estimate where a stud is kept—Another estimate where teams are hired—Mr. Williams' returns as to cost—List of questions on the subject of scavenging—Conclusion | 90 |