THE CITY DESTRUCTOR.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 11288, 31 May 1902, Page 5

THE CITY DESTRUCTOR.

DESCRIPTION OF THE WORKS.

THE FQK-JAL OPENING.

The Gty ? Rubbish Destructor was officially opened yesterday, by the Mayor, in the presence of the representatives of the various contiguous local bodies. The Destructor can be approached either from Gloucester or Manchester streets, the carts conveying the rubbish proceeding up an inclined .road, built up at a grade of 1 in 12, having walls on either side. On arriving at the top the carts go on to a platform 66 feet long, having six openings, to enable the rubbish to be tipped on to ths firing platform below. Tije rubbish having thus been got rid of from the carts, is sorted over by tbe men with rakes, removing what may be called the incombustible portions. The remainder, which comprises paper, rags, and all sorts df debris, is raked into the charging holes communicating with the furnaces below. These charging holes are three feet long, by fifteen inches wide. After being placed in the charging holes, the rubbish comes on to what is called the drying plant, where it is dried somewhat by a slower heat than that in the main furnace. It is then thrust forward on to the bars of the furnace, and the gases are passed over, the extreme heat destroying them entirely. In the side of the furnace, and immediately opposite the bars is a large doorway, through which the clinkers and any material which is incombustible, is removed. It may be noted that good use is made of this material, though, not having the full beat on, the clinkers proper are not yet available. Stify this material is very serviceable in mending ; the roads, being used to fill up holes, etc. 'On the way to the combustion chamber a certain amount of dust leaves the furnace, and after passing over a fine bridge, fails into the combustion chamber, and is swept out. From here the heated gases pass through an aperture in the boiler setting, and permeate amongst the water tubes of the boilers. From the boilers they ascend into the underground flue connecting with the 160 feet chimnerv shaft. The building itself is 56ft square, and over 3Qfit hig|h, being lighted by skylights in the roof. PractioaJly it fireproof, being constructed of brick, with iron piK lais and concrete. In fact, there is nothing oamibuatible in the building except the ra&bJsh. At the south-west comer is the fan room, in which cs a high speed steam engine and large pressure fan used for the forced draft to induce a high rate of coantns-t-ion. From the fan an. air duct passes through under the four cells of the destructor, with valve oommminioation between it and each cell. By means of this three tones as much draft is obtained aa can Ibe got by the dhSmney. Next to this is a room 50 x 20, which can be utilised in the future for holding some plant connected with ithe deslbnuotor, the exact nature of which ha* not yet been decided, upon. The plant consists of two complete . destructor units, each unit desfcrusctor oon.taamng two cells, known as twdn eels. There are 150 h.p. Babcock and Wilcox ■water tube (bailers, connected, as has already (been described, with the fan. The feed water is fed to the boilers by one of Weir's latest pattern ram feed pumps. The boilers derive the whole of tiheir heat from the rubbish, butt they can be -used alternatively in three ways—(l) With rubbish alone; (2) with and coal on thedr own grates; and (3) with entirely coal, so that every provision is made in case of tbe use cf power that no diminution will oocur, supposing the supply of rubbish to fall short or fail altogether. Being water tub© boilers, steam can bs raised in an exceedingly short time without any injury to them. The same type of boiler is now generally used at sea very successfully. On the eastern side, facing Armagh street, there is •vacant section, wth-dh can be utilised in connection with the destrudtor la*er on should it be required. Just noTv, and until scene arrangement is made ftw the Use of the power, there is a tremendous waste of steam genj -rated by the burning of the rubbiah. This ootikt be usefully employed in various, ways, and how to do this is a matter ■ which, no doubt, will be taken in hand by I the City Council a* an early date. At the time of the visit paid yesterday morning | the steam gauge was registering 150 deg. The plant, whadh rwas supplied by Messes Me_drum Brew., is quite u_> to date, and the mcst powerful of its kind made. The work of effecting tShe building has been carried out most, successfully 'by Mr Bowen, the contractor. • x A* the inviitaftion of his Worship the Mayor, the CSity Council, the representaI tives—princ-paly the members of the vari|am saniitary committees'—o. the different I local bodies visited the Destructor yesterday. THE OPENING CEREMONY. Advantage was taken of the visit yesterday to formally declare the destructor open. The various local bodies represented inj eluded Lyttelton, St. Albans, Linwood, j Woolston, and Sumner. After the inspection, which was personally conducted by Cr. Macdonald, Chairman of the Works Committee of the City Council, and Mr A. D. Dobson, City Surveyor,; was over, those present assembled in the large room. i Cr. Macdonald said on behialf of the' City I Council A» had much pleasure in welcoming the representatives.of the various local bodies on the occasion of the formal open- [ ing of the destructor erected by the city. I The destructor they had that day inspected was unique ah the' colony in more respects than one, hut the great point about it was | that whereas in Wellington the destructor I was merely for the destroya! of rubbish, here they intended to combine the dealing with rubbish with the creation of power, which would be a source of revenue to''the city. Thus, not alone would it contribute to the health and general sanitation of the city, hut it would also prove a help to the revenue. He trusted to see the various local bodies within easy distance —such as St. Albans and Sydenham—sending in •their rubbish to be consumed, and he thought that the price fixed—ninepence per load —would be such ns would induce them to take advantage of the destructor.' The citizens of Christchurch had in the purchase of the land and the erection of the destructor expended some £12,000 or £13,000, so that they would see the work was one of no ordinary importance. The destructor had been at work some time, and there were no complaints, so that the idea that it would be a nuisance was proved to have no foundation in fact. He would now ask his Worship the Mayor of Christchurdh to cut ths cord and free the engine, thus declaring the destructor open. The Mayor tendered a hearty welcome on behalf of the city to the representatives of loail bodies present. . He hoped that at no very distant date they would all, as parts of a Greater Christchnrch, be shareholders in the institution which they had met that day to inaugurate. Until that time arrived the City Council trusted by a strict attention to business and moderate charges to merit a share of th-ir patronage. He bad now much pleasure in declaring the destructor open for work. The oord was then' severed by his Worship.' A number of toasts were duly honoured, including "The City Council end the Destructor.*' replied to by the Mayor. Cr. "Macdonald, and Cr. Payling; "Visiting Local' Bodies," replied to by the Mayors of Lyttelton, Linwood, St. Albans, "and Woolston, and Cr. Hadfield (Sydenham); "Messrs Meldrun- Bros." replied to by Mr Garrard, the representative of the firm here; "The Contractor," replied to by Mr Bowen; and v The CHy Surveyor," replied to by Mt A. D. Dobson.