The day book. [volume], December 02, 1915, LAST EDITION, Image 30

About The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

                
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$500,000 GOES UP IN SMOKE PROBE AS THE
RAILROADS DODGE ELECTRIFICATION
whitewash the big manufacturing
A $500,000 pail of whitewash was
slopped over the railroads of Chicago
last night when the report of the
electrification commission of the
Chicago Ass'n of Commerce made
its report at a banquet of joy in the
Hotel La Salle.
The probe lasted five years. It was
made by a committee appointed by
the city, the railroads and the Ass'n
of Commerce. The railroads paid the
expenses, which amounted to $500,
000. The "experts" "passed the buck."
They proved, to their satisfaction,
that the railroads are not a big con
tributing factor to the pollution of
Chicago's ozone. In fact, the
amount of smoke they throw into the
air is hardly noticeable when one
compares it with that of the apart
houses and factories.
The report says that if the roads
did electrify it would only reduce the
nuisance 20.17 per cent They blame
apartment houses, factories and
street cleaning and building opera
tions. They advocate that a "pure air
commission" shall be created by the
city with ample funds to investigate
and to compel the cleaning of roofs,
of streets and of the proper erection
and wrecking of buildings.
The committee found electrifica
tion both practical and impractical.
They say technically it could be done,
but financially it couldn't.
One of the reasons why the report
cost so much is the fact that 11,976
observations were made of locomo
tives by the "experts." Men also
went around looking at the big
smokestacks of high pressure steam
plants and factories. They found
that 44.26 per cent of all visible
smoke is emitted by factories, man
ufacturing furnaces produce 28.63
per cent and steam locomotives
22.06.
plants by this finding: "That 57 per
cent of the soot and tarry products
are discharged into the air by domes
tic fires and that this is the most ob
jectionable source of atmospheric
pollution." Another portion of the
report states that 3.93 per cent of the
visible smoke comes from homes and
that in the winter months this is only
increased to 15 per cent This is
interpreted to mean that the large
amount of smoke given off by the
manufacturers' plants and the rail
roads is much more pure and clean
than the small amount from the
homes of the city.
Dr. P. M. Gross, chief engineer of
the commission, said that no elec
trification has ever been made to stop
air pollution and that the situation in
Chicago is different from that in any
other city where electrifications have
been made. No allegation was ever
made that they were the same.
In the eleven findings of the com
mission only one, and that is the last,
pertains to the abatement of smoke
by railroads. The most "important
duties" come first; those of superin
tending the cleaning of streets, etc.
Here are some of the points made
in the report:
That the total final cost will be
$274,440,620. That the deficit will
be $14,609,743.
That although some railroads are
financially able to electrify, others
are not
That the. cost would be so heavy
that no court would uphold an elec
trification ordinance.
That Chicago, under the state con
stitution, cannot help pay for it
That an arbitrary tax of terminal
traffic to support the capital would
burden Chicago commerce.
That if the roads were electrified,
the powerhouse would cut down the;
gain, so the final reduction would be"
t
The committee)akq(ra1te,mnted toj
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