Big Advance in Cleansing Appliances
Page 39
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
A. VALUABLE feature of the annual .conference of the Institute of Public Cleansing is the exhibition and demonstration staged by vehicle manufacturers. This year the conference was held at Portsmouth and the display of cleansing vehicles and appliances took place on Thursday of last week.
An excellent attendance marked the event, and we noted that manufacturers' representatives were kept busy answering many inquiries regarding their products. Mr. C. K. Edwards, the genial chief engineer of the• Shelyoke and Drury concern, was in good farm, demonstrating a new S.D. collector of outstanding interest. This machine is notable for its hydraulic packing device incorporating a ram operated by a pump through a variablespeed gear.
. Features of the system include an automatic cut-off for the pump should the ram jam, and the latter is then easily reversible by hand. The loading plate at the rear is adjustable for height and the ingenious manner in which the hopper is swung clear when tipping evoked favourable comment.
Some excitement was caused during the demonstration, when the DennisEagle refuse collector for Portsmouth— which has been cleverly equipped with apparatus for Minimizing the effects of gas attacks—sprayed water from jets on the roof of the cab over some of the spectators. This ingenious machine has an Eagle-Pa.cturn body, as described in our last week's issue. In addition, however, the rear door and covers have been made watertight; and a pump has been added to spray the liquid through the jets on the roof of the cab.
" Further sprays are provided at the rear for flushing street channels and a fire hose is car ried, enabling the outfit to do duty as an emergency fire engine. The sprays on the Cab roof produce the equivalent of a. heavy fall of rain from a height of a.boift 20 ft.,. and vehicles so equipped could wash the streets with a liquid having decontaminating properties,
after a gas attack by aircraft. Experiment has proved that the 30 vehicles owned by Ports mouth Corporation could wash the streets of the city clear of gas in an hour, A fine demonstration of the interchangeability feature of the Scammell " Four in Hand." outfit was staged. To show., the handiness of these machines two mechanical-horse units, after performing various evolutions, drew up side by side. One towed a street-washing trailer and the other a refuse-collector. The two trailers were uncoupled, each tractor changed over to the other trailer, coupled up, and was away again in less time than it takes to tell.
Another Scammell outfit which merited, and received, careful examination, was the machine designed for use with special bins for blocks of flats, offices, etc.
Moving floors are making steady ground for refusecollecting and other vehicles, and many examples were on
view. The Principality and the Trans
port moving floors were well represented on various machines. The Dennis concern also showed collectors enjuipped with its own design of floor.
A new machine which caught the eye was the Ideal refuse collector—a product of Messrs. John Sherwood. Sheffield Corporation operate several of these vehicles and a good measure of compression is obtained by elevating the body to an angle of 110 degrees between loading.
Comfort for the drivers and loaders has been carefuly studied in the Vulcan 3-ton low-loading refuse collector that was an view. Another feature of this Vulcan. is the spring-loaded lower half of the rear door, giving rapid action for disposal of the refuse.
A new method of dealing with largesize containers for refuse from big buildings was demonstrated by Walker Brothers (Wigan), Ltd., a Pagefield Prodigy Being adapted for this purpose. The containers are picked up by power gear and deposited in about 15 seconds.