Complex sentence: Barges loaded with manure swept from the streets of New York City would arrive and farmers from nearby towns would come to get the manure for fertilizer and the emptied barges were then loaded with bricks for the trip back to the city.
Split into simpler sentences: Barges loaded with manure swept from the streets of New York City would arrive, and farmers from nearby towns would come to get the manure for fertilizer. The emptied barges were then loaded with bricks for the trip back to the city.