New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-12-21
DIR DIRTY SHEETS.


rule of Arcularus, when the streets OF the City
of New-YOrk were in a more deporabie comb.
ton than at present. They present the appear
ance Of rivers of mud, through which people
have literally to wade, in going TO and from their
business. 1t is stated that with the exception OF
Broadway. they have not been cleaned for two
weeks Judging by their appearance, we should
suppose that they contained the Accommodations OF
two months, at least. Their condition is dis
grace to civilized city, in this age of sweeping
machines and improved sewerage. The entire
out-of.dOor population are so bespattered by the
louudering horses, and Splashing onnib lcaes
that they look like anything but the trim, decent
New-Yorkers that they are. The damage to mer-
chandise exposed at store-doors and the clothing
of pedestrians from the flying mud, is something
fearful to contemplate We verify believe
that property enough in wearing apparel alone is
DESTROYED in one week IN New York, under this
disgraceful state of dirt, to keep the streets
clean for whole month. Down in West. Wash
ington Greenwich, Pearl, Water, Front and
South streets, the paving-stoncs are hidden under
a foot of filth, soft as mortar and sinking with
all the foul accumuations of a great city, while
the side streets are in n still worse condition.
If this state of things CONTINUES much longer, We
must soon suffer the fate of the buried cities.
Already jack-boOts are almost unequal to the
task of fordng the crosswalks, and in little
while it will be cheaper to build new New
York than 10 exhume the present one.
1t is useless to expect any relief from the i'm
beetle at the head OF the Street Cleaning Depart
ment. He has run out of 500, 600 already this
year, without so much once giving us the
luxury of really clean streets. The Common
Council have just voted him $50, 900 more to get
through this month, and he prOpOses-to sweep
the streets Motto keep the cutters open,"
in the hope that the mud will run off itsefi
There's genius for you. OF al the men who
have pretended to fill the place which Delavan
now holds, the public consider him the most H.
competent. There was point beyond which
Arcularius dared not 20, he resigned; but
Delayan has no such scruples. All that he does
is to play the dummy. His subordinates are all
appointed for him. even down to his pot-boy, by
the Mayor and the Aldermen. The makc-belicye
machinery of STRENGTHENING and sanitary inspec-
ton is all controlled by the same hands, and he
is permitted only to retain his own single place
and draw his pay, because the men who put him
there don't know where they can find more
subservient tool. What can be expected from
man who, by his own confession, occupies such
seryie position He is now, under direction
Of the Common Council, advertising for propo-
sails to clean the streets for five years. What
guaranty have contractors that this movement
is made in good fath-that it il not what the
last one was deliberate swinde, under cover
of which the present dO-nOthing policy may be
persevered in the accepted contractor learning,
after waiting year or so in suspense, that the
Common Council have decided not to confirm
bis contract We should not be surprised to find
il result ia just this way. The fact is, the en-
tire department is corrupt to the core, aud SO
VIGOROUSLY inefficient from top TO bottom, that
il is high time that it gave way 10 cheaper
ard more effective agency.