The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-03-07
THE CONDITION or TINE STREETS.
What 10 ~ De sad What WILL he Dome
Repors .hc Herald Street Commits

s10ner,
hackiey, lilo second Hercules, undertakes to clean
this Augson stable Of city. For = long whiie in
sequence OF the exaggerated Of preiudlcea
toursts Cologne has had the reputation Of beiag tho
airtest city in tho world, but New York has had the
air Now we are promised that all this shall DO changed
and that three months time shall be delighted with
the enchanting spectacle Of Gothsmite driven from
their houses by tho summers heat taking their vespe
meals out Of doors, with the pavement for table and
stray cobble ssoDee FOR phttesor something like that
At any rate tho streets TO be cleaned and Haey Is
to do u. His contract took effect the 2sth Of
February but there has been 30 much preliminary
house cleaning 70 do In his ofice and among
tho emplcyes that eli his arrangements have not yet
been perfected, no not yet thoroughly at work.
Here and there street has been cleanedBeckman Mas
sau part OF Centre Greenwich and the Washington mar
ket suburbs, Fulton Ann and few others6u these are
merely the first TRIALS Of the broom, aud, at present
Mr. Hackoy s to DO judged rather by what be intends
and attempts than by what he has done. On Monday
night streets wero swept-and well swept-in three of
the lower wards Of the city Yesterday Mr. Hackey had
his organization completed and at work. in every
ward bnt one, and last night it arranged that
work should begin in earnest The CITY has about four
hundred miles Of streets 20 be cleanedeighty miles Of
streets every night, and three hundred and
twenty up town streets once weok-and even 70 ar
range the forces for this work s no small labor.
NEW YORK Az IT Is.
People pretty well agreed that the city needs clean
ing. The mingled sush and mud which, only few
weeks ago. made even Broadway npassable and trans
formed the cicumacent streets into quicksands, dan
gerous alike pedestrians and vehicles not yet for
gotten. Nor has tho deep, doep mud which succeeded
this infection, and which made the slush endurable
been brushed away from our memories The fine
weather Of the past few days has dried up the mud and
made the streets resemble country roads, but the dust
hardly less dreadful than the mud as was yester
day Tuesday, TO the dissatisfaction Of every one
that this Ia, par ecslience, dirty city still. Broad
way has been kept reasonably clean but this has
been the show street Of New York, and, like the
show windows Of second rate store has appeared we'll
only because the concern exhausted itself upon that
Alone and neglected every other part OF the establish
ment 50 long you oonfno your promenade TO Broad
way you may go clean shod but leave this great
thoroughfare either TO the right left, and you are
certainly ired. In this Mrs. Partington s quite
correct Comparisons not only odious but odorous,
and It is hardly worth while to make them. Take any
Of the streets which parallel with BroaGway and the
rvcrs-such Mercer. West Broadway, Greenwich, or
William, Centre Chatham and tho numerical and alpha
betica avenuesand must have the nice d.scrimi-
nation OF an analytical chemist TO decide which
rs tho dirtiest or the moet malo6orous. If there
be any choice In the matter, we should
say that tho streets become fouler they the water
the source Of ceanlinees-npon the same paradoxica
principle that makes Inhabitants Of marine towns excel
In personal unceanIin and anphibious animals pro-
verbally filthy Take the transverse streets from Front
to Fourteenth and you lind equally impartial dH.riou
tion Of Above Fourteenth tho balance of filth 10 In
favor OF the ESt sde II there natural slant and
drainage that way; but what with excavations new
buildings and other the West side has very
little room tor boosting. This Is, to be sure very gen
rrtrt0 md kn nnapA
Of Street Commissioners report but Of present this
branch Of the subject will not admit OF details. II
is useless TO put down the name Of every street
when only every dnty" could be added in every case
Superlntvss required all the tYne and the only dis
tnctons which could be made are those between heaps
and puddies And what with the dust, even this differ
hardly percept:bie TO the naked eye. The
March and rain Of last night however brought the
dirt back TO its original FORM
METROPOLITAN REGULARITY.
II Is very natural for great city be dirty md al
great cities are; but the natural unclenness Of New
York Increased indefinitely by singular diosyncracy
OF its inhabitants They have the idea that the streets
assinks sop ecepsaces and repositories for
rubbish Of every conceivable kno Every thing, from
drunken husband crying child to broken bottle
pail OF Stops 10 thrown into tho street matter Of
course and without any dea tina, the streets were not
designed for just such purposes Ash barrels, ash
boxes and ssh-carts are lying around loose
in some localities rs feeble circumstances against
such practices, but without effect In other localities
these hints wanting and ash carts
charots o. fire. II liz believed that they oxst
where, but they been by the Oldest
habtant-parhaps because the Oldest nhabitant never
sets bis ash box out till long after the cart has
passed. Scattered throughout tho city there two
hundred five ash cartmen, who paid from twenty
70 twenty cents load tor the transportation Of the
ashes the distance her rounds from the
dumping grounds. Let all those who wish New York to
be clean pntronze the ash all OF whom 70 be
retained by Mr.. Hackey. let thorn place their rubbish
In boxes or barrels ready for removal and then if they
have any trouble or are neglected by the ashnen, let
them report the matter to the HERALD.
A HINT TO MERCHANTS.
The storekeepers along Broadway and other business
streets may with very little trouble greatly assist the
contractor in keeping the streets clean. Let the
be swept al night and not 10 the morning. and
everything ia gained in the appearance N the streets
during tho day. At present Broadway Ii very nicely
cleaned at about midnight and them from four to ten
A. NJ dapper clerks Office boys DO their best to refill
the street with sweepngs from tho stores and Offices
For the present Days machines arc to be xept upon
Broadway heretofore, although the rest Of the city
will be cleaned by hand abor. Lot the merchants who
more than any other persons interested 10 having
Broadway clean, take that the hours for sweeping
the stores be changed and thus do something TO mid Mr.
Hackiey.
THE NAPOLEON OF THE pAvEs
The plans of the contractor yet entirely
matured. Having been twenty miro years contractor,
Mr. NsckloY certainly has experience enough 10 know
that no has difficult task before him. and he certainly
promises 70 so at 1t In the right way he intends
necessary 70 Ill and drive thomorganized and
Quoted upon military principles Work will DO com.
mencod al the lower part Of the city, and the worst
streets VIII be cleaned nrst There viii DO two gangs Of
men cmployede day force FOR thoec streets occupied
only py dwelling houses and remote from the
hustle of business, and night force for those
ftreots Ike Fulton, Nassau and Greenwich,
which cannot BIO cleaned by day. Mr.. Eackey
intends TO inspect both forces personally and daily Hav
ing the whole city thoroughly cleansed, he antci
pates very little trouble IN Keeping IL Clean Tho drties
streets first Mr. Hackley Is ready TO be informed which
the dircst sroete correspondent Elm street,
for one, and another has nal mot FOR Mott street.
The contractor has had clerks az work, night and day
for about week, preparing the tickets 70 DO given to
the dirt carien These tickets represent the amount 10
be paid per oadnow vary ing from sixteen 10 twenty
two cents 10 tho distance of the cart beats
from the dumping grounds. In n dry or two Mr. Hack
ley expects TO have bis tar OF wages made out and hts
employees engaged, but at present nj Of work at tho
odd rates. This tariff has been much burden TO Mr.
Hackley the Morrill, tarn Is 10 people generally
tout OF PernsyvnDm) and IN tho engagement OF his
pioyes he ia much bothered as President Lincoln
Tines hard and work scarce, and tho above state
roent s literally true for, just Lincoln has hts
mendations and counter recommendations OF various
persons this Office that, ackley boact, from