New-York tribune., 1867-08-08
THE STREETS OF NEW-YORK.
THE STREET CLEANING CONTRACT-CoNDITIoN
OF OUR STREETS TODAY.

advantages to be gained from well paved, perfectly
drained and thoroughly streets be
estimated. Without these all sanitary labor is in vain
Through these and thoroughfares the air must
pass before it reach bedroom windows our
lungs The atmosphere takes up all kinds putrd gases
wherever they may be found, and must be careful
that it does not become tainted before reaches
homes Our streets many atmospheric reservoirs
as IL were from which must derive supply, II at
all We turn thousand Of our city into park in
which we may enjoy, without fear OF disgusting
odors pure breath OF heaven, and neglect our
streets. as if there were no fear that they would
contaminate the air that visits our homes.
But necessity OF cleaning the streets Is not greaer
than the difficulty. The principal obstacle IN the way ID
the immense expense. The contract under whlch tne
streets Of NewYork cleaned contains the ioow
ing sentence "The purposes OF the provisions OF ts
contract to secure Gle streets in this city, aud pro-
tect the public health limited expenditure OF money
for the period Of ten years. The expenditure is limited
to s49s5O0 per annum while the contractors pay s2Oo
per annum for sweepings and manure. III the puDhe
health could be protected for this would be cheap
ly done. But do not yet to have devised plan
by which the streets may be kept clean at price No
be found TO expend his time and all the contract
price for this purpose WhOsOever makes a contract
with city does for the express purpose of tranfeing
the public funds his bank account in as large sums
possible
all the paved streets and avenues, and all lanes alleys
and all cutters wharves, piers, heads of slips shall be
s%eP "s ar All ashes garbage rubbish and
sweepings of every kind which may be delivered
10 the contractors or placed in vessels upon the sidewalk
shall be removed IN tight carts every "a hours Sundays
excepted Broadway from me BaeIy @ 3 70 bstbam
st. the Bowery, Fifhave., from Waverley-pac 10 Ey
nths and Broadway from at 6 70 Thus
days, and Saturdays Fourthaye 70 lhrty o..
sSthaye 70 Wehsst %as Conrtand
St. Maiden-lane, Fulton-st, Cham6ers-st, west from
O shall be swept twice in each week
unless prevented by frost or snow, -, o, .oo..
This contract provides for sweeping the paved sees
only The unpaved streets excepted. But IL IS In
these that the greatest danger 70 the pubic health arises
stion goes on continuously streets that are swept
every day. This amount is multiplied by seven III those
streets the operation is never interfered with Inc
amount OF decomposing matter instead OF being mace
are sometimes dry the payed streets are always MOST
The former generally we drained the attet are hGs
drained at all The mud from the unpayed streets Is
carried upon the wheels OF vehicles and scattered upon
those that paved Here II puyerl7ed py passhg
earts carriages and stages and finally taken up by the
atmosphere TO lodged in our houses and our lungs
Without exaggeraton the unpayed streets OF New1ork
particularly during the present year, when the average
monthly rainfall has thus far more than i've lnSIes
merely mudhoes and receptaeles OF garbage anu anu te @
Ge3S not S ve the Of that
the fament OF the present contract for cleaning the
streets will not sufficiently protect the public health
FurthermOre-and this is the very WORST among lne
ea4ng contractors are in no wise under the control OF
the Sanitary authorities. We have an ORGANIZATION iyr
the one express purpose OF protecting the pubic health
IL has In some respects had the most marked ana ui
eduivocal success In certain directions 1t has made
available the highest degree of sanitary knowledge ana
the first TO practice ON large anu sSehtne scae
least thing that was fegarde1 as ~ se @
infectants and their application 70 the prevention
protecting the pubic health with which they not al
lowed interfere. II Is true that Jackson = sehui
office member of the Cleaning Commission; but
this amounts nothing the latter body Is at present
ld Se A % doing the Work Of
ing may passed his head and against MS protest
streets: but any individual may do that with the
success, and II has no more power 10 ehOlce lne con
tract for cleaning the streets than IL mas 10 prevent 'o
""D' " PRESENT CONDITION OF THE CITY.
At the meeting yesterday OF the StreetC leaning Com
II requested Of those who had knowledge OF
% G Sn nf d pst & s
designating the place OF such offence response 70 that
invitation will be found below in the notes OF our re-
porters detailed 70 report upon the cndton Of represen
ave portions Of the city yesterday Or aeSO6 o the v
as regards external cleanliness Is unusually g9od; not
good as it should De- SGt Gsa IN that Ur region have
commonly IT, On the west side Oi pro"9s,ma!, s,s!,
Wesst Is as usually and seemingly inevitably, dirty;
but occupants the that front upon that street re-
mort that regular attempts made TO clean II as Oiten
~ ~ Wasbington and Greenwc6sts Morris. Rector and
ALBANY sts and adjacent portions OF Cedar ana lIDer
erst in making the street the depository OF all the sur
plus filth and refuse OF Their househ3ds the re-
SUITS ,h a1 and animal matter the debris OF numerous
meals but most OF these deposits appear TO DC OF recent
origin Our reporter was assured that these are removed
AZ ast as often as once week. when the weather per
mits The of the streets lying below the City han
have steep grades that the contractor haS i0unu
powerful helper in the frequent rains. or, q, anita
The streets Of the Second WaTd are & ans al o 70
the efforts OF the streetceanng contractors Is not clearly
HE Third Ward is less densely populated than either
the First or Second from the character OF its business
should be cleaner than either OF then pu. Lhs appeos
IN he
leading Broadway TO the Nortn Hver tne ocenpsns
OF the Stores hitter the adjacent sidewalk with boxes par
Tels and hogsheads spners OF wood and fragments Of
hoops and wthes while the cutters are ehoked wth hay
In the vicinity OF Washington Market OF course large
amounts of refuse matter constantly accumulate Ou'
nThe Fourth Ward OF the most densey populated
IN the city and ts denzens are mostly G Se SIs Fv One
is supposed entertain for holy water Many Oh tnese
Water and lanes ANA 2Sk 10 a6Sss Similarly in
habited in the First Ward but as IN these cases e % M
Sat Of the inhabitants Of the adjacent dwellings
The Firth Ward presents many sanitary paSsey are % IN
good condition while Of those near the North River
are In q most deplorable state West Broadway Is
Ssr H. very badly paved consequently there sort of
checkerb board arrangement OF clean ana uay & pHnt
A portion OF Westst. IL IN very SAD way yu' g
nothing better has been could be said Of this 10
caity Tor many years The Pavements are
the e' st"uesthearted bordering g. the the
river It does has an aiSes and the fcuiest smells
This street is in better state than at any
@ ~ many blocks verify smells to heaven, ana suggests
many sanitary warnings The ASH ad farDsse sn
@ orv receives pay the powers that DC, Dut also
0 from tie storekeeper and the marketman some OF the
weers along those streets awhile ago offered him few
cans now and then encouragement In the faithiu
discharge OF his garbageremoving duties now he de-
Nose pennes as rghthese refused, he lets the
OF rubbish stand He is not alone In this pc
cnliar stye of gathering The streets In this LEGALITY
ra cleaned quite regularly about week. The con-
Son OF part OF Beaehst is very good and part very
bad Ditto Laghtst The streets Of the Ward not here
notieed are In a very tOlerable condition.
The sixth Ward, containing Baxter and MuiDerry-sts
is not 20 bad it used to be- The police especially IN
dinances and compel the occupants OF the tenement