The New York herald., 1869-08-24


street and otbers-tx,re "a considerable evolution o
garbage and the sanitary necessity OF frequent
cleaning is moro imminent Again, In thorough
fares devoted to market supplies the necessity II
more imminent still; and again, from the presence
OF trucks aud carts in large numbers thoroughfarei
of the wholesale trade evolve refuse matter more
rapidly than those Of retail trade. The frequency
with which any given thoroughfare ought to b<
cleaned is governed by these considerations; and
generally thoroughfares need sweeping with lesl
frequency than streets Of the nrst category.
! g. Streets and avenues of FIRST class dwelling
houses, where the population is diffused, OF
| higher order as regards personal habits OF cean
ness, and has greater advantages in respect to sur
ronndings, ventilation and other conditions o.
health Barring habits Of personal cleanliness from
Of Mulberry street or Mott street SIX times that
rule Is true OF all tenant house streets compared
with streets devoted to first class dwellings,. Again.
again. there several grades Of streets devoted to
dwelling houses for single families; but generally
the evolution OF refuse and offensive matter Is SIX
times greater In tenant house street than it is in
street or avenue OF first class dwellings, taxing NO
account Of the personal habits OF the two casses OF
population Taxing the latter into consideration,
any given section OF Mulberry street evolves daily
more than eight times the garbage, oIal and ofren;
slve refuse that evolved by any section OF equal
length on Fifth avenue, and should be cleaned at
| least eight times as often.
In any proper sanitary administration OF the street
cleaning department these distinctions must all OF
them be taken into account unless the city Is 10 be
spotted with pest.holes and fever-nests and yet In
been no comprehension OF the facts and categorles
above stated. The true sanitary theory mas N fact
every night streets with rst class dwellings, twice
or three times q week, and tenant house locations
once q week, the work beng badly done al that.
There Is one other consideration which tends to
demonstrate the sanitary necessity for more ire
house In the majority OF them The pavement is
cobple stone through which the moisture ana
ener apa rendering saracs sweeping unless
very frequent imperative or comparatively so, as a
sanitary agent It will be, seen, therefore, that
locations is needed In order to graduate
the frequency OF cleaning suitably. Generally
speaking garbage should never DC subjected TO the
action OF the suns heat and cannot be subjected
without considerable generation or noxious gases;
and hence, streets like Mulberry street. It should
let be In streets the sanitary conditions Of which
are otherwise favorable aud not In the overcrowded
districts, Regarding this condition the Board OF
Health has disseminated an order which Is based on
sound prnciples:-
Tenants mus. pu. their garbage and ashes IN Tub bar
re aud must not throw these or any refuse things into the
streets and cutters
sidewalk every day when the carts come and possible
Keep asm osE Indoors Sss ,sSep @ At .n. s9sr ,o
teen families and half barrel for SIX ght families
out nss a
some S to ros. keep Zee rs% & 9s9
rest and punishment
The garbage carts proper, OF course make their
be reported. third condition Of good scavengerlng
s found In the disposition or the refuse Formerly 10
ground and 1l up swamp localities. Now it is con.
yeJed from the dumping places IN scows employed
for the purpose, ana mostly Is sold for manural pur
poses at thirty cents load, The dumping places
are, however In the lthiest condlton possible; and
that near Washington MarKet-the worst Of ali per.
baps-constltutes in itself an intOlerable nuisance.
to which immediate attention ought to be directed.
The rest are more or less filthy and intolerabe,
though not worse, some OF them, than numerous
streets on the east side. The
PRESENT CONDITION OF TIE STREETS
would form tne topic OF paper IN ltseli, were the
and is in fact, alarming. Mulberry and Baxter
streets are thoroughares OF pest. SO whole dis
ricts IN the southern part OF the city and whole dis
tricts east OF Second avenue, cranmed, congegted
with tenant houses and tenant house population.
There is an odor OF rot everywhere yet the con-
tractor insists that he is doing his whole duty under
the contract The Board OF Health has authority to
THIS panee though 9ooa WorSea Sy
| weekly than by the Whole sum at the command OF
the contractor Is utterly Inadequate and something
must be done or aggravated fevers will ravage the
| city before the hot season Is over. There seems
| to be no remedy except In the possible hold.
| Ing BY the commission OF the contractor to more
| rigid performance OF his work; and, owing to the
fact that the whole Is in The hands OF the rng
ton Of public attention TO the subject seems to re-
suit in no benefit; and, probably, for this year at
least there ls no remedy thougn, IN point ef fact
there has never In the history OF the metropolis oc.
Cured an occasion for btterer severity Of criticism.
| CITY inspector Booze averaged O million year from
1860 to 1855 in pendture directed to scavengerng
In point Of historical accuracy, the million year
| the expenses OF the department for ten years.
Under Inspector Boole, six years, at q MIL
Under Contract for years, at sIas 500 '0''''''
year. I,b940Q0
Total; 7,9s4ooo
Expended BY Board OF Health In addition
TO the above. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. -. $4,000
Complefe total. as GA oa0
For ten years therefore, the average for street
cleaning has been tribe In excess OF $780, 900
year; and yet IN point OF surface cleanliness New
York Is the worst city In the United States and Ia
1niely worse than any leading European city. 1t Is
mer OF 1904 when the danger OF the season led to
brut Ia regard to the administration Of the City
Inspector that ended in the removal OF the work
froIn the control OF that bureau. The
HISTORY OF TIE c2NTRAoT SYSTEM
| alempc OF an investigating committee-lttle more
| than political hank movement, but better than
| nothing-appointed commission to admins r The
| department. The commission was made to consist
"f rhe Mayor, Recorder, Comptroller, Corporation
Counsel ana ,i.y snector, and the scayenRerlng OF
tie city was to 6e done 81 contracr "ggon the sRQ,
lltion OF the office OF City Inspector the President
| OF the Board Of Health was placed Upon
| the committee 10 tae stead Of the vaeatlng
City Inspector. or the several bids that OF MessIs.
| Brown, DeVoe & Knapp accepted, and con-
tract with these gentlemen to clean the streets was
entered into, the COMPENSATION to oe the yearly sum
OF sl93 500. The Of 10000 was to be refunded
by these parties IN consideration Of the proprietor
shp Of the refuse, and, under the specifications 81
| the contract, work was begun. IIrthe summer OF
1896 this firm, having failed TO give satisfaction sold
| and conveyed the contract TO Judge Whiting for
| the consideration OF 1900, ,0O0) who made the first
real attempt under the contract, and was TO q de-
| gree successful, Judge Whiting continued to fu1l
the CONTRACT sublect to considerable annoyance from
/ the ring uaiii the spring or 1862 when he re-
| turaea y for 2 conMderatnn to the senior OF tue
..o1;saI i1Id und5i ThJIi the worK s;@e been COD
ducted thus rar tnls year. The contract syst6n has
failed for several reasons to answer public expecla
ton. In the first place the contractor being pad q
| stipulated sum monthly the less work done Under
the CONTRACT cODslstent with It's acceptance by the
commission the greater the profit pocketed by tnat
iuncllonary. 1his IN Itself lQfms an incentive to
| superficial work; That is, TO the making OF the
greatest possible exhibition OF cleanliness with the
least possible reality thereof. The consequence s
that the contractor anu tue Sanitary superintendent
dner considerably ia their definition Of Cleanliness;
| the former holding that wherever the trace and
marx OF q broom can be pointed out there the spirit
Ql tne cOnracG has peen fulnlled the latter, that