The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-07-11

Cooling tho Pavements, Purifying the Air
and Laying the Dust
sprinklins in 1891, 1882, ls42 and ls7o-Ex.
psrimsntal Substitutes for Watsr-'Flush-
ing the strsets-The Sprinkling Sos
son-Two Million Dollars Spent An.
nually for Waiting the Streets.


n street Sprinkling in New York Is a much more
Asportant subject than some people will readily
smaglne. Asa sanitary measure ills indispensable,
ahd IN this view alone 1t has been investigated by
eminent sanltarlans with the view either to procure
some chemical substitute or to introduce some agent
olher than water by which the dust can be laid and
tne atmosphere cleansed and purified. 1t Is well to
premise THAT all efforts to supersede water have been
trutless failures. Occasionally some chemist OF
Pu'e woAd. by grand display OF integers and some
Enysserious decimas-al OF which Is certain kind
of analysis-attempt to make show OF an expert.
mental compound, but brief trial has always
. proved convincing.
While there Is nothing TO be deprecated In these
Sanitary experiments 1t IS safe to say that water
will always command the greatest public confidence
And that Its simple properties are better adapted to
street sprinkny than that OF any other body that
ean be known or mentioned.
II was proposed not long ago TO overspread the
Surface OF the public streets OF this city with thin
stratum OF
oUAcK PREPARATION.
which would give GOODNESS to the streets by absorb
ing moisture from the ground, thus practically &C
complshing the same end as II the streets were
Bprnkled with water, while the GOODNESS would be
continued. In opposition this scheme 1t urged
that poisonous vapOrs would rise from the ex-
posed body and endanger the public health This
killed the enterprise and with good reason too, for
the streets are made receptacles for the deposit Of
hll kinds OF animal, vegetable and mineral deorts
susceptible to the action OF any powerful chemical,
and under such multitude Of chemical unions as
Gould be formed on Broadway alone, for instance,
blight be the lorerunner OF destruction disease.
There can be little doubt that much OF native disease
THE LARGE CITIES OF AMERICA
as well as IN the capitals OF Europe, or among the
vast populations OF Asia, is due to diseased oondi
tfon OF the atmosphere superInduced by the putre-
Eacion OF animal or vegetable matter subjected to
fhe action OF some undiscoverable chemical agent
hs really
and instead OF encumbering the pavement with any
more foreign bodies should seek to remove those
already accumulated by travel and traflc. This
Gan only be done by cleansing and sweeping and the
pavements can be kept IN a healthy state when
clean, If sprinked often and well.
SPRINKLING
- to serve two ends-a sanitary purpose and to
preserve the curtains hangings, furniture aud In
teri0r decorations OF our private dwellings, as well
hs the goods aces and delicate fabrics in the shops
and wholesale houses along Broadway, the Bowery
And all the business thoroughfares Its Importance
II sprinkling were entirely omitted the annual
destruction would amount to many millions. The
Sery products OF combustion arising from The CHM
eeys OF factories the dust abroad on the wings OF
frisk Winds and other deeterious substances, would
FENDER business or residence almost impossible upon
Shs island. As sprinking Is now carried on, how
ever it Is one Of those lew private institutions man
fged entirely by private parties, which has never
government Hence, in TINS city, 1t Is compare.
lively Wei done.
Street sprinkiing began
This - the earliest authentic date, though doubt
bockers But previous to that time, 1t should be
remembered, New York abounded In creeks and
Inland streams, where the washing of the thor.
A.. later day. After 1921 the water trucks
we're filed by the operation OF an old-fashioned
double break pump down at the North river, In the
vicinity OF Chambers street, where the watermen
were wont to drive their casks then delight the
burning countenance OF the growing city by bathing
Its face in salt water. This system continued TILL
1912.
Then the Croton was introduced, and then began
. new system for New York. better Tor the public
health In every particular.
WAS raging all over Manhattan Island, the health
authorities imagined that salt water was INJURIOUS
from the decomposition OF vegetable matter con.
be discontinued, substituting fresh water In It's
place. Now, at this late day. the Board OF HEALTH In
Rn elaborate proposition. proposes system for
FLUSHING THE STREETS OF NEW YORK.
The project, as deliberately presented by the engi
or two powerful pumping engnes-one at Canal
street, near Broadway and the other at the reservoir
these engines to pump water from the North river
Through large mains and branch pipes and distribute
Grants were to he erected on the corners for the Te
department. and with which to flush the streets. 1t
pas proposed to make the water thus undermining
VAST WATER POWER,
by which goods could be hoisted, ships discharged,
engines turned anu valuable force introduced to
pur commerce and merchandise by which New York
eould possess water power unequalled In the Union.
This grand scheme OF the distinguished engineer
Biz. Worthen, discharged In poor piece OF Nip
fancy by Mr. Manierre who treated the whole sub
feet az joke. The plan is undoubtedly one OF the
most practicable ever presented to the public II
carried out Its full Development would cost scarcely
more than $3.00o,000 and the annual municipal
fevenue would considerably exceed the expenses Of
Keeping up the system.
with the growing aversion Of the city to allow any
n orr n
bower could be used means OF propulsion as the
motive power OF street cara At least the subject Is
pne OF vast importance and one which should not
be sneered at or estimated as dreamy PROJECT
There ID now but one known objection to it--that
N, salt water applied TO the streets may be deleter
nus, USED to extingush fires, may destroy goods
and fabrics, being, as 1t Is, such an enemy 10 all
Our streets now are pretty clean 1.-THE paving is
only tolerable), though they are swept but once a
week. Sprinkling Is OF course, the most needed
where there is The most debrfs.
In general there are but three kinds Of distinct
lively marked pavements laid down in the city-the
Belgian and Its sister stone pavements, the Nlcos0n
pnd the asphalt The stone pavements the best
20 sprinkle because they do not dry soon as the
others and because the surface Is not wholly porous
end spongy. The Nicolson comes next in order. The
fvater, as soon as 1t Is applied is absorbed and 1t
has no time to attract the dust or the atmosphere
The asphalt is worse yet. 1t instantly absorbs and
being good conductor from Its loose stratiicatlon'
the heat soon makes vapOr OF the water Thus for
goodness the Belgian exces.
In 1912 the Cr0ton water was introduced and then
began the present system OF sprlnkling. Now the
streets are Spanked entirely by private partles paid
by the owners and lessees OF properly along the
routes But sprinklng under the supervision or the
Department OF Public Works, from which a permit
must be obtained by the driver Of every water truck
WATER
Is obtained from the fire hydrants, and only such as
ARE specified can be used, and then the sprinkler
must conhne himself 10 the limit laid out by the
authorities.
ON BROADWAY
there are ten water trucks between the Battery and
Central Park. Each truck sprinkles It's own particu
lar section TOUR times day, and each sprnkling
cessitates the use OF ten casks OF water and each
0ask holds 200 gallons. IL Is therefore easy to
pute the actual amount OF water expended on Broad
way. Each cask discharges 5000 gallons day, and
the entire number Is $4,000 gallons day. On the
average, about 5000 gallons day to the mile are
nsed the city over. But 1t should be remembered