The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-01

10 repair WIFI DTOom duu shower ana EuTt W
and lanes and alleys where filth AMI rubbish do
most accumulate; and at last and In the long run,
1t Is to be hoped that few Of
THE DIRTIEsr PORTIONS OF THE CITY
viii soon be rendered q little cleaner than they
have been. In fact il Is but fair to admit that some
apparently earnest efforts are now being made TO
painful than II used to be, and something in that
way was sorely needed. The past few weeks OF dry
weather have helped 10 bring home directly 10 our
want OF cleanliness The accumulated nth OF the
thoroughfares has been dried by the sun and wind
and ground by passing vehicles and pedestrians
into fine, insfnuatng powder, which is now
caught up by the light spring breezos and blown
human lie disagreeable The fashionable promen,
aders even on Broadway get their fne clothes
powdered all over before they can finish q fun
der into the eide streets are tortured beyond en-
dmrance. Compared with the state OF things here
tofOre the broom and shovel may now be said to be
hard at work, and pleify OF work there IL for idle
hands to do. Down
IN THE FIRST WARD
the streets are sttIl IN horrible condition. From
State to Liberty street, embracing several blocks
along the East and North Rivers, great mounds OF
rotten garbage, ashes and indescribabe hlth OF
other kinds stand up like monuments OF bygone
municipal corruption. Carlisle and Rector streets
dare not be entered by anybody with nose IN good
condition. Along this portion OF West street the
sidewalks, channels and streets In front OF the
of the most notwithstanding sailors boarding
houses reek with denominations of every vile dascrip
tion Heaps OF foulsmelNng oyster shells ana ash
with n0isomeness offend the eye ana nose at overy
step Horrible steams arise from tho mounds OF
Isle, Rector and Morris streets The First ward
portion OF South street IL simply abomnable, and i'm
every block branching up rom South street TO Pearl
od0rs ascend from hundreds OF dungheaps
IN THE SECOND WARP
street Ferry street. South street Maiden lane and
Liberty street, some approach TO comparative clean
illness IL observable, always excepting Water and
open space around Fulton Market Is covered
with a crust OF the most offensive filth the cxnala-
tens from which, reinforced by the smells from the
new fish market ana the great street sewer running
into the East River at low water under the Fulton
ferry house, compel the passengers from BROOKLYN
10 hold their noses hard nom the time tho boat ap
proaches the SLID until they reach Pearl street
IN THE THIRD WARD,
between Broadway and West street and Rcade and
Liberty streets the condition or the streets b., u
possible, still worse. All the streets running west
ward from Broadway become frightrully filthy as
they approach within couple OF blocks or 30 or
me Hudson Eiyer This Is more particularly true OF
the way, where tits impossible to pass over cross
ing In c!eanly safety after a shower OF rain. The
streets In the neighbOrhood of Washington Market
are odious IN the extreme, ana are much worse
than even the vicinity, OF Fulton Market ever
dreamed OF becoming. The markets accumulation
of the refuse OF years-heaps OF putrld animal and
vegetable matter OF every imaginable description
are piled high along the sidewalks and cutters aud
slowed away into deep holes in the middle of the
street. The lower parts of Vesey street, Barclay
street and Park place are in en- extremely disgust
ing state. Wadn9 along towards Wet Broadway
:. TIrr p,rrn WARD
Is reached, bounded by Broadway, Canal, Rcadc
and West streets, and here, wherever the popula,
tion is thickest, the fifth on the sidewalks and
streets grows most intOlerable, particularly be-
tween Hudson street and the North River Jay
street is one long ridge of rottng refuse OF the most
Objectionable kind. Greenwich street, near North
Moore, Is almost impossible, andis fearlnlly dirty all
the way along through this and the First, Third,
Eighth ana Ninth Wards AT the root s o. Lasnt
to our s0-callcd civilization. Harrison, Hubert,
Watts, Desbrosses, Hudson, Lspenard West Broad
way, LaUrens South Fifth avenue as 10 is now
called and the lower parts OF Duane Reade and
Warren streets are all but 20 many cesspocls, COW
cred over with decaying and foni-smelling garbage
IN THE EIGHTH WARD,
bounded by Broadway, Hamerscy, Houston, West
and Canal streets, all The streets bordering on ana
the scayengers industry, and The same may he saih
of the Ninth ward from Clarkson to Fourteenth
street. Travelling along Blocker street, which is
none Of the cleanest, we come into the Fifteenth
ward, which, with the exception OF the somewhat
disreputablc Wooster, Greene and Mercer streets
and few other very nasty thoroughfares, Is COM
paratlvely free nom bad 0dors ana their primary
causes Crossing Broadway along Houston street
and turning into Crosby street we enter
THE FOURTEENTH WARD
where the sweepers broom has been recently and Is
still pretty busy with some visible effects; but there
yet RENAME an immense deal OF work to be done
before this entire locality can be decenty fitted fol
human habtation. Moving down Crosby street
and turning into Baxter street. ana keeping an eye
tho various Streets such rs Spring, Broome
ana Hester, the eye becomes weared and disguised
with the iDterminable rows OF unsavory dirt that
line the curbstones, waiting for The street cleaners
wagons. Along Baxter street the sickened re-
porter treads his disgusting way into
THE SIXTH WARD,
bounded by Canal street, broadway, Chatham street
and The Bowery. Here the streets are among the
most neglected and ill.condiOned In the city. Bay
ard street il horrible, ana Baxter, Mott Mulberry,
Worth and Pearl streets and City Hall place are
filthy in the extreme.
THE OTHER DOWNTOWN WARDS.
To describe the condition OF the streets IN the
Fourth, Seventh Tenth, Thirteenth, Eleventh and
Seventeenth wards, which comprise The remaining
portion of the city the east side of Broadway and
below Fourteenth street, would be simply tedious
repetition Of what has already been stated OF the
First, Second, Third, Fifth ami sixth wards-tiltl
and foulness and abominabic 0dors everywhere
and offensive to every sense. The cleaning process
now going on, though some Improvement certainly,
will prove lamentaby insufficient The work Il far
from being thoroughly done, ana rom converse,
fully assured that more frequent and thorough
cleaning viii be necessary IN all those places than
they are now receiving. The people OF all classes
and conditions have resolved that the streets OF
New York must and shall be thoroughly cleaned
and that Immediately, and the health authorities
and contractors will do well to note this fact In
time
Although the portion OF tho city lying above Four
teenth street Ia not entirely so filthy as the lower
town districts that would disgrace any city In the
world. Some OF these dangerous mounds OF Tester
Ing dirt are on the west side OF the CITY, nut many
more are on the east side, where the population is
crowded into narrow limits and the effect Of
the fifth before the doors is most dis
astrous, Refope reaching Fourteenth street
in fact, nom First street to Fourteenth
may be found some OF the dirtiest and worst dis
trcts in New York. on First avenue, at the corner
of Second street. the thorOughfare is occupied with
ruts and holes, into which the refuse from the
houses both sides OF the street Is hung, and the
result is
PuTRIp, SETTLING MASS OF LIQUID FILTH.
The block OF First avenue between Second ana
Third and between Third ana Fourth streets Is In
such condition that the perfumes from the flower
stands on these corners are completely nunuled ny
the stencil emitted from the dirt III the
street. Third street. from about half way
between Second and First avenues to the
East River, IL In dangerous condition for the
health of the neghborhood scattered as II IL with
rottng straw, house and horse refuse ana almost
every description OF street filth. In some parts OF
Avenue h. where the street IL wen paved, there has
been some attempt at cleaning; but In others,
where the cobble stones are indinereptiy laid and
holes and rus occur in the street The dirt has been
simply covered over with ttlc OF the loose sand In
the street, and there 1t lies to poison the neghbor
hood. The streets surrounding TompkinS square are
IN similar condition to those IN the neiehbOrhood;
hut on the corner o. seventh street and
the avenue IT Is oven little worse. on this corner
there il dark sagnant pool Of water, from which