The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-03-27

each one going to a dinerent place and endeavor-
the garret at home TWO institutions that are par
tlcuarly happy In their location for the cnarify
, roS are ,e 81 Ia az thsse Two a he
former Is the earlier and 1t Is curious to observe the
numbers OF "bummers" that wait at the door until
the meal is announced, and after SWALLOWING all
they can possibly get hold OF there, make for the
Convent and arrive just In time for the first table.
party happens 10 have coat that Is more ragged or
dirty than the others the garment Is sent around
until the entire gang has made IL do service.
HATS AND SHOES ARE OFTEN USED
in the sane way, and one might sometimes see o
very torn red pocket handkerchief passed from
A well worn handkerchief is an artistic weapon
IN the hands OF an old 'bum,' and he can produce
them have reduced the handkerchief business to q
SCIENCE and, although they may not yet have at
have arrived at an excellence in the art that pro
duces most satisfactory results. An Old clay plpe
Is also an instrument familiar to the "bum," and
almost every gang possesses one. Alter feastnQ upon
the charity OF Christian ladies the 'bums' retire TO
convenient corner ana the clay pipe circulates
dodgers rooms in the station houses and others
nave rooms they pay rent for, but those who are
They promote more filth in the streets they inhabt
than any other class OF the poor, principally be-
MORE FILTHY AND LAZY
IN their habits. A good many OF these people live
In the Fourteenth ward, and the slush and dirt of
this LOCALITY are not surpassed by any other district
In the city. Elizabeth, Mott, Mulberry and crosby
lam Tor months Upon upon the ground. The Fcurt
Sixth, Second and First wards, and In fact all the
On the West SIDE from street. down to
the Battery, there is positive flood OF muck; and,
with perhaps the bare exception of Broadway and
TWO or three OF the principal avenues the entire re-
naming surface or the city Is In the same condition
On the upper end on both sides OF the island great
any OF this stuff Is touched such vapors are emitted
as are extremely dangerous TO the public health.
Dr. stephen smith recently gave expression In
THE BOARD OF HEALTH
TO the opinion that II something were not speedily
done to prepare New York Tor tine coming summer
IL would be impossible to calculate the amount OF
danger that may come upon the people. An attache
OF this paper called upon DR.. smith yesterday to
the following is the result Of the ntervlew:-
doctor, have called Tor the HERALD to fipd out
from you something ABOUT the present condition Of
''we, sir. consider that well paved, dry and
large cities. The Nth or the streets Is OF kinds.
First there is the ordinary litter of horses carts,
&C. This is composed or sixty per cent OF manure
and the remainder consists OF various kinds OF ant
NAL and vegetable refuse This material Is ground
INTO INTO an nv mpapaDie powder by CARRIAGES and yeni
mosphere and to the innermost releases
'But this could only be the case in dry weather,
DOctOrr'
"0I course; but whenever the street is wet In
summer TINS kind OF street filth Is vaporized, and
nils the air until Its odor Is very percepuDe.n
"You consider that dangerous to health9''
BILE persons-more especially chidren-low forms Of
disease. Diphtnera Is thought by many physicians
to oe caused by is action on the ar passages 1t Is
disease produced by TINS subtle poison"
What do you call the other kind OF street fthf"
"HOuse refuse allowed TO accumulate In the
streets, especially III the tenement mousse districts
THIS material consists oil animal ana vegetable mat
ters intermxed, especially wnere there Is Sickness
with the discharge from the bowels and kidneys.
In seasons like the present. when an epidemic is
prevalent, immense quantities OF sucn NTH are cast
III the streets.n
"Wel but couldn't that be stoppedfn
"Possiby 1t might but you see 1t Is common
occurrence among the poor to throw into the com.
garbage heap In the cutters the and refuse
which accumulate In the beds OF those SICK or
smallpox scarlet fever measles and other diseases
This kind or street refuse Is more Immediately dan.
gerous to the public health than The former"
ga warm rain followed by hot sun converts the
garbage heap into seethinR mass OF putridity
ese no on ls surae III the
but are spread widely over the city. There can be
no doubt that such CONTAGIOUS diseases small
poX scarlet fever, &c, which cause the separation
OF crust scarskin and other products OF the fever
are largely propagated by the careless habit OF
throwing all the house refuse into the street. The
poison OF these diseases thus exposed to the air
pervades the. entire district and spreads rapidly
"The history Of street cleaning In this city must
| be an interesting SUBJECT, Doctorr'
at Ia very much 500 Some years ago the street
refuse was used by the farmers on the vacant lots
| on the island and was eagerly sought AFTER IL ap-
| yearly upwards OF $4,000 AS the city began to
| grow the farmers system died out and the people
@ e city ne Of s
ing and ever since that time II has been more or less
imperfecty dOne.n
"What do you think OF the contract Tor street
cleaning at present In exlstenceY'
''Ine instrument itself IS well enough. but 1t Is
violated with the utmost 1mpuDity. There mas not
been street well, faithfully thoroughly cleaned
Tor the last four years nor has tnere been
moved. And Tor long time the street Nth and
garbage have not been removed from the city at ALL
T Tt ares om
street, on the North River, Is mass
Eel ea Er or 70 ve ees aeep
inthe summer season.. On these grounds the new
market Is being erected. Animal and vegetable
this decompOsing mass Will undergo rapid putre
faction. One Hundred and Fourth street has just
been raised from TOUR to six feet In height from the
East River Fifth avenue with garbage ana street
sweepings, and no less than thirtyve loads Of th.
disease breeding slush and fifth have been deposited
| In this street within the past year..
There can be no doubt about the danger Of tina
| sort OF thlngW
ut is impossible to devise more erectual methot
| OF rendering the uptown districts unhabitaple
wherever these deposits are made levers OF mos
malignant kind win eventually prevail among tht
people residing upon or near these made grounds
"But is no action taken to stop this2"
| AThe Board OF Health weekly sends In evidence O
| IL and protests to the Street Cleaning Commission
against 1t, but without effect. Not only are no step
regularly RECEIVES his pay as II nc had fulfilled hi
"aave YOU an idea how the work OF street clean
| ing Is periOl med2'
aTne whole machinery is of the most imperrec
and worthless kind. Old men, rickety carts, sicl
| and lame horses are hired by the day ana set Il
work without order or system NO one street or an
| part OF q street IL once thoroughly cleaned. tn
| street Cleaning Commission not only do not super
intend the work, but all the proofs furnished then
by the Board OF Health that the WORK is neglected
| are lett unn0ticed.n
| do you think the epidemics now raging In ths
city are affected by the dirt In the streeisin
"Tnere can be no doubt that the smallpox anc
scarlet fever now IN the city are much aggravated
by the Din the Streets Cholera still fingers IL
Europe and Western Asia, and can scarcely tail u
put In an early appearance, and the necessity o.
thorough scavenging was never greater than today
''ro whom do You think the W ork OF cleaning the
streets should he ConAdedT'
ITO the constituted health authorities, most as
suredy. All forms OF scavengng, cleaning OF streets
markets, removal OF dead animals, manure, might