The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-01-15

n WoloOn0 TheW-Tno noeutaos VI
Reform street Cleaning.
After the oheerless and clustering weather
that followed in the footsteps of Santa Claus
and ushered in tho New Year yesterdays thaw
was decidedly welcome. II was more efficient
than even the formidable brigade of Italians
belonging to the Bureau of Street Cleaning.
Beneath its balmy breath hillocks Of frozen
snow and mud became beautifully less, and in
the principal thoroughfares vehicles did not
present the appearance of vessels in heavy
sea. rolling and pitching about as they have
done for fortnight The condition of the
streets since the memorable snow storm on
the 26th of December needs no extended COM
ment. as the suffering pedestrians from the
Battery to the Park can testify. Here comes q
snow storm Of unusual rigor and inolemency,
granted, but lasting only ono day. Nearly
three weeks have passed since this winding
sheet enveloped Manhattan Island, and what
has been done by our much-vaunted Reform
Bureau of Street Cleaning to remove tho piles
of snow and frozen mud that threatened to
put stop to all business and travelP Of
course Broadway received the first attention,
and force Of men began to operate on our
principal thoroughfare. Aided by the stage
companies and many private firms they suo-
ceeded in few days in making Broadway
somewhat presentable, at least as far
as Union square. But after this effort
the reform broom was hung up and tho rest
of the city was left to get along as well as wind
nd A kho oh
sounding promises which inaugurated the
new bureau were forgotten. The heavily
taxed. long-suffering and patient citizens
hailed with delight last year the change Of
brooms, innocently thinking that the millen-
MUM Of street cleaning had at last arrived The
new bureau seemed to pray for some terrible
storm or unnatural fall of snow to have the OPP
portunity of showing what might be done by a
municipal broom and shovel properly directed.
The opportunity came nearly three weeks
ago. and the famous broom and shovel have
not effected any more than when the brawny
arms Of tho irresponsible Brown welded them.
The consequence is that business in many
respects has been completely paralyzed, the
streets have been impossible and reform street
cleaning has proved to be q delusion and
SNARE like its predecessors. If there was q
lack Of funds some excuse might be made, but
the Reform Bureau costs double what former
contractors were allowed How easy it would
have been, Immediately after the snow storm, to
have gone earnestly and honestly to work and
to have accomplished the same results in other
streets as made portion of Broadway navi-
gablel It is very simple matter to keep the
streets clean in the Summer and Fall months,
when sun and occasional showers assist in the
work, butat the very time that the efficiency of
a reform bureau undergoes real test down
tumbles the entire fabric, and the too credu-
lous and oft-deceived public find themselves
wallowing in the Slough of Despond, like the
desperate pedestrian running the gauntlet OPP
posite the new Post Office, or hard-worked
horse foundering in West street. The princi-
pal sufferers are those whose homes are in
Jersey or the City of Churches. The ap-
proaches to the ferries are, if possible many
degrees worse than other portions of the city,
even where the dingy tenement house raises
its multitudinous stories. Surely, something
might have been done to keep these lines of
travel in passable shape; but Reform regards
them with the same Indifferent eye as it does
the commonest purlieu. 1t is useless for the
delinquent bureau in question to seek for ex-
cuses in the magnitude Of the work of keeping
the thoroughfares unobstructed after heavy
storm. The work can be done; the funds ore
always at hand. and will and honesty are the
only requisites with which street cleaning
commissions in this city seem to be unac-
quainted. Ii the present bureau declares its
inability or unwilGngness to do the work en-
trusted to it let us try another broom, and
another, until, sooner or later, wo hit upon the
right article.