The New York herald., 1873-12-18
How Our Streets Might BE Mado
Tolernblc.

Tolernble.
A city government with real desire to
make things comfortable for residents and
transient visitors might do much for our
metropolis. There are a great many little
nuisances, annoyances and wants that it
seems nobodys business to look after, yet
which every official, animated with proper
sense of duty, should seek to remedy. few
days since we called attention to the impas-
sable condition of some Of the streets up
town-new streets in course Of opening or old
streets being paved or guttered-and showed
how little exertion it would demand on the
part of the authorities to make these thorough
fares at least tolerable. In the muddy, un-
paved streets, where filthy pools spread ankle
deep, the simple plan of placing ordinary
stones at the crossings or spanning the mud
with common planks -could be adopted
without adding much to the daily sweat
Of the patrolmen. How comfortable such
simple means would make pedestrianism, and
how many cases of rheumatism leading to
total loss of locomotive power and OF severe
colds leading to consumption it would pre-
vent, that now find their first causes in wet
feet, obtained while exploring city mud and
snow or the soakings of putrescent garbage
People who traverse our city daily little dream
how much future sickness they absorb through
saturated boots and shoes, and how much
money might be saved from the apothecaries
and undertakers by our municipal authorities
exercising o very little common sense. The
authorities" doubtless, suffer in person occa-
sionally from the very saf5e catise; but to use
popular expression, 'they don't see it.
while they are squabbling about big jobs or
racking their brains about the wire-pulling Of
political schemes. The marrow of their real
official usefulness is left to freeze as well as their
spinal marrow While they busy themselves
making capital in the old worn-out fashion
they let slip thousands Of opportunities Of
benefting their constituents and themselves
in their neglect to care for the little wants Of
the people. 1t is the habit Of most people
latterday politicians particularly-to despise
little things. Tiny services are given the cold
shoulder, and men essay only the big things
of life. The Buchu glare and tinsel of the
present day have led away mems eyes and
thoughts, SO that the glamour of ostentation
and the genius of quick fortunes are the only
objects prayed to or yearned after. Everybody
seems intent on making ''big hits" 'big
strikes and "big piles" rather than on
attending to the solid little acts which under
lie substantial and permanent success. Duty,
in any other shape than to self, is conse-
quently left out Of the calendar.
We must change all this for it is all wrong.
Why cannot our authorities strike out on an
original voyage of discovery in search Of duty?
Why will they not devote themselves to pro-
viding those little comforts for the people?
Let us ask again, Why cannot our policemen
be utilized for this purpose? 1t would be
more creditable to provide dry feet than to
smash weak heads, as our policemen are too
prone to do. Why cannot they be employed,
not only to report nuisances, but also to abate
them, and see that life and limb are secure,
from the Battery to Spuyten Duyvil and be-
tween the East and North Rivers?
AS an instance of how all this is not done
we call attention once more to the disgraceful
manner in which the Fourth avenue ssim-
provement'' is prosecuted. The avenue, from
Fiftieth street to Harlem, is upturned; the
side streets are filed with mountains Of earth
and rock; the street crossings are almost
obliterated; vast chasms yawn at every step,
and, in most cases, nothing prevents the un-
wary pedestrian from tumbling to the bottom
but carelessly placed piece of railroad iron,
under or over which it would be the easiest
Al. -, ~ 20 c1,, W. 1oxxo 1aI -
tention of the authorities several times to the
dangerous condition of this work but, ap-
parently, no attention is paid to the matter.
Some fine or foggy morning, no doubt, the
city will be startled by the news of o terrible
loss of life in consequence of this neglect, and
then there will be the usual great outcry.
Why not prevent disaster when we know the
danger? The style in which rock-blasting
along the route is managed is simply out
rageous. The heaviest charges are exploded,
and at each blast the houses in the vicinity
are shaken from foundation to roof. The
damage thus done is at present incalculable,
because most of it is now imperceptible 1t is
not too much, however, to say that each house
thus shaken will be injured to the amount of
thousand dollars or more without any remedy.
Light blasting charges, if causing little more
expense to the contractors, should be insisted
on. Small blasts, exploded more frequently,
would accomplish the work just as well as the
present perilous efforts of the rock men, and
life and property would be, as they should,
safe. The tremendous blasts our citizens
have been treated to would do very well for
the remote islands of the Granite State; on
Manhattan Island they should be sternly pro-
hibited. great public improvement, we are
aware, cannot be carried on without some
inconvenience to the public, and the public
does not object to what is necessary. But