The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-10-11
STREET CLEANING.

Benefits and Difficulties OF Doing tho
Work at Night.
On Friday night last the new system OF cleans
ing all the streets OF the city during the night
was put in operation, and, In the opinion OF the
Street Cleaning Committee or the Board Of POI
lice Commissioners, Disbecker and voorhs, 1t has
proved successful Among the benefits these
Commissioners say derived from the new plan are
cleaner streets. large saving ofmoney to the de-
partment and private individuals. and an opening
up OF employment to deserving, needy men, who
were before shut out from such work. The thor
oughfares can be more carefully swept they hold,
because they are less burdened during the nighG
than in the daytime. This Is most par ticularly
the case in the lower wards OF the city, where tbs
traf1ic OF carts and heavy vehicles is very great
during the day. In many OF the narrow
streets the sweeping was imperfectly done, owing
to this reason, and constant complaint was made
by the citizens. Every time sweeper made an
attempt TO use his broom he was obliged to desist
to give room to one or more vehicles to pass Thet
consequence was that not third OF the dirt was
ever removed. At night the Commissioners con-
tend, these streets will be clear and the sweeping
can be thoroughly done. In some py-streets.l
where cartmen leave their carts out all night, the
Board OF Police is going TO arrange with the Boar0
OF Health to pass an ordinance compelling the
cartmen to sweep the part OF the street tmmedi-
ately covered by their carts into the middle OF th0
thoroughfare, SO that the DIRT can be easily and
readily removed by the street cleaning men in
passing that way. The commissioners have dis
covered that large proportion OF THESE vehicleS'
that cucumber the streets Of tue lower wards De-
long residents OF Jersey City and Brooklyn, who
leave the this side at night and take their
horses to stables across the river. All these par
ties are now being looked alter, ana they Will In
future be compelled to take the carts with thei
horses to where they live An Injustice IS done In,
ss wsy Of es IL
saken for the sake Of lower rents, and
the vehicles are allowed to remain. IN the
saving OF money to the department and
under the impression they can get better class of
wurkmen at the night work than at the,
day, and consequently an c Improvement n;
be saved many unjust charges and impositionsl
by the street cleaning officials that are diicut to
be got at under the day plan, but which the nighe
Will completely destroy ali opportunity OF practs-
ing with regard to the men employed and to-
whom employment will be opened up the applica-
tions for work that have been made during the.
past week fully bear out the expectation. There
are :many respectable, well qualified, needy men,
who can 20 out at night to Labor on the streets,
from doing so by the. exposure to the public
gaze. This is OF all other classes Ia the
community the one most wanting help, and
N return an eauivaent. one of the gressest DIM
cuies in the way OF the work at present Is the re-
moval OF the ashes and garbage; but that the
Board expects to be able to get into working order
after week or two. The people, they say, VIII be-
come accustomed TO IT, and then like 1t better than
having the ash and garbage boxes standing a1lI on
where are closed at six O'Clock In the even
ing, arrangements will be made to remove the
dirt on their opening each morning and every op-
the police regulations. Mr.. Voorhls says that alA
the leading streets and avenues were cleaned
why the narrow streets, where the poor live,
should be deprived OF the same benefit