The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-04-22
DIRTY STREETS.
Views Of Downtown Thorough
fares Clicked with Filth.
p f = II @ e N II R e >
How the City's Sanitary Work
Is Not Done.

Is Not Done.
For many years the question Of our corporate
ability to clean the city streets has vexed all those
of our citizens who care either for personal COM
fort or the prosperity and happiness OF the
community. We have made trial Of various
methods for securing the proper and efficient
cleaning OF the streets. Each in turn has failed.
Contractors were found more energetic In drawing
their pay than In protecting Us from mud and dust
and the machinery OF the Police Department,
which is at present charged with the duty of re-
moving the filth accommodating, has proved no
more satisfactory. How the case stands In tho
lower part OF the CITY, as seen by HERALD report.
ers Is recorded below
/ THE EIGHTH WARD.
The notorious Eighth ward, the locality known
in police annals for having sheltered in Its time
more thieves and cyprians than any other two
districts OF equal size in the city, ~, considered
from STRENGTHENING point OF view, var.egated
/ distrtct-here quite clean and there quite dirty
! the latter, however, predomInating.
Wooster street In various portions Of its cheek
cred course is drtily picturesque and nlthiy un-
pleasant. Between Blocker street and Houston
street it abounds In garbage and old boots. Be-
tween Houston street and Spring street the dirt is
swept into piles but in piles 1t Is left for the wind
to 90 its work upon 1t, and for time to have Its way
with 1t, and for everything and everybody saw
ing the street cleaners to do what they will with
1t, which is simply nothing at all.
Then there are several alleys opening into the
street which foul, fostering little spots, and In
front OF one OF them rises garbage mountain OF
quite ample dimensions. South Firth avenue Is
tolerably clean, but Thompson street. especially
between Spring street and Prince street. Is in
toleFaby dirty. In this last specified locality we're
to be seen sunday five distinct heaps and seven
entirely independent pools, while IN front OF No. so
Thompson street there stands huge pile OF refuse,
nearly choking up the street. In front OF Howard
Relief Mission No. are displayed in the street
rious specimens Of garbage which are worthy OF
careful examination on the part OF those curious
in the study of putrefying substances-each side OF
the street is lined with vegetable refuse old ash
carts are filed with dirt and ro,tenness and left
In the middle OF the street. dogs and CATS wander
to and fro stirring up the garbage, and the
fragrant od0rs from the muck heaps would remind
the European traveller Of the nine distinct smells
OF the city Of Cologne.
Sullivan street, on each SIDE Of its junction with
Broome street, is fringed with garbage ana the
lower end OF Spring street is very dirty.
Washington street, near Charlton street, is an
exceedingly picturesque place for nn amateur dirt
painter, but a very unpleasant locality for any
decent person to pass through, and most dis
graceful locality In STRENGTHENING aspect, Tor
the street has the appearance of never having been
cleaned at all; pools. dust heaps, garbage piles
abound then more garbage, till the street looks
like mud bank gone to seed. In fact, portions Of
this locality have been iacetiously termed
GARBAGE TERRACE AND MUCK LAKE.
There is garbage box fastened to the base of o
street lamp here The lamp is small but the box
is large and almost hides 1t, and big the box Is
accumulations OF weeks, periuming and poluing
the air. When the evening lamps are lighted
q spectacle must be presented or gas-llt Nth
here unsurpassed either in Europe or America.
One use OF old wagons seems to have been
avaiIed OF Gd u0itum and al nauseans-t. e.,
to conceal dirt heaps. Scattered through
! out the city or New York are to be SEEN
morning and evening and all Sunday, drays and
trucks and carts drawn up on the sides Of the
/ streets, and under almost every cart, truck or
wagon lies heap oil dirt and garbage, dust ashes,
refuse or some fifth or other
Just the ostrich covers its head in the sand and
thinks that It's body is not seen, the street clean
Ing officers seem TO think that, provided dirt heap
is only covered by wagon the dirt does not exist
and their whole duty is discharged. In strong
contrast to these localities sc ctions-
such as Broome street, near Its junction with Hud-
son-whch are almost spotless and show what can
be done in the line OF cleanliness when the au-
thorities have mind to, and when the inhabitants
OIL the district are determind that they shall do
their work.
| THE SIXTH wARD-THE FIVE POINTS
Perhaps OF all the downtown wards the far.
famed old sixth" is the dirtiest. and certainly OF
the whole Sixth ward the hlthlest spot is the once
infamous Five Points It is claimed in certain
high moral quarters that the moral aspect OF this
locality has been improved OF late; but III q san-
tary and In material point OF view the locality is
as vile as ever Jacobs Ladder and the Steerage
and the old Brewery, as such, have vanished OFT
the face OF the earth; but the spot is dirty, as
utterly disregarded by the Board Of Health and by
the street cleaners as though it a portion OF
1 Ashantee. In simple and unmistakable English, 1t
Of the United States, this junction Of Park, Worth
and Baxter streets, and It's vicinity, block or two
each way. II Is simply and solely pest centre
1 right in the heart OF the business portion OF the
great metropolis. Language cannot describe Its
TO descend into details, or rather to rise up to
them-ior In this locality the fifth rises, and has
already attained an altitude Of from one foot to
/ two and half feet above the average surface OF
| the street-Baxter street, for two blocks from the
Of the
! accumulated refuse Of weeks Is deposited along
the side of the street; the rest OF the refuse Is
thrown into huge garbage boxes on the sldew alks,
where 1t fouls and testers and putrtfes. alter Its
fashion, IN unrestrained license OF corruption.
! Park street Is full OF garbage heaps and dust
piles and carrion--here a hill Of dirt and there
valley OF fifth Worth street Is q line Of ashes,
hall Of it,, sort q osnsive swimming s pond,
about thirty feet long and from one to three feet
! being nlled with mud and slime instead Of water,
forming q compound detestabe to look at There
is exageeraton in this pen pictures it is simple
street cleaners (D truth.
At the corner OF Mulberry street and Worth
! street there stands, or rather leans an old city
lamppost literally half buried In the filth OF New
| York, and Mulberry street in this vicinity
Is perhaps vller and dirtier than any
street yet mentioned. Part OF this street is very
fragrant-very green, in fact, quite garden
spot Indeed, there are two distinct rotten vege-
| table gardens OF lair dimensions occupying the
centre OF the street, indescribaby odorierous One
would think that this was the dumping ground OF
| all the refuse OF New York.
There Is q crossing here called
/ sTHE MULBERRY STREET BRIDGE
i It deserves It's name. 1t consists OF q board rot