The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-12-05
STREET CLEANING.
Conference Of Department Commits
SiOners with Mayor Ely.
POLICE DEPARTMENT DIFFICULTIES.
Ashes, Garbage, Street Swerpngs, ScOws and
Official Blunderings.

Official Blunderings
A conference took place yesterday In the Mayors
once between several OF the Commissioners OF city
departments and Mayor Ely relative to the street
cleaning and the best methods to be adopted IN carry
Ing on the work. Among the gentlemen present were
Commissioner OF Public Works Campbell, Police Com
missionsrs Ehrhardt Wheeler and Nichols; Dock
Commissioners vanderpoel and DImock, Health Com
missoners Chandler and Janeway. Health orcer
vanderpos. Corporation Counsel Whitney, Mr. Seth
g Hawley. Chief Clerk Of the Police Board, ana Mr..
MCLEAN, counsel to the Same department. Shortly
atcr eleven O'Clock Mayor Ely called the meeting to
order He remarked that the conference was held 10
accordance with suggestions made in certain resou-
lions passed by Board Of Health calling attention
70 The filthy condition OF the streets
PROFESSOR CHANDLER EXPLAINS
Health Com mi sioncr CHANDLER first addressed the
conference He stated that his Board, which was
chsrgcd with the duty OF protecting the public health
considered that the city, the whole, In a,fhy
condition, and had been 80 for several months past
The public health was consequently, much endan-
gered and members OF the mission felt It their
uuty 70 call attention the matter. They had no
plan offer, and simply felt It duty incumbent upon
them notify the proper authorities in relation to
the subject The city, instead OF being always dirty
should be always clean.
Mayor ELY-Was the city worse as to cleanliness
when this resolution passed than II before
Commissioner CHANDLER said that its condition va
ried In this respect He would not say that II was
aiways 20 dirty. Nearly every week the Sanitary Su
perlntendent inspectors had called their attention
lott
Police Commissioner WaRELER-Have these reports
been sent the Police Boardf
Com missioner CHANDLER believed they had. Atten-
Zion OF the Health Board had been called to the
fact that and garbage deposited IN various
parts OF the CITY, such jumping might go on Tor two
shree weeks before attention formally called to
the nusances.
Mayor ELY-I would like to ask the Police Commits
s!oners whether the streets in q cond-
tion than bcforef
DEYRScE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
Police Commissioner NICHOLS denied the statement
~ to the present condition OF the streets More work
had been done during this year than tor many years
previous.
Mr.. Hawey, Clerk OF tho Police Board. defended his
department. In q long speech. The work Of Keeping
clean Of large city OF the greatest
problems Of the age In 1877 the Legislature had
given the Police Department control OF tnis matter OF
.,rss. cleaning N New 5 s Guy ne ,ota, area Q,
10 be gone over IN the collection OF ashes and garbage
owe. three hundred miles Mr, hawey next , pre-,
Bureau or Street Cleaning, Tor the years aud
part Of 1871
AMOUNT EXTENDED.
1878. 097 1884 SO
1SI4.......... ...... 629 o.s W
lS75..-.................. Sol, 4O5 80
Total number OF miles Of streets CLEANED during same
period. 1882. Total number Of loads Of ashes re-
moved s.oss,l77; OF dirt l,oso,7oa; garbage. 80 OIL
Total per mie average, for cleaning SO 81
Average cost per load for removing refuse matter,
From January October !, 1877, the total amount
expended was 1892 800 IL. During the same period
of slre were GOO 4iB loads of
ashes removed VI dir. 20a ASA Total cost per mile
for cleaning streets during that Time. $96 66 cos per
Mr.. Hawley continued hrs remarks BY stating that
sxtv-hve or seventy per cent OIL The refuse matter
from the streets consisted OF ashes while only ten per
composed Tho garbage. AS TO the actual work OF
cleaning the streets there should never be- division
feature came into tho subject then under DIS
cussion in an emphasc manner. The Board
ratter IRON The streets, but they had no power to
place Il anywhere. This system hnd been regulated
by statutes Of Tho state. The great question then
arose to where 1t TO be removed TO. THIS ma
tera had been held 10 be so deleerous TO health That
10 uness certain conditions prescribed by shore
Inspector we're complied with. violation Of thcse
sci carrying cargo Of such matter could pass through
the Narrows except by permission OF this ofcer and
under certain operations Of the wind and tide.
Under these rules they were compelled TO send
their scows 10 sea against the incoming tide and
TO srs' as Ssong a gse GOO cost
elso 600 being expended annually IN this particular
work Men were sent out out on these scows;
hey only worked tor about an hour and halt The de-
Partment possessed no power 10 deposit in Jersey,
Long Island or Staten Island The only course lett
open Tor them was to tow me scows out 10 sea Tho
streets could not be cleaned every day. That would
cost over $3,00o,ooo. II the streets were kept
clean as the sidewalks II would cost over S. 900 900.
He mr. Hawley) did not know where the refuse mat
ter was 10 be deposited wilhin thirty miles OF the
city Of New York without the consent OF the
Board OF Health. Even the employees OF the
department mad arrested, indicted punish ed
for gong out In the open This shore inspector
had immense power In the waters Surrounding
New York Mr. HAwley compared the onclal TO
ssampnibiouB bumb bauin !" The gentleman then
went ON TO say thai he considered refuse under
the present arrangements could not DO utilized 10 any
nunsae build the Battery with this material Canal
Direct ana considerable portion N the west side of
She city bad been converted into solid land by "nng
inn DIRT oof this character. In these vcinties the
matter not sot down as perncious to tho pubic
health. he claimed that the material could DO safely
That other matter could be used. The Health and
Police depar, ments should agree upon some common
THE REMOVAL OF SNOW.
Mr.. Hawey next alluded TO the subject Of removing
snow from the streets during winter claim was
raised tna. the Board OF Police did remove tho
snow. IL would cost ~ least 81 100000 TO do tnis
compelling the Board 10 dlscnarse this duty; not a
cent had been Appropriated Tor such An object The
stricken out from The estimates every year. There
was an ordinance compelling city railroad companies
10 throw of the snow from their tracks; ordinance
compelling citizens 10 clean OF their sidewalks IN the
same way, ana thus snow and art were piled
up in the middle OF the thoroughfires for
months at n time The speaker next called
attention TO the meagreness OF the amount allowed
Tor slreetcleaninR, where the expenses
much larger than In former years. When Harlem
Oats filled in the department was paid $40 Tor
zach load. Now fncy are compelled to pay SIS
for PERMISSION 10 dispose Of each scow load some
where.
caAypLER's RxroRr
Commissioner CHASDLER rep.ieu to the statements
put forward by Mr.. Hawley He contendcd, with all
due respect TO the last speaker, that tue argument
meant merely show not TO do It." What our ances-
lOFa ~Au mi mr. I'm nafa
was assertions fact that chs and fever were prevalent
Ia almost every street OF the Guy. There
cuse Tor TINS state OF anara He considered ~
. waste Of valuable material to dispose OF street
refuse by sending a out to sea. There we're many