The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-05-28
Disposal of the Refuse Of 1000 Miles
Of Streets.
MUD BARGES.
Origin of the Ancient Order Of
Crossing Sweepers.
LOVE IN THE GUTTER.


and purified and il now romans speak OF the opera
sons above ground. cleansing OF tho immense area
occuped BY the modern Babylon Some estirnate OF
The extensive nature OF those operations may be formed
wncn 10 reflect that the streets OF London, II placed
IN one line would form avenue Of 1000 miles IN
length. In the daily cleansing Of the streets about
goo men And employ ment, which gives an average
or two 70 the MILE but the number huctuates accord
ing 10 the season. In the service OF this army are
5000 horses and 400 carts
The City Com m ssioners Of Sewers, upon whom de-
wolves the task Of keeping the streets clean. do oil
their own work and make the most, commercially Of
the garbage with which they have 70 DEAL Tho 'cty
has i,s own at salary Of e., 900 per
supum and be has his STAFF OF assistants, superin-
ssnden.s and men tor carrying out Of every depart
men Of street government One corps of laborers Is
told of for the sweeping OF tho streets; another for
their washng third Tor The collection Of the rcfusc
fourth for The cartna away Of the same and special
body 10 employed attending to the public street con-
vsnences Tho payroll OF the street cleaners amounts
TO ELS 900 annually for The city" alone which would
give s,a Of about 500 men, Those are divided into
scayengers carriers street orderies dust sfers nud
puddlers, 10.
THE NIGHT BRIGADE.
The work OF street government goes on day and
night. but tho actual sweeping does not commence
us,a eight O'Clock In the evening Frsm that hour until
daybfeak hss Of men occupy tho streets, which are
then hourly becoming and silent and empty
a. the night wears ON, the laborcrs themselves NOV
,pa their immense brooms with sutomaton-lke regu-
arity, and with cir Of melancholy which BELTS the
lime and 10 in keeping with the dreary gloom around
tnem One wonders what becomes OF these night
birds in the day time. In what ''rooksry" do they
pass the hours Of light and sunshine? Do thcy ever
talk or hold up thcir headsfror ono OF the results
or their occupation Is q confirmed stoop Of the shout
sers. Whole regiments OF them, formed in limo, mny
be seen during the night performing their tasks and
looking like brigades OF hunchbacks Most Of them
are old men, Or at least look old, Tor ono and
sli have that strange wizened, driedup look which
deHss any guess at real age some OF them havo taken
20 the business from downright Affection snd their
histories would form strange and entertaining chap
Ter Of human biography The story OF one Of them at
toast is known. The hero Of II Is now inhabitAnt
Of one Of the warehouses Twenty years ago he drove
bis carriage and pair, aud carried on business which
brought him 10 $4,000 year. He lived III xriousy,
kept open house. and took an active part In tho local
government OF bis district Misfortune camo, and IN
4 single week he found himself an abeolute pauper
and finally street cleaner, sweeping the very pave
ment from which hts own carriage had many time
stirred the dust Some Of these night workers do duty
during the day as
ssAypwIcu MEN,"
slang torn for the miserable creatures who peram-
bulats the streets carrying boards slunX their
shoulders before and behind forming kind Of wooden
phesable, whsreon are pasted Advertisements Poor
brokcn-doWn mon, with abject rnsn and gait, those
walking advertiseme traverse the muddy streets
nndsr their degrading burden for the vast OF
shilling day. when uignt comes they take TO their
brooms and in the early hours OF tho morning may be
found sleeping on the wooden settles OF the com mon
lods ing houses.
THE cARTEaa
Following tho army swcepers como the CARTS each
attended by two strong looking men, clad In dinsy
smock irocks and immense ''sou'wester" hats, and
bearing large shovels. with which they scoop up
the mud. dirt and other refuse and pitch II into
The carts Up In the narrow streets OF tbs densciy
populated neighborhood midnight stroll will reveal
huge pools and heaps OF offensive matter collected be-
tore the Of courts and alleys which has been
brought by the night soil from the backs OF the
poorer dwellings and awaits the arrival Of the CARTS
Every Of tile refuse Is conveyed TO depots that
say, largo open spaces whore the liquid matter is
thrown into reservoirs Of I'D and entually
transferred 10 barees on the river
pIsrosIrIoS or THE RErush
Tho fluid refuse having been shipped is conveyed
towArd the mouth Of the Thames, where il is
discharged into the water. The solid matter
and girls are employed in stins the ashes and
rags which are used for Bottoms Of now streets and
bther purposes The eindcrs are used for burning
bricks AZ tho mekins and the residue ms cement or
manure The women employed In this dirty work re-
ceive generally 81 rs a week, and tho maximum re-
get sixty cents per cubic yard for conveying the
liquid refuse down the river.
THE nrD BAkGEs.
The crews Of tnese bafges nre an class
or beings. Mr.. Silas Wcgc. Ito whom all print was
OPEN" Knew them and their ways, but they are now
dealt 10 their wares They spend their hIc on board
.ee osrses, msr rss ana ,s Women ,osesher anS
sulcs called cabins. Tho language Of rms floating
saors style Of blaspnomy with i&turc 6f tho cos.
germongcr--Romany jaraon They do swear most
swul,S these unoouth mariners, and have an uncon.
luerable sverson to the white Tie Of the evangezer
md the Uniform OF tho river police. All the efforts OF
NncvoIence, com untees Of lords and gentlemen and
tocietics OF ministers 20 Chr,stan,e these unruly
homsds have Jailed. gentle Lady, who mas a decided
talent Tor evupgchzation has been known 10 visit the
Dareemen In their ab0ninable haunts, but even she
dd rot make he slightest impression. They eniven
che monotopy oil the voyages down the strepm by
pudding the mud and examining their cargo with
oil the scrutinziDg. covetcus instinct OF the
sOies as may have escaped the operators
In the depot Whenever they "make haul y
which 10 net an nuifequent occurrence they signaze
their good luck by drunken orgy III the pubic house
ns.fsss 20 ,nss oy ,ns river sue su,o
bold OF Thames mud-barge. The poIcs suppose that
many OF the dead bodies found the river especially
those which bear upon them the marks oil ioui play,
have been thrown overheard from the hnrpes The
bargemeD, they say, may receives 'parccl, with in.
sructions 10 dschsfge ~ with the 10 drop u
quietly TO the bottom on their way down with the tdc
THE CROSSING swrFPfg.
AT what precise date IN the history OF London this
knight OF the broom made his appearance IS not on
ftooru. but 70 Judge from what London wns and hat
u SIN Is, his services must have been Indispensable At
very early period and, indeed were lar more ncces
ssry in the London Of the past innn III that u our own
days, as will be evident from qnoaon from nnights
work ON the metropolis.
the LONDON STREETS IN 1870.
.sThc middle OF paved street," he says, ''was gen.
orally occupied with cbanne und the sides OF tho
carriage way we're iuil OF absolute nole6, where tho
rickety coach often stuck vs. 10 qunamire. Tue
only road TO the houses oil Parliament before 1850
was through King street and Union street, which were
in miserable state that lagots were thrown INTO
thc ruts on The days on which the King went Para.
nent 10 render the phssage OF the state coach moro
easy The present 50. Msfssrets street was formed
out OF horoughfsre known ns SAINT Margnfets lane
Vbtch was 40 narrow that sspales were Obliged 10 DO