The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-01-03
CLEANING THE STREETS.
Z Comprehensive Pan Suggested for the
Relief Of the City
OPINIONS OF mayor ELY AND OTHERS.
can Old Contractor" Discusses
the Situation.

Rapid transit noe being accomplished fact. tho
recent charges tho Mayor against the Police CON-
nissiorcrs 10 respect 90 hiiLy streets and the
meeting OF me nee Legislature have all eonspred to
bring The enlire subject o. cleaning before Mr.
~ IN prac,.esl iorm. sach. u woali seem as can
scarcely faii TO bear some wholesome fruits
HksAIs reporter therefore despatched 10 invcsti.
gale the subject several bearings aad discover
the precise saaiioI IL ~as found that the failure
the Mayors charges against The Police Commissioners
In no xay interfere ~th his express dctcrmina-
ton take immediate steps place street Clean
ing Department such footing that there shall DO
n responsible mead. with q recossizoa system. Tho
reporter found thai among the several plans that
been proposed during the recent excitement ono
presented BY Avan s. soutbworth. The proposition.
embracing plan which substantially puts TIE entire
business OF CLEANING an OF tie cltys streets la tho
hands OF the railways. has b,ea received with
unusual favor ny the Mayor ana practical railway
ports. The reporter therefore called oa Mr.. south
worth 10 discover what progress had been made The
following conversation onsuec.-
"wiily you please state your plan submitted to Tho
Mayors"
III is a very simple one indeed. 1 addressed a
letter TO the Mayor setting forth that there are 270
miles of streets New York. ana that loo miles are
travsrsed by street railways; that all the tracks IN
the city have tue same gauge, and that BY Tow
curves and switches, any car can run over all tracks
pi tho city at haIipast twelve at night, when. you
arc aware. tralc ceases, with the exception that tho
Third. Second and Sixth Avenue companies run cars
al intervals Of fifteen minutes and hall hour You
will, therefore, perceive that city could DO spcc
ally constructedthat is better adapted-ior thorough
cleanliness and almost perfect sanitary condition. than
this same city OF New York. Here We have a long
tongue OF land whose shores washed by two wido
and deep rivers, and with perfect gridron VI rail-
ways, delivering at many points either water front.
What have proposed Is therefore that these 100 miles
OF railway shall be utilized; that ths old and de-
cayed cars which tho companies longer Tor
passengers, shall be converted into hugo refuse car
rcrs, and that during the hours OF the when
the city Is sumber these shall mako thor Jour
neys TO the several termn of tho river froits and
empty their cargoes. have computed that by using
ono hundred cars as describe during tue four hours
OF the night that over sixteen hundred street
deposit could be conveyed to tho rivers and dumped
into scows alongside the piers. Now, tako the dis
trct between Flttyn;nlh tho north and aI-
ton street the SOUTH We Will say thai the street
surface in thai district would DO equal hundred
streets running from river 10 river. Do you believe
that each there sixteen OF deposit
every twenty-four hours2 OF course not Such a CAL
cuation would be preposterous. SO that In my letter
10 the Mayor Igave in all my estimates on outside
figures"
''And do you regard the plan as practicable?"
" can answer that ny saying that have heard
single objection has thus lar been urged against It,
very distinguished engineer said ~ me saturday,
It's pracLcablty does not admit oi discusson.' The
system would VI course INCLUDE the removal OF the
ashes ana garbage ny the same vehicles aud very reg
uiariy LOO. What must DO insisted in Guy
Is the separation OF the ashes ana garbage. BY an
enforced
acter the ashes aud garbage could presented
Street Cleaning Departuen NJ in sucu shape that each
could Do disposed OF probably any Contractors that
wvuid receive lhem al the river fronts. But you Will
note That The system OF cleaning Tue streets OF New
honest orgiuization. such bureau, think, should
BIG under tue Mayor II not 0uleau, In the hands
Of private parties whose personal character would DO
guarantees that tho work would be wen done. Vi
course sucn movement would require legislation"
WHAT MAYOR ELY SAYS.
MIR. Southwortn then gave Tho substance OF what
Mayor Ely had told him III relation to his future
tenlions. The Mayor took good deal OF interest in
the conuit0n oil the streets. He had constituted q
committee, CONSISTING oil Or. James Hall, President
aud director OF the Third Avenue Railroad ompauy;
James w. Foshay, OF the Broadway line; The on K.
Butler, OF the sixth avenue line, and jacob Sharpe,
President OF the Twenty-third street Ine This COM
mittee he had empowered 10 consider tho project OF
removing the Ice and snow durLg the present winter
from all the streets raversed by their tracks. They
had made u report asking from the Board OF Appor-
service. The Mayor then said that he thought the
ponce would DO glad 70 get rid VI tho
Responsibility OF cleaning the streets, sur
rounded rs IL was by many embarrassing
obstacles that they were powericss 10 remove. The
Mayor INTENDED 10 advocate scheme that would place
the whole business IN the hands OF u committee OF
prominent Ciuzeus OF the standin OF Jackson 5.
Schu.tz and let them control the appropriation Tor
twelve months. He also stated that AS soon as the
press oil annual business which encountered tue
Mayors Cfce at the close Of tho year he
should give pubic hearing and have The matter iuily
convinced that the Mayor had every intention OF
taxing immediate ana encrgetic steps
OPINIONS OF RAILWAY ExPERIs
Among those owning largely III city railroad prop.
erty Is Mr. William Rcmsen, prom nent director In
the Third avenue Railroad Company. Upon being up.
preached by the reporter on TINS subec. no
he considered the plan accun ulatioLs
by employing the city railways entrey feasible, al
IN ougn the system proposed was new 10 INN.
~ cannot sce." SAID Mr.. Kemsen, "wuy people
should object To separate tho ashes garbage The
garbage In ilscli Is valuable Tor feed Tor nogs,
there are many speculative incividuiis VINO would 10
glad 20 remove Tor the subsequent profit would
from It's SALE AS TO the asncs tracts
OF land along the shore oil the East River. from
Ninety street 10 Harlem, that would require
the ash IS vi ten years. product by this city prop
cry I'LL IN to the level OF tho manloes you can
doing the surface of the nortAern end OF the island
can see no objection Whatever 10 The plan pro-
posed by Mr. southwortn, anu think 1t would afford
the city great relief"
OPINION OF MIR. d. +. ROOT.
Mr.. Root, well known from long connection with
the city railways said plan the old cars
and tracks oil the city railways under ar organized
system was unotjeclionabe, and ought TO be readily
favored by the companies themselves BY come very
SIMPLE mechanical appliances the old cars could 10
fitted up strengthened, run down the Tracks IN tho
plgnt time ana collect the street refuse assorted
ashes and garbage, ana convey all ~ the river
dumping grounds, where The bulk would
BIO received by the scows The cars should be fitted
10 swing pivot, that after running down to the
emu Of the pier the could &c moved to right angIe
60 the framcwQrk tipped up and discharged ike coal
car The whole system could be renuered almost alb
soiutey perfect To months lime and would DO thor
Ou2h and inexpensive. He somewhat surprised
that it has never been attempted, although he was
aware that MI southworth put IL IN SUCCESS u opera
ton on the Beecker Street Railroad while he (ME
Koot) was superintendent
Further inquiries developed tho TACT that the city
owns and could ut any moment occupy tho Ganse-
WORT property, NJ The loot OF West Eleventh street.
for depot Tor this proposed org inIzaton. II
PIES large square ana formerly the depot OF the
Blocker SirooL Railroad.