The New York herald., 1878-08-25
pES7ILENCE INVITED
Disgraceful Condition Of Many
Of Our Streets.
UNsAVORY LOCALITIES.
Singular Apathy Of the Street
Cleaning Department..


The investigation commenced last Tuesday by
HERALD reporter concerning the condition OF the
streets continued yesterday The result OF the
days work shows that while there some improve.
ment in uptown shoroug there is yet most
urgcnt need tor sanitary measures In the downtown
districts The reporter began his investigationsa al
Forty seventh street. west OF Tenth avenue. That
street he found presented different phases OF atten
ton aud neglect Between Ninth and Tenth
avenues no exception could be taken ID
MS condition The houses there good. and the
residents of the better class. The individual OF
the INHABITANTS had supplemented the work oi tho
authorities and the result was that the street hero
was we'll swept, free OF filthy accumuatons and with
out any pestierous pools along the CUTTERS The ash
barrels and garbage boxes too. were not an offensive
nuisance. very few OF them stood on the sidewalk.
and tho accumulatons IN them were recent at least
they gave foul smells to offend the passers by~
DIFFERENT ASPECT.
But crossing Tenth avenue one came to dnerens
rssiou, where sanitary measures appear to DO held
moro lightly. Here also, however, an attempt al
Improvement was in progress garbage cart was
in attendance and sturdy laborer was delving deep
INTO the compact strata with view to lis removal.
There was dust heap before nearly every door, but
the accum uations OF oecayiug vegetable matter
and offensive odds and ends were not SO
numerous as might be cxpccted IN sucn
quartor In some places, however there were large
permanent sarbage boxes pretty well ned Win
refuse OF various kinds. and as the goats that oest
the neghborhood ransacked them with great fre edom
they frequently unearthed some unsavory morseis
from tno lower layers and caused rather uufragrant
odors Getting nearer to Eleventh avenue the condi.
ton OF the grew worse, anu the avenue itself
was aboninably dirty.
From Forty seventh to Forty-ninth street the mud
and DIR. lay thick roadway, ana as the latter is
"a
and hoilows, the most offensive accumulations oi
maui water are facilitated Az the OF Forty
eirStn street and Eleventh avenue the state OF the
gutter especially bad There appeared 20 DC no
way drawing oil inc water ana !. .y .ne,e M
slime. and filthy, green deposit was LETT where the
water had evapora'ed For some distance along Eiev.
enth avenue there repettons ot these stagnant
pools; hut pursuing the cross streets further down
toward the there was found to DO less cause for
complaint The deposits the water SIDE consisted
chiefly oi cnders othcr nnocuous debris from tho
factories in tnat quarter
Coming up through Fifteenth street to Tenth avo-
nue the condition OF the street was rather salts.
some pies Of m,sceancous d6pris being the only OBJ
jecs TO which exception could be taken Nobad smells
came from these, however. ana ene presumpnon is
at this point showed unmistakAbie signs OF
paving recently swept, and on the higher ground
extending 10 Fifty-ninth street. was exceptionally
cIeau Thcre WAS however, abundant ground for
plant in the very large accumuations in some OF
the permanent garbage boxes. All these contained
grcnt dcaI oi vegetable matter which decays rapidly.
and therefore becomes offensive unless speedily re-
moved
Crossing through Ffty-nnth street, which, be-
ing considerable 'horousaisrs Is rather wen Kept:
the cast side OF the CITY. HIS explorations
were couanea 20 the streets lying rhs os'wssa
side OF New York, 10 The ncghborhood OF Fifteenth
street, 10 of course very dinereut from what u is
auout Fourth Filth streets, whore there Is teem-
Ing population. mostly foreign. and any amount OF
tenement houses. Second avenue at th,s point is
more less genteel and respectable. and the cross
streets par axe OF its gcntiy and rcspectaDly.
They therefore, rather ceany and receive At once
both private aud public attention.
In Fiitietn street. however, between the river and
FIRST avenue, the reporter counted over forty ASH
al OF them being either filled or partlay taken up BY
refuse containing vegetable matter; but thcre were
no offensive oaors, rom "maSn ~ nn, For
the rest, the street had been swept scrupulously
clean and had also been very recently watercd
All the streets in that quarter were
iu pretty much the same condition, ana
at street the process OF removing dust
heaps progress The garbage nuisance was now
ever more Conspicuous ON tne line OF the avenues,
and IN some where oyster and clam shells had
been thrown among the refuse they LETT decided
THE WEST down. TOWN.
Tho reporter subseoucntiy continued his invcstiga-
tions III the west side streets further down town.
In getting Off n Beecksr street car at West Tenth
street no narrowly escaped landing ,. 10 a pool
now ing at the southwest As Offset 70 TINS
iou depos,. large heap OF refuse matter. including
noste a DARK looking grocery store on the cor
ner Tha gutter on the nortn side oil west west
sou, is choked up with black, staguant
siusn, while owing to want OF paving
Shiny, gresnish hqud, dlsagroeabie 10 the eye and
revolving to The omaciories West Tonih street as
far as West street, is In very bad conul,lon me
any refuse, aud piies of dirt are emptiod
fom the houses opposite in the gutter as wei as on
Grsenwicn street, Immediately norsh OF West Tenth
street, would be materially bcneaed by tho presence
OF an active scavenger ana water iiaht cart. the
cutters are in decidedly dirty conuiton, as 10 also
the street, passengers the Nntn avenue cars
nosr. Mnan TavsSs p nas the
Bank street. west oi Greenwich, Is also In an ap'
parenty neg elected condition.
Tenth avenue from Fifteenth to Forty second street
Is, W tn lew exceptional blocks, standing dissrac
the city anu constant menace 10 the neah oi lhe
inhabitants For the most part tho cutters on etuef
sas reeKing with fun. while pools aud quagmres
oil ietid mud and water on either sue VI tue car
every block Tne pestientiai odors generated upiei
the suu's rays TINS tnoroughIae are indescriosoy
able So lar as paving Is concerned the avenue
appears to have literally gone to the dogs.
or THE SAME KIND
On Sixteenth street, near leutu avenue. the guuet
are IN deploraDie condition, especially that on the
sdc Of street. wnv the large garbage boxes
winch dotted the sidewalk emitted odors 80 rang
that like plague oil thick darkness sent upon he
Egyptians they could almost be felt Further on tors
street toward Niatn avenue the gsroage, OLD boots,
shoes and otuer dspidated odds and ends scattered
on tho street Increased In quantity: opposite
No Az lay dead cat, covered with hes, while
anotucr decomposing specimen OF the feline Iamhy
adorned the street front of No. 425. huge oox,
crammed with garbage aud appearing as though u
had not been EN- lied In a month, stood opposite
tenc mcnt house at No. Ala, the street itself peing
putcd with numerous holes niled with foul liquid, In
sallow laced children, min US snoes aud Stock.
ings, waded knee deep, happy as clans are supposed
| TO be al high ttde.
West Seventeenth street, between Ninth and Tentn
avenues EXHIBITS cutters overhowin with tou susns
the stsncn arising from oontaminates ths sur
rounding atmos sphere a0ad cat lay IN frons OF ~
ass, aud the street covered with loot coverings
IN ali stages OF dilapidatiou. top dressing VI soms
SUBSTANCES closely rssrmbng stable manure in s'ats
! o salvation, 10 literally spread over ths sueer at
| foraing n rich Geld Tor scores OF industrtous Iow,
eli OF which appeared to be picking up good living
| rnAoRANr LOCALITIES.
Twenty sixth street, west oi Tenth avenue, ~ also
In n sadly neglected coaditioB, the gutter ou the
| south SIDE being ncd Tor instance oil nearly ono
hundrod yards with ioui smelling liquid. In ,ne