The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-07-23
STREETS STILL UNCLAIMED.

traversed by HERALD reporter in quest of clean
streets but not with very great success. The dis
trict inspected lies within the Nineteenth and Twen-
ty-second precincts, where may be found almost
every degree OF poverty and wealth. and consequently
of cleanliness and filth The reporter could help
noticing tho contrast between the well swept condi-
ton of Fifth. Madison and part of Lexington
nue. contrasted with the filthy cutters and muddy
streets the river. Beyond Fourth
avenue all OF duty on tho part Of
the street cleaners to be lost.
few days ago the condition of such frcquented
thoroughfare as Third avenue. or rather that por
ton of it which lies within the boundaries of tho
Eighteenth and Twenty-frst precincts, was shown
to DO disgraceful to any civilized CITY, Its state
above Forty street and all the from there
to Seventy-eig street. the terminus of the Nine
teenth precinct, is no better. 1t would require
about three weeks application of broom. shovel and
watering cart to make thorough cleaning of this
great artery of the city, The mud is in places
several inches thick. black ink and sticky. adhering
to ladies' dresses and sentemens boots. The dust
is not thick here account of the frequent
passage of watering carts and the number of store
keepers who water the sidewalks and front
OF their places of business to prevent their goods
from being damaged. Wherever there ''ine
groceries for sale there is almost certain to DO
small pile Of decaying vegetables in the gutter.
Why the storekeepers should throw such offensive
stuff in the vicinity of their establishments 1t is diff
cult to imagine. 1t may be. however, that it is
ruse to draw the flies away from their stores, in
which it is most successful The gutter in many
places needs, besides. thorough sweeping out and
cleansing or entirely now grading. Where the
pairing Of buildings is in progress. other work
requiring sand dirt. much is dropped upon the
sidewalk left in the street after the work ia DONE
he ia " Oken str
torn pieces of paper, manure and other refuse old
hoop skirts, hat boxes and hundreds Of other OBJ
jecs not at all calculated to please the eye the
nostril. Near Fiftyfourth street there several
OVERLOOKING garbage barrels, and on the block above
pool of dirty water right in the middle Of the
sidewalk. Still further on was large quantity Of
Shiny water in the gutter. which could not possibly
reach the culvert unless the laws Of nature should
be entirely changed and water made to run
up hill. Opposite No. $50 another
barrel that had spilled part of its garbage upon the
sidewalk. In front of the stables OF the Third Ave-
nue. Horse Car Company the mud and dirt were quite
thick and some parts OF the area looked us though
the company desired to monopolze the street by
extending their stables into it. Dust. dirty CUTTERS
mud. little pools of water. garbage. manure. dirt
left by builders, varied the aspect OF the avenue
to the limits OF the precinct.
HORRORS OF SECOND AVENUE.
Passing from Third avenue to Second the reporter
was met by cloud OF dust that almost took away
his brsath and "a sight that caused no
home of so many thousand industrious and
respectable people, is rendered literally almost
inhabrable. and is separated from the rest of the
city almost effectualy as if yellow fever had
broken out there and the shotgun quarantine was
being enforced. Let the reader picture to himself
Tompkins square in the worst days of the mis-
management of the Park Department and he will
have faint idea of the appearance avenue
not over little area, but as far us the eye could
reach both north and south. The horse alone
pick their dangerous way through this labyrinth Of
mounds. with an excavation ten twelve feet
aifh nr al. nf into 1,,o1,
single slip from the rail would send and all its
passengers. The excavations are lined by piles OF
dirt varying from two to twelve feet high frequently
hiding persons on the sidewalk from those in the
road. These are the excavations OF the Metropolitan
road. The dust is almost intolerabe. Continual
blasts of rocks are heard: thousands OF workmen
busy laying the foundation for the road, putting
down sewers and drains fixing gas and water pipes.
city. Occasionally strong smell of gas perceived
where the workmen have injured some pipe and let
it escape. Whenever the rain the street is
covered with mud. For the time being Second ave-
hue is no thoroughfare.
The cross streets in about the same condition
Third avenue only that near Fifth avenue they
are pretty we'll cleaned, and there some Jew ex-
ceptons where the street is cleaned its full length
In the vicinity of the Grand Central Depot, where
there numerous fruit stores. part OF the
spoiled goods finds its way to the gutter unbarrelled.
markabe for their straw dust and unremoved gar
bage barrels. Many other of the streets are
heaped up with dirt and old mortar left after the
erection of buildings. There seems to be dis
pute to who should take it away. Forty-eighth
street contains occasional patches OF mud, which
do not improve its appearance, and in Fifty
second street the cutters are not clean At
the Of Fifty-third street and Third
there is pile Of dirt that should be removed
In Fifty street. between Second and Third
the cutters are very dirty. especially the
south SIDE garbage and offal being thrown into them
by the residents of the tenement houses Ffty-sev-
enth street contains overlooking garbage barrels,
and near Second avenue the ..L" Orders are placed
the cutters that they cannot be cleaned.
Ffty-eighth street contains piles of dirt that have
been swept up waiting for the cartman. On windy
day they are almost always scattered before he arrives
Sixty-rst street needs to be redeemed from its mud
and old piles OF refuse building materials In Sixty
second street there is garbage barrel overturned in
the gutter. with its filthy contents streaming out.
In Sixty-third street the garbage barrels have not
there is q vacant lot which s the receptacle for all
the ohal from the vicinity. Sixty-fourth street is
afflicted with the building nuisance. sixty-sixth
street is very dirty containing combination OF all
the evils met with thus far. and being rendered
almost impossible Of cleaning by the IL" road
Orders that have been placed there. The streets
from SEVENTEEN to seventy-ffth covered with
dirt Us to render the pavement entirely invisible.
MORE
Descending by breakneck wooden pair Of stairs
at the foot OF Fortytnird street down the eghtyodd
feet of walk to the level Of First avenue and the
Belt Railroad the reporter passed. the descent being
by means pleasant, on account of the offensive
smells that exuded from the rocks either side.
They appeared to have been made the receptacle for
offa OF all kinds and thus used for other pur
poses than points from which to view the of
The markets along East Forty fourth street and the
stables by extend their business the streets
and fill them with dirt. The lilies seem to
have made this place their natural rendezvous.
as it is almost impossible to tread on the sidewalk
without touching them. The stencil along the
avenue really frghtu and tho pale little children
show the effect of the bad air in their emaciated
faces At Fortynnth street the hill begins to rise
and the ground is cleaner Above Fftieth street the
reporter told by druggist that the street
cleaners do not come often as they did two
three months ago, although they still manage to
keep the avenue in toerablc condition. Near Fifty
seventh street the reporter found dead cat,
rather the skin of cat. 1t was harmless now. 1t
had not always been. The wind and rain and the
tramp Of many feet, the heat, the worms and other
causes had gradually caused the disappearance OF
the rottng flesh that the little nIorsel of
fur once enclosed. And all because some
lazy policeman who must have tho
animal every day had lie been ON his beat.
failed to report the fact and have tine animal re-
moved. Along the block of tenement houses in
Sxty-third street, between First aud Second ave-
nues. is thrown all the refuse from the houses. Tho
smell is frphtul, especially at Nos. 3OS and $40.