Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1881-02-24
SH0VELING SNOW.
HOW the Streets of Milan are
Cleaned


/ The following extract from paper
on Snow Cleaning in Milan" is of in
terest just now:
In Milan the snow-carts are emptied
INTO the naTigable canals and numerous
water courses by which the city is in
tersected, and latterly also into the
new sewers in the central portion OF
the city, which are promptly flushed
! whenever 1t SHOWS. During the winter
OF lo79-6O the cost of cleaning the l,
/ oo6,2OO square yards total area of
squares, streets, and lanes within the
city walls averaged 81 600 per inch
depth Of snow fallen, and for the 502,-
500 square yards outside the walls the
average cost was $50 per inch depth,
/ equivalent in each case to about 2 10
cents per cubic yard. Ordinarily the
clearing of the more frequented streets
Is completed within eight or ten hours
after 1t has stopped showing; and of
the rest, within twenty-four hours, not
reckoning night.
The organization Of the admirable
arrangements by which this work is
accomplished with such remarkable
dispatch and efficiency is described by
the author to his predecessor in its di-
rection, Signor Annibale Gatforini.
The city is parceled out into small dis
tricts, numbering 112 for last winter, OF
varying extent, according to the i'm
/ portance of the work in each. An
average rate of pay per inch depth OF
snow is settled for the whole area OF
each separate district according to its
/ extent and the particular conditions af
/ fectlng the several streets and squares
comprised within it. Each district is
allotted to contractor, who usually
associates with himself six to ten part
ners, beside the laborers whom he en-
ploys. He has to find carts, horses
and carriers, the necessary implements
spades, shovels, brooms, scrapers, mat
tocks, barrows, ETC., are furnished by
the city under suitable stipulations fol
insuring proper care in their use.
"The contracts are made annually
and the same persons almost always
apply for them again, year after year
The contractors come principally from
trades that are interrupted by winter
PAYERS, blicklayers and masons, and
gravel quarrymen. For the direction
and supervision of the work the whole
city is divided into four sections, over
each Of which is appointed an engii-
neer, with an assistant, who are aided
in the general arrangements by the pc
lice surveillance.
Payment is made only for work eff
fectually done In each snow storm
the depth of snow falling, which is the
basis of pay, is ascertained by means
of number of stone posts, fixed in
suitable open spaces, clear of shelter
from buildings, and each capped with
a flat horizontal slab Of stone. AS soon
as it stops showing, or two or three
times during storm Of several hours,
the depth Of snow caught on the slaE
is measured by the engineer, in the
i presence of two of t e contractors In
his section The number of men Ordi,
narily engaged in snow-clearing on a
winters day is not less than two thou
sand, and has sometimes risen to three
thousand. The stock of implements
found by the city, representing a CAPT
tai of about $4,000, is housed in two
stores in opposite quarters of the city
''In the winter of 1915 the total
fall of snow amounted to 400 inches
and the whole expenditure of clearing
it within the city walls exceeded $40,
600; while in 1S77-9 the fall was only 81
/ inches, involving an expenditure OF
less than $500 for q slightly larger
/ y