Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1882-02-23

How the Streets Are Cleaned and Dis
infected, and What the Work Costs.

How the Streets Are Cleaned and Dis
infected, and What the W ork Costs.
The city of Paris. like beautiful woman.
spends great deal Of money On her toilet:
but, like an intelligent person. she includes
in the expense of her toilet all OUTLAWS i'm
peratively demanded by the hygiene OF her
citizens, OF her public buildings, her prone
nades, and routes of communication of all
kinds. 1t may be said with truth that Paris
is the cleanest city in the world. This con-
dition of things, however, has not been
brought about without considerable expen-
ditures, absorbed by large class of select
assistants. who operate with implements of
the most improved kind The number OF
sanitary engineers has, on several occasions,
had to be increased for various reasons. all
having their orr gin in desire to accomplish
the best results.
The cost OF sweeping portion OF the pub
lie roads, which was formerly distributed
among the riverside residents. is now convert
ed into a compulsory municipal tax, paya-
BILE in specie The sweeping comprises an
area of 12500,000 square meters, of which
100000 meters are set down to the account
of the riverside householdels, and 6,50000O
to the account OF the city An area OF near
! ly 100000 square meters, comprising ma
cadamized roads and cutters, rs entrusted to
the care Of special road laborers. The gen
eral sweeping of this vast surface is accom-
plished between the hours of 3 and \. NJ.
in summer and 1 and A. NJ. in winter.
There is also a supplementary sweeping in the
course of the day In order that this work
may be done quickly and effectively the
sanitary engineers are compelled to maintain
q force of about 1000 employees, divided as
follows 2,2OO men, whose wages vary from
fifty cents to eighty cents per day; $50
women, receiving four and One-halt cents an
hour; and fifty boys, who earn four cents an
hour; The work performed by this great
army of sweepers is facilitated by the en-
ployment of mechanical sweepers to the num-
Der of 100, each of which accomplishes the
work of ten men. Paris is, therefore, wash
ed and brushed daily by the labor of 5000
persons.
The mechanical sweeper (which is des-
tined to come more and more into use) is
capable Of cleaning hourly a surface of s.,
500 square meters. In Paris two different
kinds of mechanical sweepers are employed,
each valued at 5000, and costing $40 year
each for maintenance. This machine weighs
l 800 pounds, and is usually drawn by sin
gle horse It is owing to the efficiency Of these
machines that the cost of sweeping the city
exceeds but little over 100000 per annum.
1t may be interesting to add few words
regarding the daily removal of household re-
fuse. This work is let out to contractors. 1t
employs about five hundred carts, and nine
hundred and eighty horses are employed i'll
the service. The average quantity Of refuse
carried away daily is ZOO cubic meters. 1t
was formerly the custom to place upon the
sidewalk the receptacle containing the garb-
age This has been prohibited and it is now
carried to the cart at the moment of passage.
The industry of rag-picking employs 1000
persons licensed by the City Police, and
about an equal number of unlicensed per
sons Their number is estimated at from
14OOO to $4,000, including men, women and
children earning on an average thirty cents
per day, or 81 100000 per annum.
To the above figures must be added the
expense of watering the streets and of the
removal Of snow in winter. During heavy
snow storm last December there was an un-
forseen outlay on the latter account. The
greater part of the snow is carried away IN
carts: the remainder is swept directly into
the sewer openings, or over the parapets ln-
to the Seine. For watering the streets the
| hose or sprinkler is used, according to Cir
| cumstances. The watering of the public
roads in Paris alone costs 100000 yearly.
Disinfectants are added to the water be-
! fore sprinkling-such as chloride of lime
sulphate of zinc, carbolic acid, etc, in the
proportion of one-forteith to one-hundredth.
The parts played by these chemical agents
must not be confOunded; carbOlic acid for
example, does not suppress disagreeable
odors, but arrests and destroys fermentation
| 1t is thus an anti-putrid rather than a disn
fectant