New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-11-15
CLEANING THE STREETS.

THE WORK COMPARATIVELY WELL DONE.
MANY STREETS IN BAD CONDITION. HOWEVER,
PAYMENTS THAT NEED REPAIRs-coNTRAcToRs
CALLED TO ACCoUNT-wuAT THE MAYOR SAYS
The dirty condition of the streets in the city has
been the subject of good deal of complaint Of late
TAis has been particularly true of that part OF the
city below FOurteenth-st, which is cleaned by con-
tract. At the same time number OF complaints
have reached The TRIBUNE Office from citizens Nv
ing above Fourteenth-st.. where the work is done
directly by the STRENGTHENING Department
TRIBUNE reporter yesterday investigated number
OF these complaints and found that they in no way
exaggerated the actual condition of affairs. Near
ly all the streets In the lower part
OF the city were In bad state.
while many of them we're filthy from the accumu-
lated dirt which since the recent rains has been al
lowed to remain on the streets and form Shiny
mud in some places several inches thick. Broad
way and all the streets the vicinity of City Hall
Square were in this state Yesterday. Water-st.,
From ST., Cherry-st. and others on the east side
and Vesey-st, West-st.. Church-st and the west
side in general were in no sense clean as called for
under the contracts which Messrs. Walton and
MARS have made with Commissioner Coleman.
Some few streets and parts of others were in good
condition, showing that the work could be
done well when the contractors were so i'll
cliued and that the dirt on the remaining streets
not there because 10 could not be removed owing
to the weather.
1t was clearly apparent that the upheava Of the
payements and the general burrOwlnR through
many of the streets the lower part of the city by
steam-heating and other companies which nave
been authorized by the Board OF Aldermen To DO
pretty much rs they please, would account IN part
for the condition OF those particular streets; but
TINS tact could not be made to cover de-
iclencies in the other streets. and partlcu lary
could moi be made 10 reach above FOurtee1ih-st.,
where these companies have not yet begun their ex-
cayatl0ns The work OF STRENGTHENING IN the upper
part OF tho city is not difficult as that below
tourteeutL-St., because there IS much less trafnc
yet Commissioners COleman's part of the city IS not
prOpOrtiOnately any cleaner than that of his con
tractors. Parts streets and avenues were IN good
cOnaitIOn yesterday, and other portions Of the same
streets were IN filthy state. For instance twenty
fOurth-st., between Seventh and Elghth-aves., was
clean, while BLOCK away it was very dirty. The
SAME true of many other streets.
Broadway was measurably clean but III
q much better condition in some parts of IL than IN
others, showing slDyenly work or entire neglect on
the part OF somebody. Be ween seventeenth and
Iwenty-rst-sts where II is cleaned oy the cIlzens,
1t was a. free from dirt as need be- proving that IL
is not impossible to do the work well when the
proper effort is made.
IN general the sheets were found 70 be in a de-
cIuedy bad state as compared with what they were
some weeks ago. This was ascribed by many per-
SOUS to "A goo ing carelessness on the part OF the
contractors and Mr. Coleman. Il was said that the
public were SO long used to mounds of dirt on the
streets and heaps of ashes on the sidewalks under
the administration OF the Police Board that they
were in 10 mUCu TO complain of the deficiencies OF
the present improved administration, no matter
how neXcusable, and that THIS WAS the cause OF the
growing carelessness OF the Commissioner aud the
contractors.
One of the excuses offered by a foreman in the
Street Cleaning department was the Ddu state Oi
the payements. due TO the fact that The Department
of Public Works has been chiefly occupied in looking
after political primaries aud tue election of Patrick
keenan, to the office OF County Clerk. The fact OF
the pavements being IN bad condition Is notice
nsfr In rlt~a
there are holes ana deDTesslODs Ia which the water
collects when 1t rams, and where II remains for
DAYS not only interfering with the work OF street
cleaning but communicating the atmosphere and in
iuring the bealtn OF the people An old and hon
ored resident Of the city said yesterday that he
never knew n time when the pavements we're in
more elected condition than at present. In those
streets which have been torn up for months and
bl0ckaded by steam heating and other companies,
this state of affairs naturally follows but the com
plant to the coalition OF the paVementS as we'll
as of the dirt in the streets Is by no means Limited
to those particular streets.
aThere have been complaints lodged with NE
lately in regald to the condition vi the Streets"
said Mayor Grace yesterday IN answer to Inquiries
upon the subject, but they are not more numerous
than usual | Keep man constantly employed IN
inspecting the condition or the streets, and his re-
ports show that with few exceptions the streets are
in fair condition. | have sent a communication to-
dav TO Commissioner Coleman. king that iuIme-
date attention be gwen TO those streets from which
complaints come. | noticed myself that just before
election the streets were somewhat neglected and
| w
iect In the neighhorhOod of the City Hall here.
for instance. they need hOeing or scraping rather
than sweeping. and have asked that that be- done"
Commissioner Coleman was absent owing to
domestic atictIon. One of his suOUrdinates said
"lne [ Commissioner mas sent perenlptOry message
to Contractor Mars requiring him to fulfil his con-
tract IN cleaning the streets 10 the lower part of the
city west of Broadway. We have not had the
same COMPLAINT from Contractor WaltOns district.
but we take prompt notice of all deficiencies. The
bad condition of the pavements and the cutters in
whicn the water collects and does not run Off inter
feres with the ethcIeDey Of our work IN vet
weather Then the traffic in the lower part of the
city works up the dirt from the lnteIstces III the
pavement and forms mud which 1t Is almost
possible to remove. Owing to the traffic these
streets cannot be scraped IN the day time. and it
cannot be done to advantage at night. Then II is
impossible without effective aid from the police,
which do rot get, TO prevent seOpkeepers aud
others from sweeping dirt Unto the streets and pac
ing ashes IN improper receptaces and putting them
in the street after the ash wagons have passed..
There are many annoyances Of this kind which
interfere with the work Of reet-cleaning. but
altogether we think that the work is comparatively
well DONE"