Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-07-28
CLEAN CORRIDORS .
aaaal

A battalion Of Court House Clerks at Work
With " Buckets, Isrooms and Soap"
1t my not be generally known, but it is
nevertheless fact, that one OF the duties
of the janitor of the court house is to keep
the prettily tiled corridors of that noble
ediiice in u decent state OF cleanliness !;
but it is very Unknown that this duty
has not been attended 70 for three OF
four years past. Indeed, while tho scv
eral county Offices have been kept scru-
pulously clean at the expense Of the officers
occupying them, tho corridors have been
left in condition almost as filthy
as were the Augean stables when Hercules
was ordered to clean them in a single day
from the filth which the 5000 oxen Of
King Augeas had deposited in them Cor
thirty consecutive years. As Hercules
had succeeded in accomplishing his dirty
job within the appointed time, the amb!
tious clerks and deputies Of court house
row resolved to emulate his immortal
labors /; and 50 1T an early hour this morn
ing they organized 4 brigade, aud, armed
with buckets, brOoms, brushes and
soap" Ono allusion to Tom COchran's sup
plies for the Senate) went vigorously to
work. Hercules had the advantage of two
riyers-the Alpheus and Peneus--
whose waters he turned into tho dirty
stables. The broom and bucket brigade,
on the other hand, had the advantage Of
numbers, and if they didn't have flow
ing Pencus they had a section of garden
hose which under the manipulation of that
old fireman, Alpheus Edwards, of the
prOthonotary's Office, squirted quite re.
spectacle stream Of water through the
filthy corridor. He was ably seconded by
the sLalwart old clerk w. L. Kreider,
while Z. F. Stoner and Joe. Umble Of the
registers Office Deputy TreaspryStrah hm,
Deputy Sheriff Hippy, Deputy Clerk
Kauffman,o of the orphans court, QUO legged
JOhnJ. Good the hero of the rcorder's Office,
Geo. p. Eaby, the handsome clerk Of quar-
ter sessiOns-al of them with coats of,
shirt sleeves rolled up to tho elbows and
pantaloons rolled up to tho knees, We'd with
each other in welding the graceful broom,
filling and emptying the old Oaken bucket
and manipulating the filth destroying bars
of soap. Lakes Of dark dirty water were
formed at various parts Of the corridors,
and were swept out and ran in streams
from the four doors of the court house.
On went the work for about an hour, at
the emu of which time the varying cOlOrs of
the tiles could be distinguished with the
naked eye. Shouts of triumph were raised
as the stencil Of yesterday gave place to
the pure air of to day. So boisterous became
the jocund labOrers that the sleepy janitOr
was absolutely walked up, and though it
was sOmo time before he was able to COM
prehend what was going on, when he did
get the state Of affairs ''through his hair
he was as happy as a clam, and Joined
heartily in the general hilarity. Judge
Livingston, who was an interested specta-
tor Of the scene, was loud in his praise of
the new officers, and, (though ne didn't
say so) he probably thought their good
work was worthy of ''liberal compensa-
tion" One Of the county commissi oners was
heard to say that the bucket brigade ought
to have basket of champagne, out we
believe he didn't order it. Virtue, however,
is its own reward, and We have no doubt
the brigade feels amply repaid for their
labor in the improved condition Of the
count house corridors.