The Sunday herald., 1886-08-22
TUE STREETS OF EUROPE.
How They Are Cleaned and Watercd
Tho Liverpool street Rail.

Boston Advertiser1
One Of our practical minded citizens who
has recently travelled in Europe has many
interesting stories to tell of foreign lands
and peoples, and usually, II not always, by
way Of comparison. He Is not inappreciative
Of Americas good things, and relates much
which is to the foreigners disadvantage; but
he bestows praise also In many particulars
wherein he finds European superiority.
fu some regards he finds America, and esps-
cially Boston-because that city is contind.
ally under his observation--to be behind the
| age, slow, conservative fossilized and at the
| same time deluded with and idea of It's own
high attainments. Some of these bits of
comment and criticism, brought out in the
desultory way OF conversation, may be noted.
Few cities in England or France, none of
the large cities in Germany, have such dirty
streets as Boston. Promptness and persist
enoy characterize the street cleaning opera
tions In the German cities and to the for
mer quite as much as 10 the latter practice
the comfort Of the citizen is owing. A mid
day manipulation of street dust and gar
bage is something familiar enough TO Boston
lans, but which the German citizen never
beholds. In Germany when the dawn be-
gins TO glimmer in the Eastern skies the
streets -sweepers are on the alert, and as soon
and sprinklers are set going. The watering
carts promptly follow, and by the time the
citizen has breakfasted and made his morn
ing adieu TO his family the streets are
vacant of dust wagons, and he may walk
forth for business or pleasure breathing u
pure morning atmosphere, enjoying that re-
freshing sense of coolness which streets SO
treated always supply. This work of puri-
dcation is not, in Germany, let out by con-
tract; II is done under the direction of
officials and at the municipal expense.
There is no politics in the administration of
the street-sweeping department, and an
emolument Of the "heelers" and STRIKERS
Of the ward caucuses is no part of il.
A notable advantage which the chief Eu-
ropean cities have over Boston is the method
followed in using the streets for railway pur-
poses. By this method the minimum of OBJ
struction iu the use Of the streets for general
purposes is secured. quite different style
Of rail is laid, one that offers advantages
both to the railroad company aud to the
owners of ordinary wheeled vehicles. The
iron is nodded on broad fiat bar or slab of
about six inches width and QUE and one half
inch thickness. The upper side is slightly
crowned or rounded, and midway along it is
\ cOucave groove of about seven eights of al
inch depth and Of seven eights or full inch
width. This groove takes the fiange of the
car wheel, and the tire or broad part of the
wheel runs upon the upper surface of the
rail. An important part OF the method ia in
having the rail the full breadth of the upper
edge of the timber on which it rests. This
permits the paving blocks to be laid close up
to aud, in fact, crowded up against the edge
Of the rail. Instances are not uncommon in
Boston of rails laid upon timber wider than
\ .r q
both sides are laid against the timber COM
space which widens by use between tn.
edges of the rail and the line of paving blocks
on each side.
This construction gives six longitudinal
crevices in the street to wrench and wear the
narrow wheel rims of light vehicles. The
groove or shoulder of each rail gives two,
and the crack of each side of each rail counts
four more. Crossing over tracks at a long
angle becomes, therefore, destructive pro-
CESS for light vehicles. Nor is the case much
better for heavy vehicles, as any one can
perceive when one of then bearing tons
weight, is, after terrific gripping of the rail,
hauled out to one side for the convenience of
the more jshu- like horss.car driver. Which
fares worse In this encounter of wheel and
rail, the dray owner or the railroad COM
p6uy utBut uIiuCuit W 6bys w n6u tu6
rail is crossed at right angles or nearly by a
stone.laden, iron-laden, pig-lead laden, or
other pOnderOusly weighted vehicle, the
railroad company undoubtedly suffers worse.
Eeah wheel as it strikes, first the outer edge
of the rail, then the groove or shoulder of the
rail, then the paving block edge, and then
in like succession in crossing the second rail
and the third and fourth, If there be a
double track, does 1t with something like the
force Of a steam hammer. Hence We have
frequent relaying of tracks, while in Liver
pool, where more extra heavy teamiug is
done than In any other European city, there
are street rails which have lain undisturbed
in the most throngsd thoroughfares for q
period OF ten years aud are still in good con-
dition. The Liverpool style of railroad
track is adopted generally in European
cities.
Another point wherein the Europeans
show that they know more than We do is
in the simplicity Of their device for "switch-
ing" or turning aside the street cars as cir.
cumstances require. The height of Amsri-
can achievement is deemed TO be the self act
swith, which is not inaptly described as a
pair of barn doors laid fat ia the roadway
for tripping up the horses of the driving
public generally. The ingenious European
merely broadens the seven-eighths of an inch
groove of his rail as 1t approaches the turn.
ing or diverging point in the track. A
broadening to twice or thrice the general
width of the groove is sufficient, and by
slight "haw" or "gee" Of his horses as he
comes to the point Of divergence the car
driver easily and surely swings his car suf
Aciently to get its wheels turned into the
grooves Of the rails to the right or 10 the left
and moves forward without fuss or furry to
his destination.