Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-03-14
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hho OtcnnttnenH OF otreet1e
New York city is evidently suffering
from the same disaRreeable dustiness
that we arc hero in Wilmington. 10.
days N. Y. IImes says: "Tae watering
of tho streets In this city seems to DO
regulated by the almanac and not by the
demands of the comfort Of tbs people.
With season like thu present, the
busiest OF all times Ia the windy month
of March, and the discomfort aud Injury
caused to health BY the pulveriEsd fiilh
Of the streets are spmsthlns ALMOST In.
tolersble. The watering carts should be
set a-soing without regard to the calendar
or the practice ia years when $40 aud
ice last until April" New York, how.
ever, has the advantage Of wlimipgton in
being sprinkled at al OF any tima. Islit
not worth considering whether the com.
fort Of large majority Of the oitizsns OF
Wilmington would not be more Justly
cared for by taking home Of the
money which 10 used for extending
new mud beds Intended for the streets Of
posterity, and spending II 10 keeping
down the dust on at least few Of toe
principal streetep LAst year EvxsY EVEN.
mo called attention to the fact that vii.
mington not only lags behind the largo
cities Of both the East and West 10 this
matter, but that even places lik, Eimira,
N. T., and LsbAnon, Pa, keep down tho
dust OF their main streets with some
system and regard for comfort. One
resident OF Delaware avenue, ap-
preclating how much more agreeable
living 10 that ihoroughtars would
be II dust were made more nearly
an unknown quantity in the problem of
public and private comfort, came forward
and expressed willingness to do his
share to remove the nuisance, but the
other "Avenoodlss" apparently lacked
the necessary energy to cooperate, and
the whole matter was dropped. Perhaps
the others would have been willing to
have this gentleman manage this improve
ment by himself, but that would have
been expecting little too much.
Washington, with its broad asphalt
streets, seems to have reduced this and
all other street nuisancee TO q minimum.
The objection TO broad streets is some
times made that the result is only that
much more surface to be unsiehtly and
generally disagrseable, but this is not
necessarily SO. While q good pavement
Of any kind makes dirt so much the more
conspicuous, conversely the dirt is SO
much the more easily removed. In
Washington, q sweeper, like one for
clearing aside the snow, does the work
beautifully, aud by proper previous
sprinkling there is no accompanying dust
like that which used to make Market
street merchants take In their goods aud
shut their store doors to protect their
goods from damage.
The trouble with Americans Is that they
carry their good nature too far and don't
"kick" when they ought to. Within the
past year there have been excellent dem.
onstratlons Of the great value of the self.
respecting kicker, one Of which was
quoted by Every EVENING, and II is a
pity that his genus ia not more numerous.
The life OF every Wilminstonian would
be much more comfortable II every citi.
zon would do his shsra towards seeing
that public contracts are kept. No one
can watch the condition OF oil the streets
but he can watch the space In front Of
his own home and piAoe of business.
When tho contracts for cleaning the
streets are made, let him nots down how
oitsl, ,i g ,ss5sfdsSS5 wiz =. !" L cohtrA5.
Tho street nleq-sra ahnn'd NJ 5g4st9afA
Ia each of those places. Then let him
keep memoranda of the exact dates upon
which this work is done, and II he fnds
that the cleaning Is done not half or even
fifth as often as IL Ia contracted to be
done, as q duty TO himself and his fell.
lows. he should kick and kick hard.
EvERx EvEsINo stands ready with op an
columns for aii such complaints, which
are simply proofs thit tbs tax. payers ars
being cheated out OF their Just rishte.
The remonstrant may remonstrate over
his own name or nom dc plume
Just as he plsases, SO long as we
know his name ami know that
his communication is bono fde
again As TO the dust. The month
of March ia generally tue windlest Of the
year, and the wind soon turns mud into
dust AZ We have no general system Of
, tprinklitg why should not Thoughtful
people tut on the hose and keep down
!. the dust in front OF thsir private Peep.
erty st laastf The idea costs nothing,
, and carrying 1t out could result only In
/, coed. While there Il a gensralls strong
+, feeling TO improve our city and make II
more attractive, 10 It not decidedly worth
while to make use of all tho resources fol-
comfort now at hand With little care
. aud individual observation, we can at
. least make it very uncomfortable for un
trustworthy public contractors.
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At this term ct tho Qenerni Assembly