Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-27
FILTHY STREETS.
Some Suggestions in Regard to the Street
Cleaning Department

To the Editor of The Evening Star:
What blessed fraud our so-called street
cleaning department is-absolutely useless
when most needed! For weeks now the mud
and slush have been accommodating. and not a
sweeper, not a cart, man. shovel or broom has
been seen anywhere; even those scoop pushers
on the avenue have been Withdrawn. pre-
sumab!y lest they might wet their feet. The
whole plant appears to have gone into winter
quarters till warm sun and big rain shall have
washed all the foul stuff into the sewer traps,
when this big procession of whirling dust
brush street polishers will emerge again aud
SO through the farce of pretending to clean the
streets after nature has done it all.
Scrapers. Moss-s- District Commissioners
ard gentlemen of the two District committees
scrdpers in plenty. both horse and man power
Tor the asphalt streets, and stiff hand brooms
for the cObbIe and Belgian block rayemcnts
together with carts. men and shovcls N far
greater numbers. are what is needed during
two-thirds OF the winter and all the wet weather
Of summer. Why. these swecpers can't even
handle the summer mud for fear they might
Llrty their brushes, and in winter they can't
sweep, even IN much of tho pleasantest
weather. because, forsooth, the preliminary
sprlnkling viii freeze the dust down. Was
ever anything more absurd than the whole
system?
If the law docs not allow these changes. or
II the appropriations are insufficient. then it is
me duty OF our Commissioners and of Congress
70 remedy the matter at once. Promptly at
'he beginning OF every snowfall the whole
street Cleaning force of men should be on hand
WITH hand scrHpers and broOms and keep the
sidewalk crossings clear over the whole city,
ana ar soon as tile fall is and it turns to
ram Tie power scrapers should go over tie
whole city scraplng the snow from the centers
OF the streets toward the gutter to meet tina:
cleared from the sidewalks by tho citizens, and
then every available cart and man i'll the city
should be put TO work promptly carting it off
beginning Oh the heavy business streets and
extending to all paris OF the city. The appro-
priaiiOns should be sufficient. and the con-
TRAGIC. sEoaid be under heavy bonds to have
every Vestloe Of snow removed from every
paved street in the city within three days after
Inc close OF every snowfall. Certainly from
ten To twenty times the amount of money thus
Tar spent should have Teen expended iii clear
Ing tie snow and mud from our streets this
winter.
Now, one more matter. Much of the filth on
the streets If due to leaTins excavations I'M
paved Tor months. Look at the intersection of
pennsylvania avenue and 18th street. For
weeks now 1t has been a disgrace to any civil
lzed community. 1t is not the cable company
that Is at fault. Long months before they got
near The place. for year or more now, the
United States Electric Lighting Company have
been digging up that whole crossing again and
again. and they have not been compelled to
pave over their filings at all So i. is all over
The city wherever an excavation is made, and
the engineer department of the City is the
worst OF ali wherever it puts in sewers. There
Is absolutely no necessity for this. BY proper
choice or combination of ramming and pud-
tllaS every excavation not more than three or
Tour feet deep might be repaved the day it is
niied Win no anpreclable subsequent settling.
The law should compel the plumber or
gas company to do this, with the pro
vision 60 secure its proper perform
aEce) that just as soon as there is auy
settling of an zach or more, tie District shall
ehop II out and repave it as many times as
necessary at the expense of the plumb
er deposit; All deep excavations should
be putaied and rammed in the best possible
lhalner and immediately paved. with the ex-
pect%ilon OF doing 1t again, two or three times
Il necessary. a. last as the settling makes it all
noy:aS or dangerous 20 the springs and axles
Of vehicles. Meanwhile the streets can be kent
clean, provided this warm sunlight exotic
'treet-eieaninS plant OF ours can be supple
niented with something useful in bad weather.
NJ ID