New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-05
NOR yOT TO CLEAN STREETS

In \ letter which appeared in TIE TRIBUNE
an Friday the writer related an incident when
vividly illustrated how successful are the au-
tborities in the art Of how not to clean the
s,roots Of this city The indictment which
long suffering public has drawn against the
Donutmcnt of Street Cleaning contains two
counts
First the streets arc not kept clean.
second many of the streets would be much
eleanor than they now are but for the dense
and absolutely incxcuSablc stupidity WHO"
charactcrizes the means employed Tor inc re-
moval of garbage
In ether words, the Department OF street
Cleaning is guilty of the sin both OF omission
and commission in connection with the streets
II NOT only does not clean them properly, but
il helps materially by its phenomenal mem
cheney to litter them with the refuse whlch
bouscboldcrs have carefully gathered up into
the aShcanS.
Here is the incident of which our correspond
ent was an eyewitness
Willie passing through rlfty.hftl-st.. at l O'Clock
today an ashcar stopped at apartment house nj the
corner Of scyenth-avc, and the driver pFo'"'l'" ~
cmp;y three or four cans inio his cart, winch WIS
already full 10 overlooking. In Few minutes 'nr'o
nppcard to be- rs much above ia" top OF the cart IL
,hcr. wa, below-nothng TO complain Of II IL hAH "
manned So However. the wind was blowing ~ ~
Inns tho habit of doing at this Their" was almost
rpc,ot.ly a collection OF filth Of all kinds shnktig
g .be cart while The wind lifted the papers ana
"a bbage leaves and scattered them for NOR" ua '
entir, block 80 that the street was infinitely orn'r
after tis performance than the cleaners had fouih II
an hour earlier.
Now il is to be remembered that this Is not
an isolated case. The streets are full OF thcm
Uouscholdcrs who object TO dirt resent the APP
pearancc of the ashclrt ~ a positive nuisance
They realize that the driver will insist upon
carving of so big load that the entire street
rs the cart iogglcs along will receive contrlbu-
tons Of ashes. vegetables paper, etc. One OF
these householdcrs said the other day. Inc
residents on our street pay for their own sweep
ing and are well served. DcSpairing OF get
ting clean streets ut the hands of the city we
have the work done by private contract ana
foot the bills If the Strcct-Clcanlng Depart
mcnt would do the rest wouldn't 50 much
crlmble. But il constantly tries our patience,
il makes us boil over with indignation now
and then 10 see that after our street has been
swept n clean as "a Holland floor, along comes
an ashcart oStensiby for the purpose OF re-
moving the garbage which has accumulated,
whose trail can be traced from one end of the
block 10 the other, by what il drops. When 1t
appears the street is we'll swept and tidy. When
il leaves it is Uttered and dirty from one end
70 the other"
Its difficult 10 resist the conclusion that these
ashcart drivers are acting under orders, and
that they are instructed 10 use their best en-
dcayors 10 carry away as little garbage as pos
sible and sprinkle the rest along the streets
The Ccumlocution Office rs described by Dick
ems was not moro successful in the art Of how
not 10 do il than are these drivers. The CORE
SpOndcnt from whose letter we have quoted
characterized the management OF the Depart
mcnt Of Street Cleaning As "vilc" Vile II Is
and rs shiftlcss as it is vile. One might easily
conclude while watching the performances of
ono Of these drivers that NcwIork City, IN
stead of being the foremost city of this con
tincnt, was a crossroads village in the most
uncivlizcd portion OF darkest Africa. II the
managers Of the Worlds Fair should offer u
prize for the best exhibit of Applied ldiocy
the Department of Street Cleaning could enter
lis aShcart service with the full assurance OF
carrying OF the blue ribbon.