New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-08
SLUSH IN WESTINGHOUSE
MERCHANTS TIIEREABOUT IN DESPAIR
MANY OF THEM FORCED TO DO THEIR OWN

any other class OF citizens and have enjoyed the |
varied literature on snow In all Its degrees OF beauty
THAT the season has evoked. They are even more /
prone than others to withhold their cri,icsms and
have genuinely sympathlzed with the periodical de- |
spar into which Mr.. Brennan has been cast. But |
graceful phrases and disgraceul despair have their
and the severely practical side OF the situa
fion now stands alone and unsupported.
1t would be impossible to do justice 10 the volume
OF complaint that comes from the business men |
throughout. the city. II Is universal and apervad
ing Tribune reporter yesterday traverscd that
comparatively small territory that lies between Col
lege Place and the river and Barclay and Canal sts
II offers fair sample Of the cify's general cdndi-
tiOn Washington-st. presented the most promising
| field. 1t was mass OF muddy hlllocks As far as
tho could see The teams phinginR through
sush to the hubs OF the wheels and then tipped on
end by almost insurmountabc mounds OF frozen mud
and snow Near Iiarrison-st. free passage was al
most entirely blocked. Mr.. Howe Of Albums & Howe.
sat in his Office watching the unusual sight afforded
| by employees OF the city cleaning the crossing Mr..
Howe personal friend OF the stree, Cleaning Com
| missioner. This Is what he said
al have been In business here about twenty six
years. but before saw the streets In such
/ horrible condition. There SIX men now cleaning
I that crossing. They came this morning. No cleaner
has been here before for ten days. They clean
II narrow passage along the crossing OF linrrisonst
lust wide enough for two persons walking abreast 10
use, and then they do the same thing In Washington
| 81. They shovel the mud ana snow along lhe "Aac'
edge OF the passage instead Of pling II mp. or at
least throwing II IN the street. In about ten minutes
| the succession OF passing trucks m0ws down these
| ridges on the crossing again. ana You wouh never
| know they had been cleaned. Then the men go 10
work over again and repeat the process with indie
scriballe sowncss They will doubtless Keep up the
| farce until II Is time TO quit work. Their work WILL
Of course have accomplished nothing. but the TEN
| rorary convenience OF the people who happened To
pass during the brief time when the crossings were
clear This is the worthless labor at one crossing
| in which six men concerned What must be- inc
| tidal OF such alleged work throughout the city
| AT the time Of the last big storm WAS wi'hehS
| to This proceeding: ON the sam. corner men came
| one morning and heaped mp the snow In a great pie
ON the following morning they came anu s''''-''"
| one half OF the pile along liarrisons abon' twenty!
| nv, feet from the corner. On the next niorm"s
| they disposed Of the other half In the same way.
| ON the next morning they returned ana gh'hfreo
this snow into another great pile down IN HARRISON
| e and then removed ii the following day. Ih"y
| handled the snow three times before they tooh F"
| away Now they do not take II away at oil.
| The extra cost 10 alone caused by the'e ~
| cumalations Of snow has amounted 10 inly s'oV
| week know that, all the merchants In the 'i'lh"S
| have suffered equally This extra expense mas been
| caused bv the necessity for doubling up on t"ahS'
the hiring OF extra teams and the payment oi c"s''
on freight that II been impossible to remove even
with this increase OF fncilitieS' -
A.
lie cannot get a truck up TO his store ut NO ''o-
Washngton-st. 49,. e..
"Tb. street is narrow here he said. " ana 'he
railroad company Is forced &c Keep It's tracks, 'ha'
rim through the middle OF the street clear OF S"o"'
II sends along q big plough ana throws 'he S'o" y"
either side in heaps that positively prevent 'he 'an
action of business. II shovel Tbs snow DICK y"
49, ,,.crs a IL returned TO us with an addition VI
mud and dirt until these great ice piles that are ~
our doors have been the result The civ VIII ""'
take 1t away. and we cannot '"Ke ""a,.
for we have no. place Where We Nouiu
b. permitted 10 dump It, The only p"o,'o """''.
are 40 crowded all day that frequently there y
limo Of 900 carts waiting to discharge their 'o"a''
rew OF us could afford give the time that must "
consumed In using the dumping ero"hh'
.The street Cleaning Commissioner complains 'hs'
he cannot get carts enough to remove Inc S'o" ,o"
| nil these streets. woula make '''' S"eh'
| LOT the MAYOR the Stree, Cleaning Department anu
| IN. Departm-nt OF Docks une~in a proclamation AZ
the time OF big snowfall. that the business houses
| rcmove the snow from the street IN irh' vi ''''
own places aud dump Il at various cohven'eh. p.''
| that shall hayt been previously as'ihhed. y" u"
spcctor at each dumping place should men give VI,
cartman q ticket calling for the payment Oh no"..'
s,,, covering the mere carriage, The ratio TOT th's
service would be less than that usually charge" d,
| carmen 10 the business houses ahd "o"'u Nv i'"
match on the present cost to the city. Wo"u gun
sn,.c that every business house. without exception
fo,r hours after the heaviest fall OF snow 'hee "
| M, mo n trace OF Il in the business streets 10
| .comn,ish tms result the city should be properly
s,,,o,od NJ course and the snow should be removed
promp,r, before It could be filled with mud anu "'''
and Tins made UNIT for dumping into the river
| .Tne extra expense TO merchants mat 'he co"
diuon OF the streets has imposed would noun. up
into prcttv stiff figures II II could be collected Many
horses that know In tho vicinity have boon spehu
| ,ur $40 a week each for wood which hey nave ~
front NJ their stores melt the snow ana ice' i"s
has been necessary IN order 10 MAKE p'aee io' u
truck to gain entrance. i"e eN'' '''' w.
| has been tremendous
| There was O. noticeable freedom OF Ice ana SNOW
in front of the big store Of John T. Mahr SOILS ~
peode and Washington SITS. Here at last seemed 10
bc evidence Of the dtys good work. one o' '"e
, | firm explained: . A.. o,h,-
| ,,n.ss houses along the block have done the sans
| No cnv cleaners have appeared to give Us any hcip
The cost of labor for this swork mat s'"u'u nave
bcen done by the Street Cleaning Department mas oeh
n steady weekly account. our best e"or.s' "o",
! ou,d only affect our own place. ana nave Simply
'o 49, ,o- our trucks We are forced to double
- teams in order to get through the other parts Oh
th,s street and oil the streets In the lower par' Vi
tho city, To cap the climax OF the hhposI''oh' we
recvd n postal card Friday from the Chei inspector
.s,.nino MS with arrest II our cutters were not
promptly cleared" . - ,,s,r.ss
, - Long greenwich and Washington SITS. One man
said Of his TINT he had been spending @i' WIZ
,.o tho street in front Of his place clenred and
sso week for extra carriage and In payment ior ms
9ra,ultous services he visited with this hesn'
. Of ofncial impudence.'
Hugo Josephy. In Chambersst. has seen no cleaners
" 10, Tho c,,v during the winter. lie has cleaned the
street along both sides with bis own labor anu '"'
. ,.a .sar,v morning fires to melt space Tor MS
trucks. III. -, r,,r
~ do not see how any department could Dc run
so badly as Is this STRENGTHENING department Sa.u
D he None Of their seem TO know what 10 10
when they attempt to work. which Is scdo" VI '"'