Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-29
How 1t is Done in the Principal
Cities Of the Country.
The COST OF The SERVICE
Character of the Work and the
Results Secured.
SUPT. DAVIS DEPARTMENT.

given In the annual repor- Of Mr. Davis
the superintendent of the street cleaning
department Of this city. The report was
published almost in full recently in The
Star, and this portion is now given as
follows: In Philadelphia street sweeping
and cleaning and the collection and removal
of ashes and garbage are done under the
direction of the superintendent of the
street cleaning department, by contract.
The garbage is cremated. The total amount
appropriated for the department for the
year 1893 was $617 ,6gS, that expended was
1854, 2S1.90 How much was expended for
street sweeping and cleaning does not ap-
pcsr no separate accounts being kept The
system Of sweeping and cleaning most of
the asphalt and cement streets is similar to
that in vogue on Pennsylvania avenue, with
the exception that they are swept by ma
chine sweepers six times each week, in
stead Of once or twice, as our avenue is, in
addition to scooping up with scrapers all
the droppings between the hours of am.
and pm. And these scrapings are placed
in receptacles on wheels, when full to be
cmptied into carts and carted away, not
scraped into small piles in the cutters. and
then shoveled into carts and carried Off as
is done here. / think our system of getting
rid of these scrapings the best, however,
but wish Congress would make the appro-
priation for this department large enough
to admit of machine sweeping our beautiful
avenue six times week, IN addition TO the
scraping it now receives. Under the new
contract IL will cost about s., jsi2.Jo a year
to scrape IL. From LIST street to Rock creek
bridge 1t contains l41.sls square yards Of
surface, to sweep which at "a IA cents per
loo square yards would cost $685. a day,
or S. So. 80 for $50 days, the average num-
Der per year. making a total yearly COST of
$1G.525. The sweeping and cleaning OF
Broad street. Philadelphia, alone cost s62-
$3.50 for the fiscal year 1894, a sum larger
by s., $50 than II cost to sweep and clean
all the paved streets of Washington and
Georgetown combined last year.
The New York Streets.
In New York city the street cleaning de-
partment dispcses of all material COL
lected, including ashes, garbage and street
sweepings by carting It to eighteen dumps,
situated on the East and North rivers, there
dumping 1t on scows and carrying IT to sea
at ebb tide. except when used for fliing-in
purposes. The department expended in 1875
x2,2l2323.l IL, $SlO,s41.44 Of which was for
sweeping and cleaning paved streets and
$685., for removing the sweepings.
Many OF the streets are cleaned several
times during the day. All work is done by
the department forces except Broadway
done by contract. The total number Of en-
plcyes in the department is 2,l59 The ex-
ecutive branch consists Of LA officials as
follows: One commissioner. s6oOo; one
deputy, 1900; one chief clerk, s., So; one
superintendent, $780, one assistant super
intendent $2.50O; one superintendent of
stables, $2OUo; eleven district superintend-
ents. H.SO0 each: ffty-eight section fore
men, $lO0O each; twenty dump inspectors,
$1.OO0 each; twenty assistant dump inspect
ors. $SOO each; two tug and scow inspectors
$1,000 each; one medical examiner, sl5OO;
eight stable foremen. sl,2oo each; eighteen
ClQrka- fAS 20 oirx n N
y, 400 each. Stxty-five two-horse machine
sweepers are employed. most OF them SINH
lar to those used here. and 500 carts. They
have no paved alleys, and unpaved streets
are cleaned by the department OF public
parks. Il may say, parenthetically, that the
cost OF sweeping and cleaning the paved al
ieys and unpaved streets and alleys of
Washington and Georgetown has averaged
IS per cent of the total expenditures of
this Department. To sweep and clean
Broadway II costs more than twice as much
per annum as to sweep and clean all the
paved streets Of our two cities, and vet /
have heard II said, by way Of comparison.
how much cleaner that busy mart is kent
than our streets are. Why shouldn't its
general condition be better than that of our
average streets? But in point of Cleanliness
l am sure Pennsylvania avenue will bear
favorable comparison with Broadway or
any other great thoroughfare in the coun-
Try, ana the remainder Of our streets would
not suffer by comparison with the ma SoritS
OIL the cleanest-swept In any CITY,
In Boston, the street cleaning department
is divided into two divisions, viz, street
ciednlns division and sanitary division each
In charge Of a deputy superintendent. with
salary of 5000. The superintendent Of
streets receives a salary of 81 500 The total
amount expended by the street cleaning di-
vision Tor 1854 was S3OS. 1o1 80 and of
this amount, $50, 13S.S1 was expended for
sweeping paved streets, including cost of
removing sweepings. To this item must be
added the cost of cleaning cutters s2a
the cost of cleaning our cutters being in
cluded in that of sweeping and cleaniny
streets) $685. 80. Almost the entire bust
ness section of the city is swept six times a
week. All work is done by the citv. their
machine brooms are similar to those used
on our streets-25 In all, 10 single aud IL
doupie. Number of employees, 800. System
or sweeping and cleaning is similar to ours
The department does not clean the alleys
erty holders.
-Four hundred and thirty-five $3.50 persons
are employed by the sanitary division
Ashes and offal are kept by householders
IN separate receptacles and collected by diff
ferent teams and men. The ashes Of the
city proper are carried to sea on two
Barney dumping boats by the department
tow-boats and dumped outside Of Boston
lights from four to twelve miles, accord
ing to the direction Of the wind. a small
portion OF the collection, however, being
used for filling up low lands. Seventy-fiye
per cent of the offal is disposed of TO hog
rdlSerS. Inc balance is carried to sea on
same dumping boats as ashes. 1t cost s4Sl-
25O.S to maintain this division for lsas-4
as follows: For house dirt and ashes s29s.
S44.21; house offal, s111 ,2O4.3S; executive ex-
penses. 81, 252.04.
In Other Cities.
In San Francisco the street sweeping is
done by contract, and the manner of doing
the work is similar to ours. The total
amount expended last year Of sweeping
was $4,000. Most Of the business section
Of the city is swept six times q week; the
second-class streets, three times a week:
third-class, eight times a month; fourth
class, four times a month, and ffth-class
once q month. Paved alleys are swept
once q month. Unpaved streets and alleys
are not swept All sweeping is done by
machine brooms. From fifty to seventy
five persons are employed by the depart
ment. The superint endent receives $1,000
year; chief deputy, s., 400; outside dep
uty, y, 4OO; accountant, 81, 400; bookkeeper
Sl.sOO; five deputies $3.50 each; seven
deputies, 81, 500 each. The department does
Tot handle ashes or garbage.
The sweeping and cleaning OF the streets
of New Orleans are done by the department
Of public works. The sweeping is done by
hand with rattan and bass brooms by
laborers, who are paid $50 a day. Paved