The record-union., 1894-12-14
HOW TO HAVE STREETS CLEANED.
No Necessity for People WaIIowing
in the Mud.
Private Enterprise Clearly Demon
strates That Streets Can Be Well
and Economically Cleaned.

A few citizens, convinced that the old
time method of cleaning our residence
streets twice a year is costly beyond all
reason, besides leaving the streets deep
with mud all winter, some time ago re-
solved to experiment upon the sugges-
tions Of II. E. Fairman, Road Engineer.
temporarily residing in the city, and
clean a few hundred feet of muddy
streets by cheap, and what was believed
to be efficient method. They went down
into their pockets for the money. secured
consent from the Trustees, and prevailed
upon MIR. Fairman to serve them out of
public spirit.
Street Superintendent Murray being
consulted gave his hearty approval TO the
plan, and did all he could to further the
experiment. The only thing that caused
him any hestancy was the question of
moving the mnd after it is raked off of
the streets, but il is admitted that what
ever that cost is, it is already involved
In the old system, and therefore cuts no
hgure IN the new.
AS a matter Of fact the experiment of
yesterday Is not new. AS MIR. Eairman
puts it, at is the application OF economic
processes that every good road engineer
is familiar with" in response to an on
locker yesterday.
William Gutenberger kindly loaned to
the eXperimenters his road grading ma
chine. 1t is wagon gearing with
quarter round steel blade beneath, set at
an acute angle to the length OF the wagon
frame, aud braced and suspended to a
steel framework that lifts and falls by
the operation Of geared hand wheels on
top OF the wagon frame. The scraper
blade extends beyond the side bound OF
wheels track narrow aud turn beneath
the gearing of the wagon.
Instead OF using the steel blade, Mr..
Fairman secured To it a heavy eight-inch
square tim Der, with its lower edge drop
ping below the lip of the scraper. In a
few hours the improvised machine was
ready for service, but 1t was not taken
out for trial until yesterday afternoon.
Engineer Fairman himself mounted at
The pilot wheel 10 the amusement OF his
friends and the new street cleaner started
on its trial trip.
Ii street, between Thirteenth and
Fourteenth, was run over with perfect
success, and i'll few minutes the mud
was piled up on the inside wall of the
cutters, so that If it should rain before lis
removal, 1t viii not be distributed again
over the street, nor Will it be run over by
teams and respread. Its location, ii IL
rains, simply advances the gutter street.
ward foot or so temporarily.
However, property owners had offered
10 take soil and remove il, and We're glad
to get it. Ieamsters stopped anu said
they would find plenty of customers for
all the earth the city had II they Were
permitted to take ii. They now haul
sand for iilling from the American River
and have to pay for it at that, whereas
the street soil is lar more valuable and
involves but short haul.
w. j. Irvine, the liveryman. driving
by saw the rude machine scraping the
mud off and carrying it To the sides OF
The street, leaving the highway free from
the slush, and doing it SO easily that he
stopped and begged the experimenters TO
come to Second street, between Il and l.,
and clear that block of mud, and he'd
cart il OIL and be glad to get it.
The Second street block proved tough
job, but IL was worked over IN exactly
twenty-five minutes, though the horses
were too light Tor the work, anu frequent
pauSeS had 70 be made. There should
have been four horses employed.
The street in this block Is uneven, has
large stony knobs rising in il here and
there that catch the lip OF the scraper and
give the hinder end of the wagon an inn
petus upward, that several times sent
Engineer Falrman spinning OH OF his
feet. The roadway is full of ups and
downs, holes. elevations, ridges and the
like. Our bad country roads are smoother
than the road surface Of this street, hard
and firm though il is beneath its overcoat
OF mud. 1T is only on a we'll graded
road" explained the engineer, that any
such machine will work perfectly"
But despite the stiffness of the mud,
which ought to have been assaulted one
day earlier while more plastic, the work
was well done, and all who saw il praised
the operation of the rough and hastily
constructed contrivance. The crowds did
not seem to be able to find words too
strong in commentator of the operation
of the scraper, and the skill with which
its pilot used it.
Here" said one old-time citizen, "we
have been going on for twenty-five years
wading in mud all winters. and paying
from one to two hundred dollars block
a year in the early spring and late fall to
have it in dried condition dug up and
hauled of. Now this rigging / have
timed, and it has gone over the street in
less than twenty-five minutes. with but
one team, instead of two, and u driver
and pilot, and no shovel man to clear it,
and I'll bet it don't cost 81 a blocL''
How will it work, though. when the
mud gets hard or stld-if it dries partly
after rain and before you can get to it?''
asked a bystander of Fairman.
THAT is easy enough. With a couple
of lengths OF hose or SO wet it down from
the nearest hydrant or use drench from
a sprinkler. That is easily done. No
trouble about it at all.''
On account OF teams standing in the
gutter-ways, Tor which owners did not
appear and no one would remove it was
not possible to finish the work as it would
otherwise have been done. The chuck
holes, also, were not we'll cleared out, as
matter or course But then there should
be no chuckholes, and il is shameful that
the street Is not OF even surface since it
is so important q one. Irvine who Sc
cured the clearing OF the street by indue-
ing the eXpermeuterS TO come down
town, was delighted with the whole
thing and Kept shouting to fairman.
go on; you are doing well. my boy.n
To which the engineer replied "Ips
nothing new in principle and what as
tonishes me is that you peonie up here
never thought of this kind OF street clean
1ng before"
1t is well known at the East. where
such contrivances are used for removal
OF snow and slush, but here il has to be
adapted 10 our conditions, so as not 10
disturb the gravel surface.
When the Second-street Job was done
the machine was taken TO the block on
street. between Eleventh and Twelfth.
and cleared on the mad there in inv
though u we'll constructed MACHINE
would 90 it far better.
Estimates on the cost per block Of clear
ing the streets of mud by this process
vary from - 10 sic. ii the cost OF hauling
the mud away is excluded, and that has
to be done in any case. The belief is that
teamsters will find market for all OF il
and thus eliminate that cost. One friend
of the innovation figures that if two men
and one team with rude machine can
clear a block, as was done yesterday, in
twenty-five minutes. including frequent
resting spells Tor the horses, TWO teams and