The morning call., 1894-07-23
A PLAN AT LAST.
TO Have Perfectly Clean
Streets.
Sc.
HOW THEY CAN BE SWEPT.
Successful Experiments by the
Merchants.
DoHRMANN PLEASED
lie Wants This City to Be the Paris
of America and Thinks the
Prospects Bright.

The board of directors of the Mer-
chants Association report that their efforts
in the direction of cleaner streets have
thus far been eminently satisfactory.
A little less than month ago the Mer-
chants Association, organized for the pur-
pose Of improving the city, both as to It's
sanitary condition and appearance, start
ed in on the good work by making pTac-
tical effort in the cleaning of the streets
Under the existing plan they found that
retail-business streets were swept SIX
times a week by machine and that the
streets of the wholesale district were
swept only three times week. In the
2 uptown districts there were streets mat
only received attention Gnee week ana
some but once month.
O.. Of course, this condition of affairs made
1t highly probable that streets swept SIX
times a week were no cleaner because OF
the larger number of applications that
were there of lesser importance, as with
the dry and windy climate the dust only
waited over Oh property that had been
: cleaned from that which had not.
49,. The committee from the association first
made q call on the Street Committee OF the
. Board of Supervisors with plan to have
the streets cleaned by hand, as in Berlin,
Paris and other European cities OF reputa-
ton for cleanliness.
Thew were Informed that such plans had
been found impracticable in this country
In at least twenty other large cities, but
that if they could formulate any plan
whereby the work might be done within
the appropriation the Supervisors would
be more than glad to accept 1t IL the re-
suits were more satisfactory.
With this object in view, then the Mer-
. chants Association went to work.
Subscriptions were taken among the
merchants on Suffer street in the block
b. between KearDy and Montgomery, and
. one man was put at work keeping that
portion clean.
The block had just bsen bituminized
and at the end of week it was found that
this one man had kept the block clean
from morning till night, and he had lots OF
time 10 spare.
1t vas also found that even under the
subscription system it was cheaper to keep
the man there constantly at work, than by
the old system, because of the fact that it
never needed sprinkliDg, and 1t cost more
to sprinkle ii once than 1t did to sweep it
four times in one day.
AT the end of that week it was decided
d. by the association committee to extend the
=: plan of operations, so the block between
Montgomery and Sausome and the block
=: between hearny and Grant avenue, were
=. embraced In the district.
By this time a system of expense had
been DEVELOPED. and the men doing bust
ness along the blocks referred TO were re-
CURED TO subscribe at the rate of 10 cents
day for twenty-five feet frontage.
Every one subscribed readily, and it
vas found that even on cobbles the job
was good and that two men could readily
keep three blocks perfectly clean.
During the week of this latter expert
ment the association continued in its pro-
cess of collecting subscriptions until at the
end of that week it was found possible to
embrace all of the territory bounded by
. Sansome and Kearny, California and
Market, and extending on Post, Gsary
and Suffer to Grant avenue.
1t was then found that once block was
perfectly clean it could be kept clean by
= man who was covering two blocks. as he
did not have to contend with adjacent IN
swept streets.
AT this point the association declares
that it has marked an epoch. Il is the
first time in the history of San Francisco
that any number Of blocks of streets have
been kept clean.
The president of the association, A. B. c.
Dohrmann, says: WELL we have scarcely
given it a good fair trial yet. We are
going to do tomorrow what we were
afraid to do before. We are going to get
subscriptions from the ferries to Seventh
street, on Market and we are going to see
what can be done toward keeping that
CieaUs OUT Iuea Is JuhL TIC greater the
territory the cheaper the work can be-
: done"
What can you do the work for per
liDeal mile?" was asked
e. well. we can do it for $50 now. That
is little less than double what it now
q costs. but it has the virtue of doing away
with The necessity for so much sprinkling,
aud that taken together with proper con-
tract competition will more than make up
the difference in cost.
Another matter must be considered
with these figures. We have not at any
time had any experienced men on the
work, and that makes q vast difference
"One of our purposes was 10 get employ
meDt for those in need and out of work,
so that we have been in the habit of giving
all of the work TO married men who were
in the Girest straits, regardless of expert,
eDce. When man gets so that he can
handle tie job the cost will be loticeably
lessened."
What do you think you can do Market
street for"
well. we are going to try to do Market
street for the same rate as the narrower
streets. We behave that with proper COM
petition in bidding on contracts the work
can be done within the $50. 600 appropr'-
ated for the purpose. II not, we will find
people to take the contract. We would
ike to divorce the Street Committee from
politics altogether.
Our desire is to make the city perfect
in its sanitary condition and in its beauty.
We want better sewerage, but there is no
use in doing anything about the sewers
just now, while the streets are in their
present condition. The dirt collects on the
streets. is carried into the sewers and
stops them up. We must have clean streets
first. 1t must be demonstrated to the city
that it is possibility. then We must have
the people with US, and in a very few
years We WIZ ldV0 civ as DeaULlIul
as any"
The DECEASED FAIR.