Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-13
STREE SWEEPING
superintendent Davis Tells How the
Work is Done.
THE CONTRACT And DAY SYSTEMS
The Cost Of Sweeping Less Here
Than Elsewhere.
4 III E AID OF CITIZENS


Inc annual report of A II. s Davis, the
superintendent of the department which
has charge of the sweeping of the streets
ard the alleys of the city. has been submit
ted 10 the District Commissioners II gives
a summary of the work of the year and
presents in tabular form the area swept
each month, the cost and the cubic yards
OF debris removed. According to this table
the largest amount of sweeping for any one
month was done during last August, when
an area OF %. 161 square yards was
swept at cost of S7.O57. The lowest record
was made during the month of February.
when T.5l9.224 square yards were swept at
cost of 81 .s23. The total cost for the year
of the sweeping was SEQ 162.s2.
In reg ard to keeping Pennsylvania avenue
clean. The report has the following to say:
so far as the work of the scraper gang
or this magnificent avenue. in which all
Residents take commendable pride, is con-
cerned. it needs no special approval from
me. having been SO unusually good the past
year as to call out favorable comments
from citizen and stranger alike"
From July 1. 1888. to January .-31. 1894,
the work was done by the District at a
total cost of 81 %. From the latter date
10 the end Of the fiscal year contractor
Carried on the work of sweeping the avenue,
and the cost to the District was s, 947 So
making total cost for the year of S11,-
l4i.sO; a saving of $15. IN per day was eff
fected by giving the work out by contract.
which included the privilege to the con-
tractor of owning the osweepings
During the past year" the report states,
the area cleaned has been extended. on
pennsylvania avenue from Washington
Circle to Rock creek. and also by the adj
dftion of New York avenue from 14th street
- 18th street, making total area of 16I.-
ISL square yards, .. $50. .
The cost of cleaning the improved alleys
was Sl3.3S111.- During the early part of
last year the cleaning of the unimproved
alleys and streets was done by a gang of
taborers employed by the District. Since
April last all this class of work was per-
formed under contract at a cost OF 81 per
day for forty laborers and eleven carts.
Complaints Were Few.
Viewer In the history of this department"
states the report. -shave so few complaints
as to streets and alleys been received. al
though the summer of 1893 must long be
remembered as one of Unsparing criticism
of all public officials having to do with
the sanitary condition of the city on &C
Complaints as to streets and forty-five to
alleys were recefved-a total Of 10, of
which bug fifty-three needed attention.
AS compared with the severe winter of
autumn weather. During the former period
the contractor was paid 81, 1873. 4S for remov-
Ing snow and ice. During the latter. how
ever. only three days work in February
was done. involving the expenditure of
$oS2JS- The unimproved alley gang was
also employed two days in December. three
days In February and two days in March
IN removing snow and ice from street cross
1ngs. entrances to alleys and sidewalks In
front of school houses"
The total cost Of the service for the
year. including Superintendent, Is stated
to be s124. A. which left a balance of
the appropriation amounting to s297.5 SO.
VIII Probably Cost More.
Taking 1t as a WHOLE says the super
mtendent. IF there il system Of sweeping
and cleaning the streets and alleys Of a
city superior to that in operation in the
cities OF Washington and Georgetown, or
one that gives better results for money ex-
pended, 1 can obtain no evidence of 1t, after
correspondence on the subject with super
tntendents Of street cleaning departments
Of all the principal cities of this country.
Certainly the work Is nowhere done more
economically. So far as the sweeping of
Our paved streets Is concerned, however,
tt must be admitted that the contract price
V24 Ia cents per 1000 square yards-is un-
Questionably too low, and that when the
term OF the present contract expires. as 1t
will on June 80. 1897. the Commissioners
will probably have to allow from u to 80
Der cent more When IL was entered upon
the contractor had in view a machine
which he believed would sweep and take up
khe dirt at the same time. Had this proved
frue he would today be saving about 80 per
cent over the old method and making some
thing handsome out Of the operation. The
Contract price for the preceding fve years
sweeping was 50 cents per 900 square
yards. But. aside from this, the small
comparative expense attending the work
Incidental to this department may also be
largely accounted for from the fact that
political bargaining and promise have no
existence here a controlling factor; con-
eequently, when man proposes to per-
FORM specified work he Is not compelled to
make his bids large enough to cover polit-
tcal assessments and other incidental CAM
Paign expenses. but places his figures at
the lowest price.
J .sBut residents of our two, cities are in
hebted not 50 much to Congress as to the
contractor for the exceptionally clean
condition of their streets and avenues dur
ing the past year. as under the old regime
not more than two-thirds of the sweeping
and cleaning that was done last year could
POSSIBLY have been done. At the OLD price
-S5 cents-the sweeping OF last year,
24S. Og4 ~ square yards, would have cost
SS6 S};S. O5 or SIG. 61O.1 Is more than was paid,
and lust that much more than the appro-
Briation Of $4,000 for the total expenses
of this department Tor that period Woulu
have warranted
streets swept Daily.
..The thirty-two streets and avenues
svept- every day Sundays excepted are
New York avenue from 18th west to 18th
west, Vermont avenue from II north to
Thomas Circle, c north from New Jersey
avenue to Sth west, d north from 9Th west
10 10th west, Z north from 9TH west to
Pennsylvania avenue. F north from 9Th
West to 18th west, G north from 9Th west
to 18th west and from 18th west to 22d
west II north from 18th west 10 10Th VS.
3 north from 9Th west to 18th west nacS
stand at intersection of 18th and 1st west
from b south to NORTH I'd west from
Pennsylvania avenue s- d north I'D west
from Pennsylvania Venue to b north, 4 ~
vs. tronI ,uri avenue to ID north, 5th
p north to : north motis e 9t5 west
go Il north to Mt. Vernon Square. 9th
west from c north to F north. 9th west
from b north to Mt. Vernon Square, 1Oth
west from Il north to New York avenue,
nth west from Little 3 to New York ave-
nue. 18th west from Il north II New York
avenue 18th west from ID nor;n to Now
Work avenue I'm vest from j: north TO
Thomas Circle, 18th vest from B north 20
q north Is 1-2 and 10 IL from Pennsyl-
wanna avenue to II north, 18th west from II
north to X north, 18th west from + north
h. K north Louisiana avenue from L north
To 10th west, New Jersey avenue from u
so-,b 10 n north Connecticut avenue from