The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-12
NO ATTEMPT TO CLEAN STREETS
City Administration Helping Along
the OId-Time "ChiIls" Weather.

This reminds me Of the good old days."
said a citizen with a patriarchal beard as
he stood on the west steps of the court
house yesterday afternoon and gazed at
the dismal picture of the streets below.
What days?' asked his companion.
THE old days of chills and quinine-the
days before we knew what asphalt was or
felt the need of sewers Before we had a
street cleaning department."
How is that?" asked the companion, who
seemingly refused to trust to his imagina-
ton to interpret the meaning of the citizen
with the patriarchal beard.
Everything reminds me of the old days."
replied the old citizen. This weather seems
more like the old article than any have
seen for years. 1t is like it used to be
when the town was surrounded by swamps.
The atmosphere is heavy, cold and creepy.
Look at those streets. They are as bad az
anything we had when there was nothing
better than mud roads. Mud, slush and
slop. We didn't have the way OF cleaning
streets in those days as we have now.
Well, guess I'll get some quinine."
The two men started off together, cross
ing the street, every footstep carrying
them deep In the slush. They looked sick
and disguised with the present order OF
seen on the streets yesterday. Indianapolis
streets have not been in SUCH deploraDle
condition for seven or eight years as they
were yesterday, and as they probably will
be to-day and tomorrow and for many
days to come. 1t is recalled that last year
and the year before men were put to work
on the street crossings and pedestrians
were insured safe passage across streets.
Several of the downtown streets were
cleaned and flushed. But that time seems
passed. Street Commissioner Herpeck has
had many men at work on Pogue's run,
streets and other things. The street clean
ing contractors have done nothing and the
public has suffered.
No citizen would have pointed to Wash
ington street yesterday with any degree
Of pride. A public. spirited citizen would
the street. in a closed carriage or taken
him up alleys and explained that the snow
and ice in the latter had not BEEN cleaned
up because OF the desire to first get the
streets In order Washington street was
covered from curb to curb with one or two
or three or five inches of muddy, sloppy
slush, all of which could have been washed
Off with line of hose attached to one OF
Mr.. Davis's fire Plugs The depth of the
slush depended upon the distance 1t lay
from the curb. A man dared not cross the
street except at the crossings, and had q
woman attempted to cross rescue party
would have had to be sent after her. The
crossings were cleaned once this season
but vehicles have carried slush over them
and they were muddy. As was Washing
ton street. so were the other streets Of the
city, except that a majority of the other
streets have never enjoyed any crossing
cleaning. The temperature yesterday was
between thawing and freezing, as II The
mercury was awaiting bids for an upward
or downward movement The sun was con
cealed behind cherries clouds, so the condi
tions underfoot and overhead were such a.
to make the average individual dissatisfied
with the world in general and Democrat,
in particular