The morning times., 1896-12-01
CHEAPER TO USE MACHINES
Supt. McKensie Reports on Meth
DDS ofStreet Cleaning.
SWEEPING THEM BY HAND
Experiments Have Been Made Along
This Line, the Cost OF the Work
Being Stated at "a 1-2 Cents Per
One Thousand Yards-Number of
Men Required.

Superintendent A. e. McKcnsie has sub
mitted hisfinalreport uponthe experimental
work of hand cleaning the streets, in lieu
Of machine cleaning, and the result Is as
anticipated in The Evening Times Of ycstrr-
day-tGc true cost of the work being stated
at "a 1-2 cents Per 1000 square yards.
The report covers the entire period from
the date of beginning, Ocioaer Ia, TO Nc
vember 20. The average time worked
per day was seven and Cnchalf hours;
average area cleaned per man per day,
6,065 square yards. The actual cost to the
District, counting seventeen days service.
was $391.17, or an average Of % 1-5
cents per l 600 yards. The 'true cost" as
certained, however, il paid by the hour, was
1857 81, or an average OF 23 2-3' cents per
1000 yards. ,fE
The average area of streets given for
trial was about 10000 yards in each
case. sprinklipg was not introduced in
the experiment until the 18th instant. AS
some sort of sprinkling is absolutely neces-
sary. and the trial as to cost would be
incomplete without 1t, it was deemed ncces-
sary to include it.
NUMBER OF MEN REQUIRED.
So far, Major McKensie says, the ex-
penment has shown that the average
area that one man can clean per day is
about 8, 400 square yards, il he works
eight hours. IL Is therefore fair to pre-
sumo that the average time that would be
taken up i'll sprnkling would be one-nalr
hour To the man, or. in o6her words, he
would be brooming 1-2 hours and sprink-
hing half hour.
To sweep and clean / 400, 900 square
yards, present area, would require, ut
6,4OO square yards To the man, about 219
men, working eight hours per day If
each man lost half an hour per day In
sprinklng, the result would be an increase
nt n Ir....
AT Sl.25 per day the daily EXPENSE.
would aggregate S3s0.82, including the
employment of carts, wear and tear and
ether incidentals. the cost per 900 square
yards being increased to 81 1-5 cents.
The superintendent says he was some
what in error in former report in csti-
mating the cost of sweeping the entire
city at % 9 cents per 900 square yards.
In making the estimate for the entire
city, based upon c.Ding 400 900 square
yards per day, he states the cost at 81 1-5
cents per 200 square yards. The differ
ence between this estimate and the cost
shown is occasioned by the higher price
paid for the brooms. The first lot pur
chased cost $3.50 per dozen; those now
III use cost So per dozen. These and
other items of difference, ascertained .iucc
his first report was made, brought up the
cost to % 1-o cents per 600 square yards.
COMPARISON OF COST.
While this result appears TO be correct,
The superintendent says there are many
possible items Of expense that cannot be
accurately aSccrtaincd in advance. Only
| "A practical test will fully develop them
Taking all things into consideration,
however, Major McKcn places the cost
at 21 1-5 cents, and while the experiment
IS not yet concluded, he says he is salts
fled that no material change will be made
i'll the estimate.
A comparison of cost under both methods
hand cleaning and Inachine-is as fol-
lows: land cleaning, 10000 square
yards, at ~ l-5 cents per 900 Yards
Sl22.4o: machineswee $50 900 square
yards, at present contract price. S230.3S
| or a total of S352.7S. To hand clean a
total area OF 400, 900 square yards
45o,0uO at % 1-5 cents per 900 square
yards, and $4,000 square yards at 80
| ccnts-would cost S40T 40. Machine clean
ing of total area, at "a l 4 cents, present
price, S339.5o. or a difference in favor
OF present methods of S67.90. Difference
between hand cleaning and machine clean
ing jointly, and machines exclusively.
S54.62.