Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-08-15
DOUSING THE EAST SIDE.
Novel Plan for Cooling and Cleaning Heated
Tenement Districts-Great Fun for
Street Gamins.
New York World.

New York World.
The sweltering east side tenement dis
trict had a glorious surprise last night.
1t came in the form of cool, rushing wa
tiers, that flooded the narrow streets until
the cutters frothed and dubbed like
mountain streams. Down went the mer-
curry a good 10 degrees.
1t was a great night for the heat-ex-
hausted poor Of Chrystie, Eldridge, Or
chard, Allen, Forsyth and Ludlow streets;
a night of relief and refreshment. me
World, in it's graphic accounts of mid
summer misery among the jewellers IN
tenement districts, supplied the inspira-
ton for last nights experiment.
Lloyd Coils, son of the commissioner
of public works. came up from Long
Branch yesterday morning with copy
of the World as guide, counsellor and
companion. He read of the dreadful sur
ferings among the sweltering poor, OF
crowded streets baked by the sun, of
prostration, misery By the time MI.
Coils reached the city he had formulated
a plan for immediate RELIEF. He lald IL
before his father the commissioner VINO
promptly approved and passed the
scheme along to Mr.. Gibson, acting COM
missioner of street cleaning in Colonel
Warnings absence.
'Its a good plan. Go ahead" said that
official.
Marshalling the hydrant gang of the
department of public works, twenty-five
strong. Mr.. Coils divided them into five
divisions, and provided each with horse
and wagon and so feet Of fire hose. At &
O'Clock last night they assembled at
Canal and Ludlow streets, where their
.eader dressed in white duck and carry
ing a lantern, explained his plan OF cam
paign.
"By ~ o'clock tonight said he, 1--WE
shall have thoroughly washed every
street in this section-between Houston
and Division streets. Let each gang
take street. Hitch on to every fire plug,
and don't spare the water. It's terrible
night. and many lives may depend on the
way you work. Flood the streets and
cool the air. Now go ahead"
1t was a novel job for the uniformed
department men, and they grumbled a
little but not for long. In ten minutes al
ter the first grabful stream had struck
the sizzling asphalt in Ludlow street the
handlers of hose and nozzle were as deep
Nv Interested in the work as anybody else.
AS the men made their way through
Chrystie Eldridge, Ludlow, Orchard ana
Allen streets, the heat-dazed sufferers
crowded the, curbstones. Hundreds of
bows. yelping with delight, pulled their
ragged little trousers up above their
grimy knees and galloped about in the
cooling flood. They ventured close to
where the stream from the hose fell in a
great burst of spray on the hot asphalt,
and howled in glee as the flying waters
drenched them from head to foot. They
rolled headlong under the big streams
and wallowed where the spray was thick
est, like young seals on a frolic
Did their parents interfere? Not DIT
of it. Mothers and fathers crowded the
sidewalks and hung from their tenement
windows enjoying the fun. 1t was free
bath and good one, just at the right
time. BY midnight five miles Of streets
had been washed clean and the air IN
them had been purified and cooled.
The work will be continued tonight
with three times as many men and hose
lines. Mulberry Bend and Chinatown
and the surrounding streets will be the
next to profit by this inspiration furnish
ed by the World.