New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-05
PASSOVER CLEANING TIME
JEWISH CUSTOM THAT GIVES COLO.
MEL WARNINGS MEN TROUBLE.

MUCH EXTRA WORK CAUSED BY THE THROWING
AWAY OF OLD BEDDING. FURNITURE AND
HOUSEHOLD UTENSILS.
There hosts Of Jews on the East Side who ih
the last eight days have refraned from work. worn
their holiday garb and partaken only Of mat.
zoths and such food tho Mosaic code prescribes.
According to the tenets of their faith they swept
and garnished their homes. concentrating that
eventful passing over" when the blood on the
doorposts Of the faithful preserved their first born
from destruction. All this is well known. and
the holiday will be thing OF the past and its OBJ
servers will have returned TO their usual vocations.
The employees OF the Street Cleaning Department.
however. who labor east of the Bowery. between
Houston and Market SITS. have yet forgotten
the extra exertion which the celebration Of the
Passover cost them
Il had rather undertake to keep clean any three
other districts in town" said the inspector We
carted off 5000 mattresses to say nothing Of
all the potts. saucepans, and every description OF
cooking utensils that you imagine. Lounges
there were withou, number and cid sofas. settees
and chairs We have the of los carts In this
district, calling 1t heavy days work when all OF
these carts out. During each day OF the week
previous to the beginning Of the Passover we had
In sixty extra carts thirty for light material.
the cartirg away Of mattresses and the like. and
the other thirty for the remarkably heavy garbage.
ION Thursday night at s o'clock, although We
had worked hard all that day. two streets were
yet untouched. 1T seems hard to ask 1t Of you
boys said to the carriers, but IL you leave Il
night the work will only be that much harder
Tomorrow. and with accord the men, some
OF whom had already carried sixteen loads to the
dumps. turned around their empty carts and went
to work again"
Did they get additional pay? he asked
'Oh. no; but We feel pride in keeping the dis
tric both at usual and unusual times exactly UP to
the mark. The men got all tired out though. ana
number did not report for duty the next day
had rather contend with two big snowstorms than
this avalanche OF household goods and rubbish.
The Passover was half over before some OF II came
to light. There much that | suppose they
felt little abashed at putting II all out AT Ones
every day or two a mattress would show up out
OF some basement where 1t had been hidden away.
Thursday night, at 10 o'clock. made the rounds
and rode through Hester Chrystie Forsyth, El-
bridge and Suffolk sts and congratulated myself
that although had done big days job va nad
something show for 1t. The streets were as
clean as Frfth-ave. The next morning at they
we're sight behold The waste and garbage
barrels and had been piled so full that what
would have made another vessel full lay beside
them on the pavement. and the mattresses and OLD
pieces OF furniture that had cropped up during
the night something wonderful They mao
pitched the things right out OF the windows INTO
the middle OF the street or Wherever they nap
peaeeably along Norfolk-st. and was astonshed
at having a mattress thrown on top OF him; that
1t was a very unpleasant sensation. although Il
did not hurt him any
But. such extravaganza. 10 throw away bed
ding and cooking utensils every spring." some one
observes
80 It would SEEM ordinarily" said the inspector.
.but singular 20 say all OF the mattresses which
the extra scows carried out TO sea last week were
quite dirty enough to be flung away. and the
cooking things smelled bad and were bent and bat
tered These people seem to use entirety EXCELSIOR
stuffed mattresses, and the ticking Is so nithy
that even the Italian ragpckers. who strip 1t on
at the dumps, wash 1t before using. How II gets
so dirty in a years l don't know, but do
know that there just many beds thrown
away last Easter there were this season
What do they fling out the lounges fory'
They are dlapidated too. and. them the sofa
or lounge plays some important part in the re-
ligious ceremonies. The Oldest male OF the house
hold the father or grandfather. in default OF
either the oldest son. during certain observances.
there for a prescribed interval He Is dressed at
that time in eabardne, loose and flowing; WIN
course a clean lounge for him to recne on 70
absolutely necessary The Italians at me d1 hsps
old lounges and break up the framework 10 use az
fuel -, ,rooa suro ON, IN N.
garbage heaps because it IS unlawful for any, but
bread to be in the Souse an a al e .ne
S %th the amount oi rubbish get hold 81 from
them Is remarkable. 80,
Il think II an excellent thing for the public that
AL these old and filthy belongings should De pitcheo
out OF the tenements, said an officer or the Board
OF Health but | sometimes wonder II the city
would put up as patiently with the additional TAX
on it's sreetcleaners from other class OF popu-
latlon than these Jews. II the Irish flung things
out so ruthessly into the street think there would
soon be a protest. and any American who threw as
ruch as tin into a public thoroughfare
would expect pay a fine and justly. or course.
scourings OF his home into the street from religious
obligations mitigaes the offence somewhat but the
wholesale manner of the house-ceanng. all within
few days In a particularly crowded quarter makes
the disposal OF the oTa a difficult problem. IL an
American has spring house-ceanng done, he or she
informs the sreetcleaner that there will be extra
rubbish and asks when IL will be convenient 10
ince ne will take OF. but the unusual amount,
plastering other accumulation must be removed
at the citizens expense No citizen would think OF
complaining of this-woud regard 1t as only natural
and proper. The Jews, however. would resent any
intimaton that they must remove the stuff they
indeed they regard any little fine which they have
10 pay now very hard and unjust. Their Idea Is
to get the things out OF the house; they don't care
anything about the streets Possibly in Poland or
Russia or wherever their former homes were. they
were allowed fling rubbish and food about right
ard left without interference. think their leaders
those who have been in this country long enough
to understand the sanitary laws--ought to explain
our views to them and try to set them right. As II
IL, the Street Cleaning Department has regularly
10 fight with them 10 maintain any order at all. and
their quarter is known to be the most trying dis
trct OF all In the Department to keep Clean"