Evening star., 1896-08-15
STAR REPORTERS FOLLOW MACHINES
Work Was Begun Hours Before
-
Scheduled Time.
INEFFICIENT CLEANING

structures laid upon him, and defended his
methods Of complying with the contract
and the specifications. At his suggestion
The Star sent a reporter with his superin-
tendent in the early morning one day to
verify the contractors claims. The visit
was prearranged, and the result of the OBJ
servation was certainly all that the con-
tractor claimed. The fear was then ex-
pressed, however, that this method Of in
vestigation was not wholly trustworthy,
and accordingly last evening The Star dis
patched five reporters into various parts Of
the city to observe the actual workings of
the street sweepers and to ascertain just
how far they observed the terms of the
contract with respect to the matter Of
sprinkling sweeping by machines and by
brooms and gathering in the dirt in carts.
In short, an effort was made to survey the
field thoroughly from the start to the
finish.
Time of Beginning and Ending.
One of the most important points to be
ascertained was the time of beginning and
ending of the work. The specifications re-
quire that the work must all be done be-
tween the hours of 10 pm. and 9 am. This
requirement is understood by the authori-
ties to be reasonable and fair, for 1t is
thought that in the interest of good work
the streets should not be swept until after
the tFaIIlc OF the Qay mas ceased, In OrUer
that advantage might be taken-of the alb
solute cessation of travel to secure a per-
fectly clean street. Then, too, 1t was un-
derstood that by sweeping the streets after
10 o'clock and stopping before 6 the citizens
would be subjected to a minimum of an
noyance. In the summer months 1t Is the
universal practice Of the householdsys who
remain in town to occupy their front steps
air stirring. Until 10 o'clock the parkings
are almost invariably inhabited and the OPP
GRAFTON of the street sweepers are produc-
tive Of the greatest discomfort, even when
the streets are properly sprinkled in ad
vance.
These five reporters went over several
miles of streets They observed every step
of the process, and, noting the condition
over them, they saw the dirt brushed into
the cutters, hoed into piles, and then
brushed by brooms into still more compact
heaps They carefully noted the hour at
port that the contract was violated in sew
eral most important particulars.
Over Two Hours Ahead of Time.
In the first place, the entire street sweep
ing force was out of the stables. at the head
of 18th street by 1870 o'clock. two hours and
half before the time specified in the con-
tract. 1t has been claimed by the contractor
when the question of the time of beginning
has been raised before that the machines
left the stables early, of course but only to
reach their starting points in order to be
able to start promptly at 10 o'clock. and so
to lose no time. Last night, The Star is to-
day able to state, without fear of successful
contradiction. that, with the exception of a
very few stretches of streets left as out
lets, the entire section of Washington lying
north of street, south of Florida avenue
west of 9th street and east of 14th street,
an area including over one hundred city
blocks, and comprising probably the closest
built and the most densely populated part
of the city, was completely but not well
swept, broomed and finished before 10
o'clock, the hour at which, under the terms
OF the contract, the work should have Just
begun. These outlet streets were swept
later in the night, in some cases at the close
of the work.
Why the contract was thus violated in this
particular is easy to understand. BY work
ing overtime a small force can be made to
approximate to proper results. That 1t has
been violated night after night in the same
manner Is the common evidence of citizens
who keep their eyes open. Why it is not re-
ported to the Commissioners by the official
inspectors, who are supposed to follow the
entire work, and to pass Judgment upon the
manner In which the contract is carried out.
Is only to be surmised.
bad Work Done.
Nor was this all. The work was not well
done. The sprinkling was poor at best, and
absolutely lacking in some places. Nowhere
was there more than a bare suficiency of
water used. and then only in rare and wide
ly separated spots. In places the sprinkler
was run down the street at a trot and the
scanty drops Of water barely ruff1ed the
dusty surface, while the Sweeper was so far
behind that much of the moisture had
eVaporated before the hickory brooms that
last seven days had touched the accumula-
tons. Throughout the territory covered by
the observations the air was filled with dust.
Those of the reporters who rode on bicycles
the better to follow and observe the work
1ngs OF the contract, noted that as they
mounted and dismounted the saddles of their
machines were in few seconds covered
with dust, that must have been merely small
samples Of the clouds rolling through the
windows opened.
Poor Gutter Cleaning.
Nor was the sweeping itself well done.
The brooms were not laid down hard, and
in many cases the dirt was merely smear
ed over the asphalt. Occasionally there
would be observed long ridges of untoucn-
ed dirt in the center Of the street. Places
were numerous where the midline of the
thoroughfare was marked by mountains
of refuse left as indicators for the edges
Of the sweeping machines.
The work in the CUTTERS was equally
careless. The hoe men dragged their i'm
plements along listlessly, as though afraid
Of wearing out the metal, lifting them &C.
c3slonaliy TO provide the heaps of dirt to
which the broom men indifferently aimed
to push the particles. Owing to the
wretchedly inadequate sprinkling the gut
ters were in almost every instance as dry
ss bone when the broom work was done,
and the dust raised by this force was In
evidence in choking volume in every SQUARE
The reporter who went through the
swept section with the contractors super
intendent a fortnight ago was in the party,
and he observed far different state of
affairs. Streets that were then spick and
span in the morning, several hours after
the swee pers and carts had finished their
work, were grimy ard dirty at o'clock
last night, even though the entire outfit
had been past but a few moments. The
hickory brooms were revolving at a rate
that told CT efforts to prolong their lives
beyond the allotted seven days, and there
were ample evidences of an economical ad-
ministration to be had at every hand. The
District inspectors were on duty, following
the trail Of the sweepers and observing the
blithesome work OF the sprinklers, but no
Continued on Eleventh Pa9el