The San Francisco call., 1897-07-01
BRINE. FOR SPRINKLING.
The Merchants Association
Pleased With It's First
Experiments.
Streets Are Easier to Keep Free
From the Usual Clouds of
Flying Dnst.

! The proposition to sprinkle Market
street with salt water has been seriously
considered by the Merchants Association
for long time, but 1t is only recently that
. practical test on the uptown streets has
been made. This experiment was started
on Market street from the ferries to Tenth
street on Sunday, and so far it has proved
a success, so the advocates of the system
believe. A start in this direction would
have been made long ago by the associa.
tion but for the desire ON the part of a
numD Der of mem bers not TO interfere with
the private enterprise of several individ-
uals.. who own and run sprinkling carts
and who protested that To do so would
ruin their business. However. it was de-
cided tnat the welfare of the masses was
Of more importance than the interests OF
the few.
For a long time past the Harbor Com
mlssioners have been using salt water for
sprinkllng East street, and where before
clouds of dust were flying all day, now the
front is com parativeIv free from that an
noy ance. The cost has not been very
great. The same may be said of Alameda,
where salt water sprinkling has been in
operation for q long time. In discussing
this matter Secretary Freud stated that he
believes thatthis City will have to come to
sprinkling the streets with water from tho
ocean before long. Fresh water does not
hill the requirements and as 8 result the
City is frequently enyeloped in clouds .oi
flying dust Every year Tho City pays out
thousands of dollars for fresh water to
moisten the streets and ina few wears at
the present rate the City could save
enough money to own its own salt water
pump ping pant. I..:. .:-. a.:-. i,
Furthermore, the damage to goods in
stores from flying Gust would in few
years more than equalize the outlay for
the cost of "a pumping plant. Many
shome-seekers, Mr. Freud says, would
locate in San Francisco but for the dust
nuisance.
=. Yesterday the streets around the City
Hail were sprinkled with salt water, as
we'll as down Eighth. street between Mar
ket and Mission. Thisex pertinent will be
carried on during the present week. The
assocIation's superin ntendent, L. M. King,
ls all enthusiastic advocate OF saltwater
sprinkling. He has given the ma tier m uch
study, and he gives the following reasons
Tor advocating lis continuance:
1t binds the dirt together between the pay.
ing-stones, so tnat when dry there is no loose
dirt to be raised by the wind; 1t does not dry
80 quickly as fresh water and it is claimed nv
those critics which use salt water that one load
OF salt water is equal 10 three OF fresh water
The correctness OF this Claim Is now being
studied in the experimen made.
The salt VIII ich is deposI ted on the street b..
serbs moisture from the air during the night
so that during the early morning the street Is
thoroughly moist and mas the appearance of
having been freshly sprinkled. This effectu-
ally prevents dust being raised by the wind or
streetsweepers before the regular sprinkling
carts. eau get over the ground during the
morning, Al thus overcome ono OF our great
est nuisance. 1t is more nealthful than fres
water, 1or the reason that salt water will de-
stroy many disease germs now contained in
the dirt on our streets.
These advantages are particularly notice.
q bile on Market street, between Jones and
Fell, where this experiment. is now being
made The north side and center of the street
between the tracks are being sprinkled with
saliva ter, while the south side OF the street is
sprinkled with fresh water: Along the. north
SIDE and center the dirt is compactly bound
together,.is always moist between the stones
SO that there is never any dust raised there
and during, the. early morning that portion
appears as lheughtreshly sprlnkied. < 3.
The business men along that por tion OF the
street should observe and compare the appear
ance OF the two sides of the street. &:
: .-.-. .