The Topeka state journal., 1898-02-21
FIGHT THE DUST.
One of the Great Plaques of
Life in Topeka
Is the Dust Nuisance on the
Many Windy Days.
TOPEKA is TOO OLD
To Stand This Terror of New
Prairie Cities
Much LOnger-We Should In
augurate a System
Of Cleaning the Streets That
Really Cleans Them.

Street Commissioner Ramsey in
speaking Of the condition of the Tope-
ka streets, said:
L wish that would be permitted to
wash the pavements every night AS
the contract with the water company
stands, we have no right to wash the
payements. The only thing we can do
is to flush the cutters, and that has
been done at least twice a week during
the summer. Washing the streets is
the only effective way to clean them.
Our plan of having hand carts at
work all the time is an excellent one
but we have not enough of them to
make them as effective as would
wish. 1 hope that the city council will
consent to give me a dozen more carts
and men, We cannot work them on
Sunday, because the people will not al
low it, and the streets are consequently
worse on Sundays than during the
week.
LAS far as the blowing of dust is
concerned, that cannot be stopped. The
dust blows in from dirt streets and will
travel for miles. Street forces in larger
cities have discovered that the blowing
Of dust cannot be avoided. Much of it
comes from the sidewalks People do
not clean their sidewalks, and the dust
is whirled into the street by the wind.
we are Handicapped somewhat by
the reduction Of the tax levy We have
less money to spend when we should
have more"
The people of Topeka have had an
opportunity of seeing how much can be
done by a few .ewhitewings'' street
cleaners, during the past summer, and
the popular demand is that the work
be increased and extended.
Topeka people are accustomed to
having most Of the comforts obtainabIe
in this day and age of the world, and
they will no longer submit to having
their eyes, ears, noses and thrOats
filled with vile dust almost every day
they come down town.
If the climate of Kansas were not
what it is, perhaps so much Importance
would not attach to the dust nuisance.
But in this state of nOtoriously high
winds, it becomes necessary to adopt
measures that would be necessary no
where else. One OF the greatest evils
that eastern visitors seeking to live and
invest here, complain of. is our winds.
These are made doubly terrible to them
by the clouds of dust that sweep down
the streets, and to which they are not
accustomed in their eastern homes, be-
cause there is not so much high wind
there.
So it will be seen that we must take
heroic measures. We must reach a de
termination that we viii put an end to
the dust nuisance and we must have
the machinery necessary to do it All
asphalt paved streets should be washed
every night as well as the sidewalks.
During the day the street commission
er's force should be so enlarged that
absolutely all dirt can be removed the
instant it is deposited on the pavement
The street sweeper should be used on the
brick paved streets and on West Sixth
street. All the paved streets should be
sprinkled, not merely Kansas avenue.
The street force would be better en-
plOyed keeping down the dust than in
grading M of the streets
which are seldom improved by the pro-
cess. Then a system of paving at least
two residence streets a year should be
undertaken. The roadway can be mar
rowed to 80 feet. so that the expense
would be light. But more can be said
on this point at another time.