Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-07
STREET CLEANING
Change Made by Senate Committee
in Appropriation Bill.
COMPARATIVE STATEMENT As 10 COST
Response by Superintendent Slut
Ter to Claims of Contractor.
PLEA FOR HAND SWEEPING

The District Appropriation bill for the
fiscal year ending June 80, 1900, as it passed
the House. provided the sum of $3.50, 800 for
sprukling. sweeping and cleaning the
streets. avenues, alleys and suburban
streets, prohibiting the District Commits
sioners from contracting for this work at a
price exceeding twenty-five cents per 1909
square yards. and authorizing them. in the
event Of failure after due advertisement
to procure contract at said rate or less,
To expcnd the amount Appropriated under
their mediate direction and without con-
tract. The bill reported to the Senate
yesterday, increased the amount for the
work to s1J0.Oao, strikes out the above
mentioned provisions of the measure as it
passed the House. and proposes a substi-
tute provision to the effect that the Com
missioHers shall solicit bids for both meth
obs.
The Substitute.
This substitute of the Senate committee
on appropriations IS said to have been sug-
gested by Mr.. Albert Daggett, who has for
several years had contract with the Dis
trict for performing this work. using ma
chimes in the execution of his contract until
about two years ago. since which time he
has cleaned certain streets by hand. Last
year. according to statement made by
Mr.. Warner SJutler, the District sueprin-
tendent of the street and alley cleaning de-
partmcnt to the Senate appropriations COM
mttee, through the Commissioners, Con-
tractor Daggett bid thirty-twO cents per
loo square yards for hand cleaning and
2J44 cents per loo square yards for ma
chine cleaning. Meantime Mr. Stutler,
having been granted the sum of $1,000 for
the purpose. demonstrated to the satisfac-
ton Of the Commissioners that by the
hand-clcaninS system the work could be
done at d cost of but 10 Is cents per 1,0oO
square yards.
Mr. Srutler showed this in very full re-
port which he recently made to the Com
missiOneTs. published at the time in The
Star. This report covered the work per-
formed by the Misunderstanding system during
the first four months of the present fiscal
year.
During the consideration of the District
appropriation bill for the coming fiscal
year. by the Senate committee on appro-
priations Mr.. Daggett is said to have sub
mitted a statement TO the committee and
to have been represented before il by coun-
sci. Mr.. Jere VI. Wilson, when the substi-
tute reported by the Senate committee was,
il is said presented to il on behalf of Mr..
Daggett.
Superintendent Response.
In reply to certain statements said to
have been made to the committee by the
contractor. or his attorney, Mr.. Stutler
forwarded communication through the
Commissioners in which he said in part:
Why is it that Mr.. Daggett, who last
year bid - cents per thousand for hand
cleaning and 2JEa cents for machine sweep
ing, should now propose that n cents be
paid for machine cleaning and - cents for
hand cleaning ] might also ask why
should the District propose to pay ~ cents
per thousand for machine cleaning, when
ia the city of Indianapolis machine clean
ing is done for II cents per thousand square
qrr-e2.s 10
bor not less than SIS per day and also pay
for all water used by him in sprinkling the
streets, for which the contractor here pays
nothing Why is il that We should propose
70 pay ~ cents for inferior machine clean
ing. when have demonstrated that the
vastly superior hand cleaning can be done
for IL l-3 cents per thousand?'
Referring To Z: statement attributed to
Contractor Daggert that it would cost to
clean daily the paved area of Washington
SIt'-I2, or S2OI.3i3 per year of 20 working
days, and that these figures are based on
his tStutler'sD statement, Mr.. Stutler said
TO the committee:
i say that l can pay my men - cents per
day more than he pays his. do better work
and clean 100000 square yards daily, at a
cost not to exceed ~ cents per 900 square
yards. which would cost per day S5T, or
per year of 30 working days S1j6, 600 To
clean the same area at - cents per / 900
make. paying his men SIS per day, not
less than $1,000 per year; and if he only
paid 81 per day Tor labor he would make
about 500 per day off the men, a total
profit OF Sl6O per day, ur $4,000 per year.
In other words, every cent per 900 square
yards added TO the price paid for cleaning.
when applied TO cleaning 3OO0.DU square
yards. adds $50 per day. or SIS 100 per year.
to the contractors profits.
Area Cleaned by Hand
Mr.. StutIer called the committees atten-
tioD TO the fact that Contractor Daggett is
cleaning by hand labor 44j,O19 square yards
at - cents per loo square yards For this
area. says Mr.. Stutler, the contractor en-
ploys stXty-tve men and six horses and
carts. with drivers Continuing. Mr. Stutler
says.
From July l, 1895 TO January !. 1899 he
tDdGSetu has worked III days and re-
moved 3,6S6 loads Of dirt, making an aver
age Of - loads per day. he SAYS ~ Under
the superintendent 3US.512 square yards per
day are cleaned. on which work thirty-eig hi
men and four horses and carts with driv-
ers. are employed. From July l. 1898 TO
January !. 1879. they have worked 14T DAYS
ana removed 4u3 loads of dirt. or an aver
age OF 10 Is loads per day. Mr.. Daggett
says We remove ~ loads per day.
Comparison Made
Comparing the machine work with the
haHd-cleaning system, usually five sprin-
klers are put on the streets and if they get
started late they have TO hurry so that the
street is only about half sprinkled. Then
when the machines follow along a terrible
dust is raised, bringing complaints of citi-
zens 10 the office OF the dust and noisy
brOoms- Then if the streets are made too
wet the dirt IS not only pasted TO the street
ana not well removed, but there is an over
throw from the revolving brooms, which
MAKE the streets look sometimes worse
than before they had been swept The
fluctuations in the streets. when swept by
machines. are left full OF dirt while the
cutters are usually but half swept Then
the machines throw the dirt on the side
walk, and, when the work is done by day
into the faces of persons passing by: and
no matter how much dirt may be thrown
on the sidewalks it is never removed by
the contractors men. Except during the
winter months. when the windows and
DOORS of the houses of citizens are CLOSED.
II Is necessary TO do all machine cleaning
at night after the people have retired he
cause OF the amount OF dust thrown up nv
the machines, which permeates the omen
houses. 10 the ruin Of lace curtains orna-
ments, rugs. &c, and disfigures the light
dresses OF the ladies'
Queries Propounded.
Mr.. Daggett says that Suffers men
would receive $l42.JO per day. while the
contractors men would get sr74D How
can this be true when the District is pay
, Ing - cents per day more for it's labor? He
says II costs twice as much 10 clean Penn