New-York tribune., 1902-08-17
GOSSIP OF THE BOROUGH

Strange as it may seem. places on the street
Cleaning force much in demand IN bFoohlyh'
and there many persons performing the MUM
BILE duty OF sweeping the pavements who both by
reason of intellect and training are suited for en-
pIovment much more lucrative and much less
menlal. Down on the Heights there IS an OLD gray
haired man welding the broom who many years
ago was a professor in Western college He per-
shame account or his present io"y iEt il 49,
he cares sie 10 talk abou but one the well known
residents OF the Heights got TO taking VA Wi'n 1 n1Ii
day and drew out fragments or t%he me ora ,lan ia
history. Conversation proved that in cducaion ana
general kn3Sedge ne %4S m he declared When
pressed to give some details OF ms d0Trid' dHri o
shook his head sadly and said simply 'DFlhh-
In the neighborhood OF Hancock-st ana NoStiahu-
ave. an Italian sweeps the streets who Is said 10
ov,,, several cheap tenement houses and 10 be
worth at least $500 lie has lucrative business
in old rags and junk. In which he keeps a large
number OF men employed. There woud seem 10 pe
broom on the streets for a meagre Si3 30 Il week,
but he says he likes it, and that is good enough
reason for him.
Compared with street work for corporations. the
duties devolving upon a municipal street cleaner
are light and laborers always jump at a chance 10
become a white wing The most trying task that
is set for the average broom pusher Is exceedingly
light i'll comparison with other forms OF manuai
labor. Then, there is always chance Tor an or
dinarily bright man to advance to the grade OF IN
spector or superintendent, where the pay ls cor
reepondingly greater and the duties less arduous.
Jobs in the Street Cleaning department Dehe LhoIe
numerous than any other class, are one OF the
isl fIcans it Wss said Of Alderman bridges be
obtained more such Jops Tor DIS IoHo"ers '"'ii any
other one man in Brooklyn
II Bridge Commissioner Lndentha were Obliged
to walk down Westinghouse. under the elevated
wards Of the bridge railroad which extend out over
the sidewalk, after rainstorm. he would un-
doubtedy see to II at that the dripping water
nuisance be abated. The iron structure upon when
the tracks are laid is filled in with brick arches
covered with cement. which was intended TO keep
the water from coming through. It probably did
many years ago but time mas so crackel the cenlen
and sae w6cb .xudes % water in large
drops for time after every rain coming as
thing but clean and is only annoying to pc
destTans but to their fIothnE b ne eh
both terminals OF the bridge, where the prom.
almost Constantly from the dripping water. After
an unusually heavy rain 1t is almost Impossible 10
avoid the dirty drops
In general the work of keeping the bridge clean
is done in a much sovenly and unsatisfac-
tory fashion than the days before consolidation
when the structure under the contrc' or a
bridge commission. BrooklyniteS appreciate the
attention at @ tna1 secnrtV of the bridge but Would
be grateful If a reform was instituted In the mat
ter of neatness-
Half dozen fire balloons. flying high in the air
oyer the lower part of Brooklyn between and 10
o'clock on Friday night, attracted considerable at
tention and caused much speculation when the
first of the flaming balls floating through
the darkness a rumor spread among the newsboys
at the Borough Hall that SantOs-Dumont was max
ing q secret tMa of his airship. 1t was said that
his announced departure for Europe was hoax,
and that he had gone out into the country to make
experiments with his aerial invention large
crowd gathered and 1t amusing TO note how
many men OF apparent intelligence took stock in
tIs airshp story. The group did not break up
until the last of the balloons had faded away In
tha MINER darkness. The balloons, 1t was learned,
Srsra sent up as part of the celebration of the
Eeast of the Assumption by Italians in HudsonaVe.
Ar Law and Tillary SITS. an American flag which
-os e,,in1 above number of Italian flags in honor
10 the feast day burned to tatters by bolt
NJ lightning which struck the fagpole in the storm
az az o'clock Strangely enough, the Italian en-
biems were not injured