The age-herald., 1902-05-02
Mayor and Street Commissioner Looking After the Garbage
QUESTION OF SPRINKLING3
Suggested Electric sprinkIers Be Used. Jemison Says 1t Is Not Fair to Force His Company
 to Sprinkle.

Yesterday the city began to sprinkle it's streets and remove it's garbage, this work having up to that time been done by con- tract Mayor Drennen and Street Con- missioner McCartin. who have the work in charge, are busy getting it systema- tized and in good running order. They in- tend to make Birmingham a clean city and one as little dusty as circumstances permit.
 When the city bought the wagons and carts from Burkhalter & Co.,, who have been removing the garbage, they took over the drivers of the wagons. As one of them expressed 1t, 'De city bought me along wid de team.' There will be sev- enteen drivers employed at S1 a day each to handle the teams used In sprinkling and the removal of garbage. These are experienced and reliable men. The force of city convicts will be used as hereto fore to clean up streets and alleys. and working in connection with the carts it Is thought there will be no difficulty in keeping the city clean, provided the peo- pie will cooperate with the authorities.
 There are many ordinances on the sub ject of placing trash in the street. but some of them are conflicting and the mat ter Is now being investigated, and at the next meeting of the council 1t is probable that these old ordinances will be repealed and new one passed.
 Question of SprinkIlng Tank.
 An ordinance is now being prepared by hn fud In to a resolution adopted at the last meeting of council, to require the street car com pany to sprinkle between it's tracks and IS inches on each side of them. This work will probably be done by means of a sprinkling tank run on the tracks by cleo tricity. These water cars are used in number of cities with much success. They can be regulated to throw water any dis tance up to 40 feet on each side of a track and sprinkle the street thoroughly. They carry an enormous amount of water and in this way save time in refilling. They are in use in Cleveland, O., on all streets over which tracks are laid. Selma has recently purchased one and Col. F. M. Abbott, president of the Selma Street Railway Company Is very much pleased with it. Speaking of these cars Mayor Drennen said:
 About two years ago I was present at the municipal convention in Syracuse and these water cars were discussed. I understood at that time they were all manufactured by one concern which rent ed them by the year at an annual rental of S12oO It Is possible they are good things and could probably be used to ad- vantage if they are not too expensive"
 Does Not Think 1t Just.
 President Robert Jemison of the Birm- ingham Railway, Light and Power Com pany, when asked about the proposed or dinance to compel his company to sprinkle between the tracks, said:
 "The street railway company is willing to do whatever is right and just in this matter, as in all other public questions. We do not think, however, 1t would be just proper to pass an ordinance re- quiring any one enterprise to sprinkle any part of a street at its own expense when the city is sprinkling other streets at the public expense. Our company is a part of the public and pays its share of taxes into the public treasury. and ought not to be required to do more than any other business concern. It would not be right to single out any one store and require it to keep the street in front sprinkled when the city was sprinkling the rest of the street at the public expense, and the same principle applies to a street rail- road"
 Asked if his company would be willing to undertake the contract of sprinking the streets by means of water cars run over their tracks, Mir Jemison said that he had not investigated the matter and did not know whether 1t would be feas- ible.
 An Alderman yesterday said that 1t is thought by lawyers that the proposed ordinance compelling the street railroad to sprinkle its tracks is unconstitutional and that the matter would probably be dropped.