Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-07
PARIS STREET CLEANING.
The System and Apparatus of Wash
ing and Watering.

FROM La Genie CIVIL
In washing and watering the streets OF
Paris the area dealt with comprises TO-
169.2S1 square yards of street proper to
which must be added 194SOOO square
yards for the graveled side avenues in the
Champs Elysees and elsewhere OF the to-
tai area 6,191 900 square yards are paved
with stone, 1.116O0O square yards with
wood and 431,344 square yards with as
phalt. the remainder being macadamized,
About ope-half the total area Is dealt with
by means of water carts to the number Of
800. These hold from 30 up to 300 gallons
OF water. but the largest size is used in
level areas only. The cart most generally
used is one holding 265 gallons These
carts weigh fifteen hundredweight each
empty, and their initial cost is ], 800 francs
each; me spraying tubes are of copper.
which is preferred to iron. although their
intrinsic value renders them liable to theft.
since with iron spray pipes there is con-
slant trouble from rust. Generally the
spray pipe is hxed at height of about
twenty inches above the ground. GER
tain number Of small hand watering ca rts
are also used in special places
The other half of the streets are watered
These are substitutes for leather or rubber
hose. The most common type of Chariot
consists OF four pieces of iron pipe each n
feet inches long by is inches in diameter.
d
length of leather or rubber tubing Each
pipe is mounted on castors. The roller of
the castor is a hollow steel ball. having six
holes through it. Through two of these
holes passes the spindle. and when the
roller shows sign of wear the spindle Is re-
moved and placed in another pair of holes.
so that fresh rolling surface is obtained
without the expense of a new roller and
the life of the spherical roller is therefore
three times that of ordinary cylindrical,
one. At one end of the chariot is coupled
up to the standpipe. and at the other to a
3-feet-4-inch length or iron piping, beyond
which again comes the nozzle. Each of
tnese "chariots" costs about IS francs and
they command an area within radius of
sixty feet to seventy-five feet of the stand
pipe to which they are connected. These
Standpipes are usually fixed about 100 feet
apart, the total number fitted for this spe-
cial purpose in the city being about 7.2OO
They are placed beneath the footpaths. and
valve near the surface, and stop valve
about three feet below. Closing the latter
opens a drain cock. which lets off into the
sewers any water in the pipe and valve
above it. thus avoiding damage from frost
These standpipes cost about 1O2 francs in
place. In practice one man can thoroughly
wash down about 1900 square yards per
hour, the usual rate Of discharge from
the nozzle being about nine gallons per
minute. and about one-fifth OF the mans
tim, Is occupied in shifting his apparatus
from standpipe to standpipe.
River water is used exclusively for street
water In Paris. and costs about ND per
1000 gallons. which, with the system In
question. suffices for cleansing $500 square
yards. With an average rate of wages of
As. I'd. per day, the cost of washing streets