Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-19

say, and will be followed by warmer
weather.
Later in the week there may be another
disturbance" with snow, which may result
in an old-fashioned white Christmas.
The tracks of the street railways and sub
urban lines were kept clear during the
fall by the great rushing, whizzing sweeper
cars which swept along, leaving pictur-
esque confusion and cleared tracks In their
wake. The temperature during the down.
fall was moderate. the thermometer regis
tering about = degrees below the freezing
point.
Little Damage to Wires.
Notwithstanding the clinging nature of
the snow the telephone and telegraph COM
paries report that there was but little
trouble occasioned on their lines. The snow
covered the slippery places on the side,
walks and roadways, and many luckless
pedestrians and horses had falls more or
less serious.
The plan which has been in vogue for
many years at Buffalo. n. Y, and other
northern cities of hauling the snow and
ice from the streets in vehicles and deposit
ing 1t in gulles or gorges outside the cor
poration limits has been adopted in modl-
fled form here Gangs of men, with carts
and wagons have been engaged in the task
of piling and transporting the snow and
sush to the city's dumping places, In order
to prevent as far as possible the conditions
which have prevailed in Washington in for
mer years, when the slush following snow
falls made the streets almost unnavigable.
AS a result of the partial thaw of the
snow on the sidewalks yesterday there
were many slippery places this morning
which We're declared to be menaces to both
life and limb.
Cost of Cleaning Up.
In reference to the cost of this cleaning
up process, It is stated that surplus of
about $1,000 was on hand, subject to be
used for this purpose when the snow began
to fall Saturday. This amount will, 1t is
said be spent in disposing of the downfall
of the past few days. and, apprehending
still further snow. the District Commits
Sioners several days ago called upon Con-
gress to appropriate $4,000 for such an
emergency. 1t is expected that the appro-
priation will be made. The work which Is
done under the present system contem-
plates the removal of the snow only from
the crosswalks and cutters, except on
few of the very busy streets, where 1t is al
ways cleared off entirely as soon as prac-
ticable.
1t is estimated that in connection with
the opinion of the District Court of APP
peals holding to be unconstitutional the law
requiring property owners to remove snow
from their sidewalks it would cost approx
mately 100000 to remove the snow from
all the sideswalks of the city.
In some of the larger cities, like New
York, the amount of money expended an
nually in similar work runs into enormous
figures. but there, here, it is considered
necessary item of expense.
1t is provided by the present system here
that the superintendent of street cleaning,
as soon as snow has settled, advertises
in the daily newspapers for laborers to re-
port Immediately at the District building.
Usually men go there in large numbers in
response to the advertisement, and are at
once put to work. The snow is dumped
into the nearest sewers and carried off to
the river by the flow of water which con-
tinually runs through them.
Formerly mattocks were used with which
to break up the frozen snow and ice, but
IL wassfound that these instruments dam
aged the concrete pavements, and nova
days shovels are employed in their stead.