New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-16
PROVISION FOR SANDING.
DUTY. OF CONTRACTORS.
Borough officials to Order Them to
Fulfil Obligations.

Confronted by the problem of making the
streets safe for horses and automobiles When
there is no provision in the charter for sand
ing ice coated pavements. the borough officials
have taken up The Tribunes suggestion mat
.un,her of having contractors are still respon-
sibIe under their contracts for this important
public work President Ahearn yesterday re-
tuested the Superintendent OF Highways TO
search contracts and furnish him with list
of contractors who are responsible. He says he
viii see 10 it that they carry out the sanding
portion of their contracts.
A clerk in Superintendent iScannells office
began yesterday TO go through the contracts
made previous 10 1895 1899, most of which
contain a clause providing for the sanding or
the streets at the order of the Commissioner or
Public Works All Of the contracts have not
get been looked UP. but some OF the most dan
rerous and troublesome streets seem to be fully
covered by contracts already inspected
AS soon as have a report from the Super
lntendent Of Highways on the companies and
the streets involved" said Borough President
Ahearn I Will Immediately call their attention
TO their obligation. / will give them houce
that they will have to sand the streets Wheh
inform them that the conditions demand IT.
There can be dispute about the sanulhs
clause as it is written down in black ana "hi'e'
according 10 my information from Chief En-
enforcing il. as the city holds back certain
mart Of the contract price where there are
maintenance and sanding clauses in the con-
tract"
In contracts made in recent years the sahulhs
clause does not appear, Mr. Ahearn said that
he did not know why It had been dropped out
The contracts issued under his administration
90 not contain the sanding clause
According to the records of the Society for
the Prevention Of Cruelty to Animals It's OIL
GERS have helped more than five hundred horses
in the last two weeks. Scores or horses Win
broken legs or other injuries have been shot or
taken TO the hospitals in ambulances FOR treat
ment. In. one day last week seven horses were
shot and as many more were taken 10 the nos
pitaL
The search OF the paving contracts reveals
that there has been a general Sinking Of duty
on the part Of many Of the contracting com
panies In their defence they say that they have
not been called on by the city authorities to
sand the streets.
A list of streets for which there are sanding
clauses in the contracts includes Fifth-ave.'
from Eighteenth-st. 10 Nineteenth-st., Tor ten
years, from June -. 1896; Madison-ave. from
Ffftv-eighth-st. to sixtieth-st, fifteen years
from October 3. 1890; Madison-ave from Twen-
ty-third-st. TO Thirty-second-st.. ten years from
November 30 1896; Madison-ave. from One-hun-
dred-and-twenty-fifth- to bridge over the Har-
lem River fifteen years from November IL,
1895; hundred nd-tWenty- fifth-st from ST.
Nyicholas-ave to Madison-ave., fifteen years
from May 20 1897: the east roadway of Broad
v-av from Ninety-second-st 10 One-hundred-
and-sixth-st ten years from June %. 1896. and
numerous cross streets. including Thirteenth,
Fifty fourth Forty-siXth, Eighty-s!Xth, Fifty
first and Seventy-ffth, for various distances.
The companies concerned in these contracts
are the Scilian Asphalt Paving Company, the
Barber Asphalt Paving Company. the Cali
fornia Asphalt Company, the Fruin Bambrick
construction Company. the Warren Scharf AS
phalt Paving Company and the Asphalt Con-
struction Company
The Barber Asphalt Paving Company has
contracted to sand. when called on, sections OF
Liberty Cedar, William, New and Nassau sts-
under a contract running ten years from Sep
teGnber 80 1886.
In its crusade against sprinkling at the end
Of last summer The Tribune called attention
10 the fact that the original draft OF the present
charter contained a clause giving full cognt-
Zauce and control Of street sprnkling and sand
ing 10 the Department of Street Cleaning. In
some manner never discovered this clause
dropped out of the charter in the final hand
ling. Its omission never authorized by the
subcommittee on streets. and the fact that II
had been omitted was not discovered until the
charter became operative. II was then too late
20 do anything except by amendment, and
far efforts in that direction have failed. A bill
IS now being prepared which Will give the
Street Cleaning Department full control of these
two important duties