Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-05
One Of the 80 COWS owned by the District
died The District owns 124 hogs and pigs.
The Street Cleaning Department.

died. The District owns 124 hogs and pigs
The Street Cleaning Department.
Warner Stutler, superintendent of the
STRENGTHENING department since 1897. re-
signed on December 90 1904 after a. pro-
tracted trial. He was succeeded on January
16, 1905. by Harrison Stidham, an asso-
| ciate member of the American Society OF
civil Engineers and a former assistant of
Colonel Warning in the New York depart
ment OF street cleaning. Business methods,
| higher standards. and stricter discipline
| have been instituted by Mr.. Stidham, and
! apprectable Improvement is noted in many
branches of this important work. Five in
| spectorS resigned-one under compulsion-
and one was dismissed. The appontees 20
the vacancies thus created have measur-
ably bettered the morale.
Much of the desired improvement in the
work of the department must wait upon
the proposed reorganization which will re-
quire the consent Of Congress. The new
plan involves only REIMBURSEMENT of sala-
ries within the limits of the present appro-
! priation. In place of seven sets of inspec-
| tors, each In charge of different class of
| work, it would provide for the subdivision
! of the District into small sections each in
responsible control of foreman, with the
necessary carts, machines, and laborers to
perform all of the varied street cleaning
| duties in the fixed area assigned to him.
Every five of these foremen would report
| to one of four overseers, who in turn would
| be held responsible by the superintendent
| for the continued cleanliness of all parts of
| the city. 1t Is believed that this proposed
departure will do away with the present
complication and with overlapping of re-
sponsibility. will extend supervision 10 areas
now neglected, and will be productive of
effective results.
The winter of 1904-5 was exceptional in
severity and amount of snowfall. Nearly
as much was spent on gutter and cross
walk clearing as during the entire five pre-
ceding winters.
The conditions during and Immediately
after inauguration week especially
such as to call for emergency treatment
NO cleaning had been performed for nearly
SIX weeks because of snow and ice cover
ing the roadways. With the spring thaw
streets and alleys were left with a full
months accumulation of slime mixed with
dirty masses of ice. For the first time in
its history the department organized spe-
cfal gangs cf hired carts and laborers, and
cleaning that ordinarily would have
dragged on through much of April was
completed by the end of March.
The average cost OF hand cleaning was
1876 cents per thousand square yards
against ia cents in 1894 and 179 cents in
ESH, cue not only 10 the unprecedented
emergency of the spring, but 10 marked
Improvement in the character of this work.
The standard OF cleanliness is notably
higher, and the work has been extended
with no account taken of the Increased
area involved to care for the sidewalks,
alley mouths, and the abuttiug cutters of
| unimproved or machine-swept streets. 1t
is believed that hand cleaning is al present
more economically performed than in any
other American city of the first class where
the same standard obtains. Each mile of
street averaging 50 feet in width requires
two and one-third sweepers, at a cost of
$3.50 annually.
In machine sweeping d gratifying increase
in quality and quantity for money expend-
ed has been secured by insistance upon the
specifications governing the contract Per-
haps the most important present need in
the prosecution of this class of work is for
the employment of auxiliary gutter and
rough1Eg-up gangs in winter, when for days
at a time the streets on the machine sched-
ules are left unswept because of freezing;
rendering impossible the laying of the dust.
This desirable end will be attained under
the contemplated reorganization scheme
when it is also planned to perform this
sweeping directly at lower cost and more
efficiently than through contract.
For alley cleaning larger appropriation
is urgently necessary. 1t is most important
that many of these narrower thorough
fares especially those used in connection
with the congested rear tenenents, be
swept more frequently than only once
weekly, as is the case under the existing
contract. The alley schedules have been
found to be in chaotic condition and are
now being revised as TO the areas used the
question OF public or private ownership, and
the elimination Of portions which exist only
on the surveyors plat or are shut off from
traffic. If this work is to be continued I'M
der contract, complete field survey will
be necessary, at an estimat ted cost of 81 600
Special attention is invited to the needs
of the department as regards street sprin-
king. Not only should all of the unpayed
residential streets be cared for, but COM
prehensive system of sprinklng or flushing
of the paved thoroughfares is urgently re-
CURED. Washington is. so far known,
the only city of the first class that has no
adequate sprinking of its paved streets.
Rochester. with a population of 162 900,
spends $4,000 annually; this year we ex-
pended only $S.429 and sprdnked only
of "a cjt thprOnrbfares
A total of 3641T tons of garbage and,
,1I6 cubic yards of ashes were collected
and disposed of, an increase over 1904 OF
12S and 3D. per cent, respectively. Under
the fixed contract prices per annum the
costs were $109 per ton of garbage and 81
cents per cubic yard of ashes. against
$1.39 and 49, cents, respectively, in 1904.
The collection service has been somewhat
improved, but is still by no means satisfac-
tory 1t is believed, however. that the new
contracts. awarded in the spring of 1905,
and which will go into effect before the
close of the calendar year, Will AFFORD Ell
fective practical resource in compelling con-
tract service without the undesirable al
tentative of canceling the agreements.
Among the general Improvements in the
work of the department may be mentioned
the increased attention given to the Clean
ing of unmproved streets. at lower cost
per cubic yard of debris removed; the fight
against dirt spilling from overloaded or I'M
properly protected wagons; the better con-
troll of street littering; more vigor IN re-
porting instances of dumping refuse INTO
public alleys and in tracing the offenders;
the building up of the department plant by
purchase and repair, and the Introduction OF
new devices, the keeping of detailed shop
costs: the introduction generally of card in
dexes for recording complaints, correspond
ence, the personnel, etc; the creation of an
eligible list from which applicants for Ia
borers' positions are selected in their order;
transfers of Inspectors TO break up routin-
ism: and the starting of new appointees In
the lowest positions and promoting where
possible.
The Snow and Ice Law.
Congress having failed to appropriate for
the removal of snow and ice from sidewalks
by municipal effort the Commissioners con-
tinued their endeavors to compel property
owners to do this work. After consultation
with the corporation counsel, they adopted
a police regulation, On February s, 1908, for
the removal of snow and ice from the paved
sidewalks of the District within the fire
limits. The enforcement of this regula ton
resulted in the institution of a test case
the court of appeals finally deciding that
the regulation was void as being Illegal
exercise of authority and unwarranted by
any power conferred by Congress upon the