The sun., 1908-01-26
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
CROWELL PLEASED WITH SNOW
REMOVAL, CONSIDERING.

Measuring snow a. II n were water Made
some Of the sub-C Contractors QUIT IN
IIUn-ShODpmg streets 6tin Dotted
with Advertisements Crowned IglOO@
re work Of snow removal went on slowly
yesterday. and by the time the working force
was reduced for the night shift compare
lively little impression had been made on
tho snow heaps along the main thorough
fares. The blocking Of the sides Of the
streets made 1t necessary for all wh0elod
traffic TO take to the car tracka and warped
surface car schedules, although conditions
were much improved over those OF the first
day OF the storm.
That the work OF clearing the streets did
not 20 on more rapidly was due for the most
part to a literal enforcement by foremen OF
the Street Cleaning Department OF the rules
laid down for the measurement Of snow
loads. The wagons used in removing the
SNOW are classed as A. B. C. ID and E. accord
ing as they hold from one and a half In Class
to six cubic yards in Class d. or over that
amount in Class +. The district foremen
OF the department at first applied water
measure TO the carts and took no account OF
the loads being heaped up. This discOur-
aged the sub-contractors, and they quit by
the dozen, taking their carts with them.
so the big contractors were left with plenty
OF men to do the shovelling but no carts
To shovel into.
J. +. Shaughnessy, the contractor who
has the job Of cleaning most OF the prin-
Cipal streets below 1l2th street, finding
his men deserving complained to Com
missioner CTowell early yesterday and
shortly afterward instructions were sent
to the department foremen to measure
the carts according to the actual load.
As soon as these instructions went into
effect some relief was felt. but it cannot
be told until to-day whether a majority
Of the disgruntled sub-contractOrs will
return to work.
Contractor Shau ghnessy said last night
that he had kept 800 men at work during
the day and would have at least 300 out
all night with carts enough to keep them
busy. He declared that reports that he was
going TO throw up his contract were un-
founded.
Commissioner Crowell OF the Street
Cleaning Department would not admit
yesterday that there was any serious hitch
in the work. He said that his early after
noon reports showed 1878 men and III
vehicles at work in the thirteen districts
Of Manhattan and The Bronx and 1y56S
men and B44 carts in Brooklyn. He esti-
mated that unless the weather grew much
warmer it would take from six to seven
days to get the snow on the streets, and
would not even make guess at the probable
cost, except to deny a report that 1t would
be Rs high as $500 600. He observed, how
ever. that the amount spent last year for
snow removal was 81 100000.
Considering that il was the first snow
Of the season and that II came so suddenly
said the Commissioner. the department
is getting on as well as could be expected.
Inspector W. 7. Charlesworth, who is in
charge Of the snow removal bureau, said
the new system had not had fair chance
yet and that IL was too early to predict
its success or failure. Inspector Charles
worth has been in the snow removal bu-
reau for ten years. He made q guess that
the streets would be cleared by Wednesday
night.
A suggestion that some OF the trouble
arose because the men were not paid enough
for load by the contractors was denied
by the principal contractors, who de-
clared that the rate 20 cents a cubic yard
was the same as had been given for the
invented by Commissioner Bensel during
his brief term Of Office and carried on by
the present Commissioner. the contractors
are paid a fiat rate Of from - to 81 cents
cubic yard for snow actually dumped into
the rivers. By the old system the pay
nlents to contractors were figured on the
snow area in their districts and the rate
was fixed at IS cents cubic yard.
Inspector Charlesworth figured syester-
day that under the old regime the con-
tractors could count pretty safely on a
shrinkaRe OF about 90 per cent. in the amount
Of snow and make money even when they
paid the subcontractors 90 cents a cubic
yard for carting 10 OF. II was suggested
that the present system didn't give much
chance for making big sums easily and that
this might have caused some of the trouble.
Inspector Charlesworth stated that the
principal effort Of the day had been directed
TO clearing Broadway, Fifth avenue and the
ferry streets, but at nightRall the showing
made in the shopping district was not very
good. Confidence in the staying qualities
OF the big snow piles was expressed by the
numbers of theatrical advertisements thai
crowned each heap.