The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-04-24
FIRST ANNUAL CLEANING DAY
in BILLINGS GENERALLY OBJ
SERVED.
ALL STORES CLOSE
citizens United in General Effort to
Clean UP City, Remove Rubbish,
Plant Gardens and Flowers and Set
out Trees-success Of Cleaning Asl-
tation Greater Than Anticipated.

VI a-g p. --l.4LL u.AT-. 4 --HE ll.aHe "ILl
The first annual cleaning day in
Billings was observed yesterday in
conjunction with Arbor day. Through
out the city a determined effort was
made to clean up rear yards, vacant
lots and streets and alleys.
The work Of cleaning up began
early in the morning, under the super
vision OF committees named at the
last meeting Of the $4,000 club
Hundreds Of men, women and children
devoted the day to cleaning, planting
flowers, trees and gardens and i'm
proving the appearances Of their
homes and the ground adjacent, while
hundreds Of loads Of rubbish
carted to the dumps. In the First and
Third wards the committees were n
usually efficient.
In the First Ward.
In the First ward the committee In
charge Of the work, Austin North,
George Weed and John Walker had
appointed superintendent in every
block and had a systematic organiza-
ton to work with. As a result there
was not a block In the ward where
rubbish was not burned or carted
away, and where flowers, trees ar1
gardens were not planted. Chairman
North Of the, committee said last eight
that more than Is teams were employ
ed under the direction of his COM
mittee, some Of the teams being do
mated while others were hired. Sew
eral of the teams were employed by
private parties and set to work In
the business section Of the city the
superintendent for one of the blocks
secured the services Of some men and
had the streets cleaned. In Mayor
Fosters block he was particularly act.
i've, cleaning his own premises and
several OF the adjoining vacant lots.
In the Third Ward.
Aldermen Gates and stafDek, To-
gether with the other members Of the
committee in the Third ward, H. w.
Nelson and Emil Keil, went to work
early and their ward was system.
atically cleaned. Alderman Staffek
said last night that more than eight
teams were busy throughout the day
carting away the rubbish that the resi-.
dents Of that ward succeeded in rak'
ing up, while hundreds Of citizens had
fires where they burned everything in
the way Of rubbish.
* Second and Fourth Wards.
Much Of the cleaning in the Second
ward was done early in the week, SC
that the committee in that ward, L
f. Schad, q. r. Burla and o. F. God
dard, did not have as much work as
in the other wards. The finishing
touches were put to the work OF clean
ing, however, and a large amount o.
rubbish, weeds and dead grasses were
burned and considerable hauled away
In the Fourth ward, the committee
Fred S. Mills, A. Gilsdorf and Herman
Schwartz, did excellent work and
was assisted by the citizens in ar
enthusiastic name AS a result s
large amount of cleaning was done.
Business Was Suspended.
Every possible assistance was give1
the citizens by the business men, wht
closed their places Of business in the
afternoon to permit their employees
to participate in the work Of cleaning
up. While the saloons kept open, thu
number Of people in them was smallel
than usual, which was a delightful
surprise and showed that everybod!
was engaged in the work Of cleaning
AS the stores were closed at nool
and the afternoon was virtually a hal
holiday, set aside for cleaning pur
poses, naturally the most work wa
done then.
A representative of The Gazette
took a ride through the different sec
lions Of the city slightly before
o'clock and the number Of people a
work observing Cleaning day and Al
Dor day was a most delightful SUI
prise. Here and there we're peopl
raking a yard, cleaning the street Q
cutting dead weeds, while near b;
was some one burning rubbish. o.
the next lot probably was a man PLAN
ing garden and flowers, while adjoir
ing his place some one was setting GU
trees. On one street alone NOR