New-York tribune., 1909-12-29
SNOW FADES AWAY
WORK QUICKLY DONE
Ed7cards Pushes Laborers to
Prepare for Another Storm.

Three storms in sight and the snow
knee high and carts as scarce as snow in
July, was the cry Of Big Bill Edwards,
the snow fighting Street Cleaning Commits
siener, yesterday. and with that he urged
On seven thousand men and the drivers of
the meagre twelve hundred trucks he was
able 10 get TO their highest speed.
1he weather man told him that things
were unsettled. and, although he refused to
be cast down, there was no denying the fact
that Uncle Sans map OF conditions showed
three lows" any one of which might be-
come a visitor in New York at short notice
Michigan, Cupe Hatteras and Halifax
were the centres of these three possible New
York storms Yesterday the last named being
the one whose traces big BIZ is striving
TO clean away now, b-t the weather men
say it may decide to back track this way
ana make another visit. The most serious
storm was west of Buffalo.
Meanwhile Commissioner Edwards has
made such use OF his men and trucks that
practically all the main nerth and south
streets, and all the most used crosstown
streets are piled" and the work OF carry
ing those piles to the river IS going forward
as fast as possible.
Il could use a thousand more trucks
terday, 'but I can't get them"
Transfer men who haul building material
were glad TO work for the city when the
big storm tied up building operations. but
now, with the main arteries Of traffic open
for use, the builders are ready for work
again, and the transfer men say they must
heed the calls of their regular customers
Mayor Mcclellan was among the many
who praised Commissioner Edwards's work
yesterday. He had occasion TO take trip
up to s1st street on Monday night. and was
agreeabIy surprised TO find the roadways
cleared for traffic even then, though the
piles till stood in the cutters.
Edwards certainly has made a splendid
job OF it, said the Mayor indeed. IL it
were not for the difference in cost, the city
would be justified in doing away with the
contract system altogether, this experiment
has worked so well"
The pay roll for the department goes in
on Friday. the first pay roll since the storm
struck the city, and then the Bowery's con-
tributiOn of emergency laborers will be cred
tied with % cents an hour for each hours
work with the shovel. and about a week
later they will get 1t. following which there
Will naturally be big storm on the Bow
cry not a snowstorm. however.
HI an ellOIl " get more ITuChS out, NOIu-
missioner Edwards yesterday raised the fig
ure for hauls south OF 59th street to 40
cents cubic yard instead of 80 cents, be-
cause the hauls in that section are gen
orally Of greater length than further north.
One arrest was made yesterday. the first
this season, for an alleged fraud in connec-
ton with the snow removal Brinton Buck
walter Commissioner Edwards's secretary,
caused the arrest of a checker in the en-
ploy OF the department. Patrick Flanagan.
and another man, who said he was James
Mulligan. In the. Harlem court Mr.. Buck
walter told Magistrate Moss his story and.
as the prisoners had nothing to say, the
magistrate held them until next Wednesday
III bail OF $500.
Traffic squad policemen in the downtown
section of the city made numerous arrests
Of drivers in the morning but Magistrate
Cornell, in the Tombs court, discharged
them, and instructed the policemen not to
make arrests in cases where Il was shown
that the traffic conditions were at fault
rather than the drivers.