The Washington herald., 1909-03-05
STREETS CLEAN FOR PARADE
City Officials Wage Successful Bat
tie with Elements.
COmmissiOner West Leads Brigade
Which Clears Pennsylvania
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Work

To the credit Of Washington be II said
that the city presented a clean line OF
march Tor the inaugural parade. To do
this required a pitched battle with the
elements, a contest beset with difficulties
OF which the general public knew little
Its street-cleaning brigade distinguished
itself.
The condition faced was even worse
than had been believed necessary to pro-
vide for. even az an emergency Two
months ago a snow storm gave solemn
warning 10 the District government and
stirred Congress into making an adequate
provision for snow cleaning.
Before then C0mmisSi0ner West had
asked for n special appropriation Of S1000
To provide for Just such n condition II
affairs as that which perverse fate gave
10 Washington yesterday. II was not pol
itic 20 insist upon the chance Of inciem-
ent weather AT the time. but, as events
have proved, IL was the purest wisdom 10
provide Tor IT,
1T viii be clear tomorrow at day-
break. was the promise on Wnich Com
missioner West slept Wednesday night
All snow cleaning was delayed until the
morning. The Commissions jumped oU.
OF bed at O'Clock 70 ind a blizzard howl
ing about his home. and Immediately got
the street-cieauing force into action
4 temporary obstacle was struck iu
the refusal of the ash carr drivers q
work on Inauguration Gay Hundreds 81
wagons were required 20 haul away The
snow and slush. and seventy-two wagons
were standing idle in the ash collectors
stables. with 10 one 20 drive them. This
dificuity was overcome however. and al
+ o'clock - men were working furiousl
along the line Of parade. from the Peace
Monument To the State. War. and NAVY
building.
Il was still showing and blowing hard
T but the men were spur-ed OF by the fac
that the march from the White House Il
the Capitol began at 10 o'clock. By thai
time a space sixty feet wide had beer
cleared. and at the time OF the inaUgura
( parade itself tie Avenue presented :
clean line OF march 10 the gutter line
+ Commissioner West personally sUperin
tended the work, and was well satisfied
with the efforts of his cohorts Worl
viii be resumed this morning. and by
o'clock Il = hoped 10 have the entire Ave
nue. clean. cutters and all
f A s o'clock half a dozen worknen EN-
pioyed By the Superintendent Of Publi
! Buildings and Grounds began tc shove
the snow from the broad north porch o.
the White House. and a snow pl0w draw
{ by one horse. made a path around th'
{ semi-cirCular driveway. Under the SNOW
was slush-ankle-deep sluSh-With larE
( proportion Of water. which made folk
wonder whether there would he an in
.sucural parade. ana after they had Wake,
around in il they even doubted the &c
STABILITY Of trying 10 have an insugura
ton AZ all
/ The streets were almost deserted in tn
/ early morning hours. In spite OF the na
/ ture takers. gray squirrel emerged from
his hole IN a big tree near the Whit
. House, ran gingerly down the trunk. an'
surveyed with an air Of surprise the pros
poets for forage.
The Roosevelt and Taft families gath
cred for breakfast at $50 o'clock. and bot
were extremely disappointed over IN
weather.