Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-23
CLEAN STREETS SOON
Many Workers Busy Today
Shove|ing Snow and Ice.
GIVE ORDER
Put Cleaners on Job, Taking Chance
on Appropriation.
BUSINESS MEN TURN ON HOSE
Merchants Use Water to Wash AWAY
Slush-Police Interfere-Specia
Permits Issued.

The streets of Washington are today be-
ing cleaned of the accommodations of
muck.
Orders to do the work were issued from
the office Of Commissioner West, who
has supervision of the street clean
ing department, early this morning. and
all the available equipment was put into
use during the day.
James NJ. Wood. superintendent of
street cleaning. is confined to his home
today by illness. He has sore throat
and a cold, and rumors were rife about
the District building today that he cross
ed several streets yesterday without wear
ing rubber boots. In his absence. Maj.
Newell Ball, assistant superintendent Of
street cleaning. directed the carrying out
of the orders of the Commissioners, and
he said that by night the streets will
present greatly improved appearance,
and will not be longer terror to pedes-
trians.
Using Street Cleaning Fund.
The street cleaning fund is being used
for getting the muck off the pavements
in line with a suggestion made in an edi-
torial in The Star. While there may be
some snow Or ice left in some spots. It is
declared the greater part of the accumu-
lation is dirt. and the street cleaning fund
is to remove dirt from the streets.
Believing that the auditing officials of
the Treasury Department will appreciate
the situation which confrontS the Com
mtssioners and will cooperate by lib
eral Interpretation of the law" Commits
sioner West said, ORDERS have been given
to use the street cleaning fund. 1t would
seem as IL there could be no question
about the use of the money for this pur-
pose. but unfortunately the law is SO
framed as to prohibit the removal of
snow and ice from the main body of the
streets, it being evidently the intention of
Congress not to allow the expenditure of
money for the removal of snow upon the
extended schedule, such as is done In
New York city, where the cleaning of
snow from the streets costs more in one
day than 1t costs the District of Columbia
in year.
Confers With Auditing Officials.
Il conferred this morning with DR.. Lay
ton, the Treasury official who audits the
District accounts, and who consulted with
his assistants, who are thoroughly famil-
lar with the District appropriations, and
while no definite answer was given as to
the right to expend the money, and it was
stated that the matter would require some
deliberation, I presented the problem in
such a way as TO lead me to believe that
these officials appreciate the situation and
will not be technical in their audit of the
accounts. OF course, should the expendi-
ture be diSallowed, the responsibility rests
upon the disbursing officer, who is bonded
hn
made.
The conditions are unquestionably in
tolerable, and today I shall suggest to
the Senate subcommittee which has
charge of the District appropriation bill
an amendment to the law SO that in the
future there will be no question as to the
right of the Commissioners to remedy
such conditions as now prevail. An eff
fort will be made to clean the streets,
and in the future. when the accounts
come to be settled, we will do our best to
convince the Treasury officials that the
expenditure is authorized under the Law"
Flushing the Streets.
Following a suggestion that the streets
could be flushed by the fire department
and thus cleaned, Commissioner West Or
dered the men of engine company No
16. at 18th and D streets, to try the plan
yesterday afternoon. A hose was at
18th street and Pennsylvania avenue and
a stream of water was thrown onto the
streets. The experiment showed. accord
ing to officials who witnessed 1t, that the
dirt from the streets Choked the sewer,
and thus prevented any good results.
Commissioner Mcfarland, who has
charge of the fire department, was asked
regarding the suggestion.
LAS to the suggestion that the fire de-
partment might cooperate with the street
cleaning department in special emergen-
cies, 1 should be glad, as the Commits
sioner having supervision of the fire de-
partment. to see that 1t did anything In
its power to aid the street cleaning de-
partment,' Commissioner Mcfarland said.
II would not favor sthe use of the fire en-
gines because they ought to be constantly
ready to respond to alarms when not
actually engaged in fire fighting. A min
ute's delay In leaving for a fire may mean
loss of life or property Therefore, they
ought not to be taken for street cleaning
purposes. Moreover, the engines could
only serve in the immediate neighborhood
Of their houses, and that would not pro-
vide for example. for the cleaning of
Pennsylvania avenue and many other
streets.
"High Pressure" Would Help.
when we get from Congress the au-
thority and appropriation which we have
asked for the high-pressure fire protec-
ton service, powerful streams can be
thrown upon the streets at any time
from the hydrants. and ! should advo-
cate that method of cleaning the streets
under proper conditions.
Pending the installation of the high
pressure Interpretation service, some
thing might be done with the present
pressure from the hydrants and the use
of hose not needed for f1re-hght1ng pur-
course, do it's part in this method of CO.
operation. But we would have to know
from the street cleaning department that
such use of the hydrants was desirable
and feasible. Moreover, the water de-
partment would have to say whether the
necessary water could be spared.
Il have never had the supervision of
the street cleaning department, but /
know it has been hampered by lack of
means and of legal authority, notwith-
standing the recommendations. Certain
ly it ought to have means and author
ity to remove the snow from the road
ways whenever necessary
Merchants Use Hose.
Merchants, who this morning. in eff
fort to improve the filthy condition OF the
streets and sidewalks in front of their
places of business used a hose, were
stopped by the police until they had OBJ
tanned a special permit from the Dis
trict authorizing the use of water outside
the limit of time set by law. The law
hours of o'clock and o'clock, both q. m.
n md n en- G