New-York tribune., 1910-01-23
MELTING THE SNOW.
Il Plan to Use the Sezcers Without
Choking Them Up.

Ihe idea of removing snow by shovelng it
INTO the sewers, where it may melt and run on
TO the river, is attracting considerable atten-
uon from the authorities in this city Just now.
Ihls looks like such a good way to get rid Of
the snow expeditiousy and cheapIy that Ror-
ough President McAneny is Investigating its
feasibility, and the experiment is being tried
by the Street Cleaning Department The value
Oh such method was emphasized by Commits
sloner Edwards few days ago in speaking with
a representative of The Tribune
1t would cut down the expense 30 per cent.
said he, the deep wrinkles of jollity on his face
smoothing out into expression of earnest
ness 1T would reduce the length of the haul
For instance, it costs $4,000 to clean the city
south of Chambers street. If we could use tha
sewers it would save one-balf of this"
An idea of the saving to be effected nv s1ch
a method of getting rid of the beautiful" NAV
be gained by a little contemplation of the fig
ures or the cost of snow removal. Two winters
ago the city spent approximately $3.50 900 in
this way, and last winter 1868 600 The De-
ccmber storm, it is expected. will cost the city
S6OoUO. These figures, even cut in two. would
go d considerable way in building new schools
At least two obstructiOns appear to stand In
the way of utilizing the sewers for snow re-
moval. One is a pair of city ordinances do
signed to prevent employe of the Street
CIeanng Department, or any one else from
deposlting In a catch basin or sewer or per-
mttng TO remain in a gutter anything which
coulo opstruct the sewers if washed into them
The other is that the sticks, cans and other
solid rubbish in the snow likely TO clog the
sewer barrel stave lying on the floor of a
sewer or caught in the walls holds back othe.
solid material, such as plain dirt or small OBJ
jects, and forms a dam for the collection Of
pools of sewage. Mr.. McAneny, in speaking Of
the experiments which he has been making and
the objections 10 using the sewers said to a
representative of The Tribune a few days ago:
Such dumping of snow into the sewers as
has as yet proceeded has been altogether ex-
permental, and further tests Will be necessary
under varying conditions before any definite
plan can be adopted. The use of the sewers
as dumping points has been proposed for many
years, but has worked out satisfactorily
in the past. There has been constant objection
on the part of the Sewer Department, on the
ground that any considerable dumping at a
particular point would dam up the sewer, with
the consequent result of cewage backing into
cellars and easements and piling up big bills
for damages to be met from the city treasury
The objection to using the sewers appearing
to be the difficulty of keeping the dirt out of The
sewer system, a device for melting the snow
and freeing ii of barrel staves cans and other
debris before it reaches the conduit has been
this part Of The Tribune. In effect it designs
enlarging the present manholes to the sewers,
at convenient distances apart, TO such an ex-
tent that two or three carts could dump their
loads of snow into the sewer at the time
This snow would fall upon grating, heated
by gas pipes at the bottom of the manhole
Other gas pipes would be arranged around tho
inside of the manhole and all these pipes would
be perforated with many holes, from which.
rIa crT1ita 4ar TIa
steadily upon the snow, melting it so that it
would run swiftly away along the sewer to the
river In order TO prevent sticks, cans paper
and other rubbish dumped with the snow from
clogging the sewer with rakes hoes
could at intervals sCrape the rubbish from the
crate and hoist it to the surface. When the
dumping was over the gas could be turned OF,
so that the expense would be Slight compared
to that of hauling snow long distances