Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-15

usually even Tire ucdSlcSl SuOWS iuCit HI
g. few days." said Mr.. Paxton. Elm the
northern cities as in New York, for ex-
ample. unless the street cleaning depart
Inent haulS the snow away 1t Will remain
on the ground for weeks. perhaps, Sc
riously delaying traffic. To haul this
snow away is matter of several days
and enormous expense. Washington,
however. being more or less southern
city. has not this problem to face. 1t Is
found that by opening the cutters, trans
sunny side of the street and otherwise
assisting 1T to melt, 1t usually disappears
almost as rapidly as it would take to
haul it. In the meantime, for the con-
crosswalks, principal intersections of
street car lines and spaces at the street
car stopping points are cleared as soon
as possible after each snow.
Included in the work of the street clean
Ing department is that Of pallbearer to
the horses, cats. etc, that breathe their
last in some thoroughfare, or. in fact.
any place in the District. Section o in
article II Of the police regulations states:
"All dead animals shall be removed to
the place Of disposal in covered wagons
or other vehicles or cOnveyances as
nearly alright Is possible, to be approved
by the superintendent of street cleaning"
When notices of the presence of such
material are received at the department
wagon of the above description is sent
out and the dead animals are removed to
the reduction plant. about four miles from
the city. This work is done by contract,
the reduction plant belonging to the con-
tractor.
Every hOusekeeper in the city OF Wash
ington and its most densely popula ted
suburbs Is provided by the District gov
eminent with the free collection and dis
posal of the household wastes, which
service is performed by contract under
the direction of the street cleaning de-
partment In return the householder is
required to follow out a few simple in
structiOns, which are embodied in the
police regulations and printed on cards
distributed by the street cleaning de-
partment.
In general these requirements are that
the garbage, ashes and miscellaneous
refuse shall not be mixed, but placed in
separate and suitable receptacles which
shall be made accessible to the collector.
and the instructions define of what each
division of the household waste shall
consist, the kind OF receptacle for each
division and the meaning Of accessible.
Every householder is familiar with the
more or less noisOme wagon that on col
lection days removes the waste deposited
in the regulation cans belonging to each
home. The toot of his horn signifies that
the garbage man has arrived and is
ready to dump contents of these cans
into his wagon. This material is removed
in wagon carrying a covered metal box
At the transfer station this metal box
Is lifted and loaded on cars to be shipped
by rail to the disposal plant, located
thirty-two miles from the city. where the
refuse Is disposed Of by the reduction
process.
Every small boy has at some time in
his career had desire to become an ash
man and ring the loud gong that heralds
his presence throughout the neisnuor-
hood. Plentifully powdered with fine white
dust and busily at work dumping the
contents OF the regulation metal ash cans
into his canvas-covered wagon, the ash
man Is scarcely. however. a romantic
figure to any but the small boy. These
covered wagons when full are driven to
the outskirts of the city and the ashes
used to fill in low ground. A great area
of otherwise useless ground has been re-
claimed in this way.
Another very important and extensive
part Of the work Of the city's street
cleaning department Is the collection and
disposal Of the miscellaneous refuse from
private residences throughout the year.
This refuse consists Of all the rubbish in
cident to the ordinary conduct OF the
household. including discarded floral dec
orattons. Christmas green's and small
branches from shrubs and vines, and in
amount of this material collected and
hauled away during the year Mr.. Pax
ton points out that last year 10000 cubic
yards Were collected, or pile nearly
as large as the municipal building it
self.