The Washington herald., 1913-05-18
Children help Clean THE STREETS

ment cleans, and when necessary sprtn-
kles all city streets, makes repairs. main
tains relief stations, removes dust, gar
bags and waste matter generally from
streets, houses, wharves. ships, and mar
kets. and operates also a garbage burn
ing plant. At present the department
cleans $50 streets with their adjacent
sidewalks, having a length Of 2sl.4 miles.
The roadways cleaned cover about $685.
$40 square yrds. and the sidewalks about
$50 square yards. The work Is car
ried on under the supervision of twelve
experimenting establishments. Thirty
main thoroughfares are cleaned six times
weekly at night by means OF rotary
| brooms, and all other streets, with few
exceptions, twice weekly. In the center
OF the city the streets are also cleaned
six times weekly during the day, and
in other parts of the city four times
weekly during the day.
Asphalt street surfaces require more
attention than others as they become
slippery and are looked after by specially
trained men. They are swept and
drenched with water. and. in icy weather.
are sprinkled with pebbles. OF late,
complaints have been made by the own
ers of motor cars that these pebbles
damage the tires of their vehicles so
that now this material Is strewn only
when strictly necessary. The pebbles
are mud free and from one-fifth to two
fifth inch in diameter. In 1910. ss6.s5
cubic yards of these pebbles were uti-
lized. The Hamburg street cleaning de-
partment owns fifty cleaning machines.
fifty-four snow plows, 1o1 water wagons,
100 garbage carts Cfor waste from pri-
vate houses. sixty garbage carts tfor
waste from ships, quays, &C.,, $50 snow
wheelbarrows and gu garbage wheelbar-
rows.
Might work begins at midnight and
ends when the streets are in order.
Twelve squads work under the direction
of twelve different posts. These posts
are in charge of an inspector for day
work and q subinspector for night work.
The Jurisdiction of each post is divided
into ten subdivisions, SO that in the event
of emergency work can be taken up
simultaneously at a moments notice at
10 different points. First the broom
machines, of which there are twenty-six.
sweep the roadways. while the sidewalks
are cleaned at the same time by special
men. Anothr squad follows the sweep
ers to heap up the dirt swept to the
roadside, and. finally, carts and garbage
wagons follow. The night work never
lasts more than eight hours House
holders are required to burn all garbage
possible and to store the rest in sheet
iron cans with covers, which are de-
posted at the edge OF the sidewalks twice
a week. not before p. m. The cans
are emptied by the garbage gatherers
and must be taken In from the side
Streets Are Flushed.
DAY work begins at a. m. and con-
tinues until s p. m. except with the men
who work on the asphalt streets, who
remain on dury unti1 p. MA two-hour
intermission is allowed at noon. Recently
ten small iron boxes and ten wire-netting
paper boxes have been placed on trial
in different parts Of the city to facilitate
the work of the street cleaning depart
ment. If they answer the purpose salts
facorily a large number will be provided
hereafter.
ION some streets It IL also the prac-
tice, where there is a sufficient grade to
enable the water to carry of the waste
matter through the cutters, simply to |
scour the roadway with q strong stream |
of water.
AT the garbage-burning plant Of the |
city in 1910 the following quantities or |
material were burned: House garbage. |
3,176 tons; wharfs garbage. Ans tons: |
ship garbage. $3.50 tons; market waste, !
$50 tons: waste delivered by private per- |
sons and public institutions, 1.5H tons; |
total, s2,9z3 tons. From these quantities |
of waste matter the city obtained ASST |
tons Of cinders and S75 tons Of old metal, |
all Of which had Q substantial CONNER |
cial value.
THE regular Hamburg STRENGTHENING |
force consists of 800 to 800 men. but as |
are frequent in winter, 1t 10 |
often necessary to increase the force to |
as many as $500 men with the utmost |
A situation Of this kind 10 met |
In the following manner: Not later than |
the month of October the STRENGTHENING |
distributes to all laborers APP |
plying for them at the proper registry |
office a card stating where the applicant |
Is to report for work in the event Of |
heavy snowfall. When the need presents |
itself, men aolding cards Of this kind |
obtain employment first. They are paid |
as much as $50 per day, the standard |
rate being ~ cents per barrow load Of |
snow removed However. those who I'LL |
the barrows are paid at the rate of |
cents per hour. Barrows are used II /
snow has to be transported not more
than SO feet In other cases, carts Of 4
ID cubic yards capacity are employed.