New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-02-20
HE'D BURN MONEY
TO MELT THE SNOW
Mr.. FetherstOn Tells His
Troubles to Women, Who
Reply with Questions.
CITY EQUIPMENT
WAY BEHIND TIMES
Wades Through Three-Foot Bank
TO Reach Headquarters OF
Municipal League.

Money is the thing needed 10 melt the
snow drifts in New York city. accord
ing TO John r. Fetherston. who made
last night. before the Women's MunicipaI
League. at No 46 East 29th street ms
first public speech since he became head
Of the street Cleaning Department. COM
missioner Fetherston. by the way, had
10 plunge through three feet or snow
before he could get to the door OF the
league headquarters.
The department" he said, rs up
against the proposition Of removing
ff.een-inch fall OF snow with "A siX-inch
equipment our equipment is antiquat-
cd and should have been discarded long
ago But while German cities are spend
ing money freely to keep their streets
clean and dispose OF the rubbish after
the most modern methods. New YORK
the richest city in the world, Is un"lH-
ing TO put UP the cash.
There is a good deal that is hysterl-
ca; i'm the present situation. All sorts
Of unreasonable demands are made as
that the lake in Central Park should DC
immediately cleaned so that there may
no fancy skating. The Commissioners Is
made the target Of everything magma
ble. snow melting devices are hurled az
him By the score so 10 speak.
But putting the hysterical part aslos'
How, far ought we 10 go in cleaning
,rbore ought to be some one TO decide
vbcther we shall have an equipment 10
moot ten. a fifteen. a twenty-incn IAN
Of snow. and then the question comes
Are the people of New York Wiling u
mt M the money for It?
Commissioner Fetherston said tha' men
r.bo had been In the department lohs
while had told him this was the "ois'
spov,storro TO deal with they had eXperl-
enced and vet compared with the great
storm of Christmas Day, 49, we nave
done n per cent more work in the SAME
time he said. Eighty per cent OF the
work however. remains TO be done our
great difficulty IS 20 get carts we ca"
get all the men. all the shovellers' we
want; but the supply Of carts is hnl'eu'
A woman in the audience asked the
Commissioner why the snow couldh DC
dumped in the sewers near at hand.
BECAUSE the Department OF sewers
objects" he said. They tell us that 'he
sewers are constructed to carry OH INC
liouid waste, and that snow dumped INTO
then, would cause an overflow ana hooo
tho Easements in the lower part OF the
ci,v Sewers can be used to a certain ex-
tent but in many streets they won't let
US use them at all
WHY" asked some one else' areh
the streets nearest the docks cieaheu
first 50 YOU won't have TO haul the carts
over the drifts there in dumping the
snow?'
"That would seem to be sensible, re-
niied tbe Commissioner. but the men IN
the department say, oh, we must MAKE
huff at cleaning the main streets OF
tho revsnapers will be after us worse
than ever The newspapers ne auueu
feelinglv spend most Of their time MT
ting me now "a
Tho street-car situation. he said nau
never been so bad as during the present
crisis; but that was due ito comolna-
ton of circumstances" which comoiha-
ton. however, ne did not explain.
New York will improve some time l
helieve." he told the audience. What
want the Board OF Estimate and Appor-
tionment to do is 10 have model districts
in various parts OF the city-residehtial
tenement. business-to prove what can De
done believe they will appropriate the
money for this. and gradually the I'M
movement will extend. AS it Is, our de-
partment IS in a turmoil constantly from
lack Of proper equipment. Take our old
wooden docks. where the dumps are-al-
WAYS burning up. naturally, for the stun
dumped there IL most infiammaole our
old carts should be replaced. l wouldn
advocate making covers for them except
Of the most temporary kind. They aren't
worth it