Putnam patriot., 1914-04-24

While Town Is Asleep--SpeeiaIly
 Trained Men Look After Asphalt.
 Regular Force of Nearly a Thousand
 Cleaners.
 With almost every city and town in the United States preparing for It's spring cleaning attention hts been at trnctej 10 the methods of cleaning bouae adopted by the important cities of Europe
 In ID European town perhaps are the methods more interesting than in the thrleiue German city of Ilamburg where carefully trained children help to keep the city beautiful Writing from that place. Lulted States Consul Robert r. skinner says ihat the mayor of one of the lafge cities Of 8hia who visited Hamburg Vas auch impressed with fhe important pnrt performed by the children ln keeping the city clean He departed from the city, alr Skin ner says. convinced that tho cleaning of streets and sidewalks in Germany is much lighter task than iii cities of the same size in the United States because of the orderly habits of the people themselves
 suction street sweeping devices" !" continues Mir skinner, are practical ly unknown in Germany. Hamburg itself owns horse drawn sweepers only. although for about nine months two electric motor sweepers have been in use. These however do not yet be- long to the city and are being employ. ed experimentally. They have not giv- en satisfaction and have been under repair more than three months. These motor driven sweepers fail to work well In this city because the pave ments. as rule. are not very smooth. and the mechanism of the sweepers Is deranged by the shaking 1t receives. Recently the front wheels of these sweepers have been provided with rub Der tires. and they have worked moro satisfactorily
 Cleans i.2ao Streets.
 '.rhe Hamburg street cleaning de partment cleans and when necessary sprinkles ali city streets, makes re- pairs. maintains relief stations. re moves dust. garbage and waste mat fer generally from streets. houses wharves, ships and markets and ops crates also a garbage burning plant At present the department cleans 900 streets. with their adjacent sidewalks having a length of 2ai 1 miles The roadways cleaned cover fully b.650.0I0 square wards and the sidewalks about 4,lTTaa0 square yards The work Is carried on under the supervision Of twelve experimenting establishments Thirty main thoroughfares are cleaned six times weekly ut night by means ot rotary hrooms and ali other streets with few exceptions. twice weekly ln the center of the city the streets ar, also cleaned six times weekly durine 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 be come slippery and are looked Ter hN specially trained men They are swep, and drenched with water and tn icA weather are Sprinkied with pehhles O. late complaints have been made by tnt owners Of motorears that tAtse pcl bles damage ths tires of their tehlrles so that now this material k stpewn only when strictly necessary. The peh bles used are mud free and from anc fifth to swo-frths mch lu diameter b. 1910 s0a.s5 cubic yards of theSe peh bles were uslilxed Tue Hamburg strecl cieantas apartment owns So clean iF machines. 54 snowplows. ioi wa ter wagons. 100 garbage carts fo' waste from private houses. co garhage carts for waste from ships. auays etc. $50 snow wheelharrows and S2' garbage wheelbarrows.
 Night work begins at midniEi' anu ends when the streets aFv ih order Twelve squads work under the dlrS fion of twelve different posts. Ihest posts are in charge of an inspector Toy day work and subinspector for nign' work. The jurisdiction of each post IS divided into ten subdivisions. so that in ,he event of emergency work can oe taken np simultaneously at moments notice Ut l2o different points. tirs'