New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-03
street Cleaners on JOB.

I,o.cu streets. .tccf that stood Two
niche. on tho ,idcualke. falling horses,
demorslizod traffic. suffering through
1p.crf.. an unu.ualiy high tide these
we're only some Of tho thing noted yes
'crdAv AZ attending the remarkable
torn that has held Manhattan IN ITS
grin Tranic WIS restored 20 some
ming like the normal - soon As posi-
bic. and the street Cleaning Depart
r.crt attacked the removal problem with
igor and determination.
or course. the most apparent prob
lem in Manhattan during the day was
the snow and sleet IN the streets. Ram
aId not come 20 the assistance OF Com
missioner Fcthcrston. a. he had expect
cd. and 50 he had 10 call out hls army
or snoV tgntcrs. The first reserve OF
tho emergency men more than fifteen
thousand q them IN all gathered ~
Headquarters before o'clock in the al
icrroop. ready and very willing, in
qccd. I'm this winter OF hard times, to
begin work an hour later Hundreds OF
The men had no other employment save
that afforded them by the vsgsries OF
nature.
The Commissioner al that time said
ne hoped TO have the streets cleared oy
midnight. With the regular force OF
six thousand men, more than twenty
thousand would be At work on the $3.50
miles Of streets 70 be cleared IN Man
haitian, Brooklyn and The Bronx, ne as,
serted. The emergency men worked
until II o'clock last night.
Last year the removal Of the snow
in two big storms cost 81 900, but
Mr.. Fetherston declared his new sys-
H. al
into the sewers will Offset much of the
cost Of Transporting il to the rivers.
He estimated that an eight-hour shift
of $4,000 men would amount TO $4,000,
and the whole cost of modifying con-
tractors and emergency men for the
same period would amount 10 100000.
Sees Menace in Sleet.
Rain would help me- said the Com
missioner. ut would clear the streets.
II call out the emergency force il
means much to the taxpayers. But II
I don't call II out and a thaw followed
By a cold spell sets in conditions will
be intolersble. Ordinarily we are not
supposed TO use extraordinary meas
ures in cleaning the streets, unless the
fall measures two inches. However,
although this sleet fall is only II
inches by the Weather Bureau meas
uremcnt, sleet is an entirely different
thing from snow. Suppose IT turned
cold and the sleet froze? Life ard limb
would be menaced 10 terrible
degree
According 10 Mr. Featnerston. the 49,
600 emergency he mas registered are
divided into eight-hour shifts OF $4,000
nen. Gangs OF six or nine will work,
each under the supervision OF regu-
lar departmental emplove. and will
lush the snow and sleet into the sew
ers with hand scrspers for the most
Tart.
Paw Is so cents ar hour. on the basis
that man can clear three inches Of
snow from 343 square yards or $50
cubic Yards Of roadway in an hour.
Force of Minute Men.
Mobilization is easily effected inside
Of four hours, because the men report
II the storm begins in the daytime and
are called by the police II IT starts at
night.
Twenty-six autotrucks with snow
t,louphs attached are used TO push the
Low into the sewers with the aid OF
Tho shoyellers in the main streets Of
Manhattan. The Bronx and Brooklyn.
Tscb truck must cover twelve miles
f"nr times in each eight hours. for
ybicb $50 IS paid There are seventy
four miles IN Manhattan 20 be cleared
u" The 500 miles Of streets to be cleaned
,ncludc 400 miles IN Manhattan, $40 IN
RrooLIyn and So in The Bronx. The
area TO be cleaned amounts TO -lioos'''V