Evening star., 1925-01-05
DISTRICT TO BUY
NEW SNOW PLOWS
Eight to Be Added to Force
to Prevent BIoCkades
in Future.
This is story of snow and lessons.

This is q story of snow and lessons.
The latest lesson of snow stands out
prominently in the background OF the
most recent statement of Morris Hacker,
superintendent of street cleaning, who
today announced that he would make
immediate arrangements TO buy eight
new snow Dlows to augment the force
Of Z now in uSe in removing the slush
which has made Washington's streets
for the last few days unenWable rivals
Of the we'll known rocky road to Dublin.
The new plows will be the same type
as the ones now in use, 10-foot blades
which are attachabie to heavy trucks.
Keller Remark Recalled.
1t was back in 1922, almost three
years ago, when Commissioner Charles
Keller, sitting az chief engineer Of the
District February ] 2 made it clear that:
Washington will not be caught again
without a well defined plan for the re-
moVal of snow"
This was Just after the period
when Washington walked and waded
through snow and sush to work and
home again through the remnants of the
blizzard which figured in the Knicker-
booker tragedy.
New Lesson Learned.
Since that time, gradually snow
removal equipment has been added
to the Street Cleaning Departments
facilities until today there are i
plows, attachable to trucks, with
which to fight snowstorms. The les
sons Of previous years apparently
had been well learned But there
| was ono which was left for this most
recent storm.
1t was this:
Snow must be moved before it is
hard packed. Otherwise the blades Of
the PloWs cannot get into it.
On tho heels Of this statement from
Mr. Hacker came widespread specu-
! lation as to why the slush on the
streets Saturday afternoon was not
removed District officials claim it
was too hard packed to be removed
! by the plows. There are quite some
thousands of people in Washing ton,
however. judging by expressions
| picked up in a survey of the situa-
! tion, who are distinctly of the oppo-
| site opinion.
Up until 1858 advent the lessons
seemed to have been well learned.
( For instance in April, 1922. six new
snow plows were purchased along
| with two tractors in following out
Commissioner Eellers plan. and when
| the year 1928 dawned with attendant
| SHOWS there were IA plows ready to
open the slushbound streets of the
National Capital. After the first big
! storm on February s only 10 Of the
! plows were needed. Four huEdred
men got out and worked and the
snow disappeared in a jiffy. Some IS
| days later in that year another big
snow and sheet storm blanketed
streets. Fourteen plows got out and
! the snow got off the streets.
I9@5 Makes Up Deficit.
| The year 1924 did not bring any
| pressing problems of snow removal,
( but this year made up for the laxity
| Of it's predecessor.
| And with 1925 came the lesson that
snow must be moved before being
| packed.
| There was another little discovery
| made this time. 1t is being followed
/ out now The flushing trucks which
/ flood dust and dirt off Summer streets
can be used instead of tractors to
clean off snow. Morris Hacker does
not think so much of the merits OF
I tractors Accordingly. he is equip
ping the flushing tank trucks with
snow blades and the battle is going
! on against the slush today with these
vehicles augmenting the forces of the
! snow plows.