Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-21
SNOW IS CLEARED
FROM MAIN ROUTES
Refuse Departments Often
sive Starts Long Before
Daybreak.

The Capitals snow-removal forces
launched their offensive against the
7la-inch snowfall long before daybreak
today and when the morning rush hour
arrived all main thoroughfares had been
cleared.
The offensive began at midnight last
night when the night force of the city
refuse departments flushers went on
duty. Each flusher was equipped with
a snow pillow and started clearing paths
for traffic in the most travelled routes.
BY 2 am. the entire force of SO snow
piowS was at work. Before the driving
seat in each of the fushers is a set
Of written instructions as to the route
to be followed and the driver continues
along this route until most of the ac-
cumulated snow is scraped away. This
work is practically complete, but will
be continued until nightfall should the
snow continue falling.
Tomorrow being a holiday, no work
viii be done on the streets unless there
is an unusually heavy fall. In that
ease Morris Hacker, the superintendent
of the department. will declare that an
emergency exists and call out his work.
ers. There Is no provision for paying
them overtime for this work, however.
In the congeSted section. after the
snow is pushed from the roadways. it is
loaded into carts and dumped in
sewers. This work proves boon to
the out-of-work population, as all who
ask for jobs are taken on at a wage of
S3.44 per diem. There are $50 of the
departments men at work on the
streets. Each foreman employs the
casual help, and figures are not yet
available as to the number of extras"
taken on.
No Work on Sidewalks.
The department does no work on the
sidewalks. These are left to the initiative
Of the owners of adjacent property A
law compelling owners to clear the side
walks in front of their homes was de-
clared improper by the District Court
Of Appeals, as in Washington all side
walks are owned by the Government
Mr. Hacker said that the present
snowfall would cost the city about $20,-
600 to deal with. There Is no special
fund for snow removal. All of this work
has to be paid for out of the 100000
appropriation for street cleaning. The
more spent for snow. the less will re-
main for street cleaning in the Summer
During the long sessions of Congress,
when snow removal work caused deple-
ton of the street cleaning funds, defic-
ency items are usually asked for. There
will be no chance for this this year.
however, as adjournment of Congress is
only 10 days of.
AS usual the bus and street car COM
panies aided in keeping lanes open for
their own vehicles as we'll as others to
pass through. All the zeal companies
reported Some delays on the regular
schedules, from various causes, and all
did unusually heavy business carrying
in the large number of regular auto
mobile riders who had left their cars at
home.
The Capital Traction Co. reported an
average delay of from Is to IS minutes
on all schedules. Eleven sweepers and
six scrapers were put to work at mid
night clearing the snow away from the
car tracks. Most of the delays reported
were due to rain freezing on the motor
mans windows after most of the snow
had fallen.
The Washington Railway g. Electric
Co. also started to work at midnight
with &c sweepers and 10 scrapers. The
company's own trucks carrying the snow
scrapers were supplemented by others
hired from the George Mullen and
Arthur Lowe trucking concerns and
from the OrriSon Coal Co. Serious de-
lays were encountered on the Bright
wood and AnacoStia lines and minor de-
lays on all other lines. The troubles
came mainly from short-circuited third
rail slots caused by steel skid chains on
automobiles. Six pulled" plows, due
to ice packing in the slot, were reported.
On the Maryland line to Mount Rainier
and Hyattsville the brake shoes of sew
eral cars became loaded with ice and
caused serious delay. The company's
BUSES, however. were fortunate, as there
were no breakdowns or accidents of any
kind reported.
The Washington Rapid Transit Co.
put three plows to work at midnight.
One was used III Maryland. north of
the District Line. opening the route to
Forest Glen, -Four Corners, Linden
and Silver Spring. Special effort was
made to clear the snow away from bus
stops for the convenience of passengers.
The early buses kept their schedule.
but later in the morning, due to the
general slow movement of traffic and
rain frozen on windshields, the sched-
ule was slowed down. A larger number
Of trips was run-off during the rush
hour than usual, and all BUSES carried
heavy loads of passengers. Only three
reports of accidents. none resulting In
anything more serious than bent
fender, were received before noon.