MODERN METHODS OF STREET CLEANING 



Street dirt can be found in masses which weigh pounds 

 on the tops of the tallest buildings in New York. Visible 

 particles of sand and horse dung show its earthly origin. 

 It is this dust which blackens the snow; which enters 

 our homes and our hospitals in place of pure air; which 

 settles upon food; which penetrates our cupboards and 

 desks. It literally grinds itself into our flesh and finds 

 its way into our blood. City dust makes the lungs of 

 people black and aggravates diseases of the nose and 

 throat. 



The city street, like its progenitor, the country high- 

 way, is a natural outlet for filth. Here refuse of all 

 streets as kinds is cast from the houses. Windows are 



Receptacles 



for Refuse raised when rooms are swept, doors are opened 

 when the sweepings are ready to be brushed out, rugs 

 are beaten on sidewalks and roofs, dogs are taken 

 out on a leash to defecate, kitchen garbage is set out 

 on the sidewalk for scavengers to remove, old clothing 

 and dead animals are thrown into the gutter, ashes are 

 cast upon the carriageways, human beings expectorate, 

 and children urinate and defecate upon the pavements. 



The pavements themselves are ground down by wear 

 and tear, and where broken, contribute a considerable 

 amount of dirt to the streets. Every wagon-load of 

 sand, coal, garbage, ashes, or other loose material adds 

 its contribution as it passes. No house is built or torn 

 down that does not add to the dirt in the streets. 



Most of the solid filth which comes out of the house 

 leaves it at the street level, but there are quarters in 

 every great city where refuse is constantly thrown down 

 from the windows and brought up from the cellars into 

 the streets. 



In some cities the air of the streets is polluted with 



