MODERN METHODS OF STREET CLEANING 



sewermen under four foremen. For the purpose of 

 sewer cleansing, the city is divided into four parts. 

 The work is carried out at night. The detritus is 

 carted to dumps at the river where it is carried away 

 under a barging contract. About 150 tons of detritus 

 are disposed of per week. The sewers are cleansed by 

 the cheapest and quickest methods available. Pipe 

 sewers are flushed with water from hydrants and obstruc- 

 tions are removed by means of rods or with a hand line 

 and chain worked from the manholes. 



The brick sewers are more difficult to cleanse. If 

 the detritus is not heavy and thick, boards, the shape 

 of the invert of the sewer are so fixed as to cause the 

 water to back up behind them. The board is then 

 released and the rush of water carries away with it 

 the detritus in the sewer, the sewer at the same time 

 being raked and swept by the sewermen. Sufficient 

 water may not always be obtained by this method, in 

 which event hose is used. 



When the detritus is deep and heavy it is shoveled, 

 into trucks, elevated to the surface and carried away. 

 This method is used as little as possible. It is em- 

 ployed only when it is impossible to lubricate the 

 detritus and carry it away by flushing and sweeping. 



The catch basins are emptied at regular intervals, 

 varying with the street conditions. In some streets 

 they are cleansed once a week, while in others they 

 are emptied only once in three months. If they are 

 offensive they are flushed with a hose or powdered with 

 disinfectants. There are catch basins every 120 feet or 

 so, in places. 



The same routine is observed in regard to reports in 

 relation to sewer foremen, as described in the case of 



80 



