NEW YORK 



The cost of this \vork, including wages, repairs, 

 depreciation, interest on the investment and inci- 

 dentals, was $0.317 per thousand square yards. A 

 hand sweeper was assumed to be capable of cleaning 

 s:iti>i':irtorily 8000 square yards of pavement per day 

 at a cost, including wages, interest, and depreciation 

 of his tools, of $0.281 per thousand square yards. 



The cost of flushing the streets with water, based 

 on a calculation similar to the foregoing, but with 

 a charge of $90 per million gallons for the water was 

 $0.251 per thousand square yards. It was assumed in 

 this last calculation that three men would be required 

 in each gang, one to handle the nozzle and the other 

 two to assist in manipulating the hose and to sweep 

 out spots where the dirt adhered to the street sur- 

 face with unusual tenacity. In this estimate it was 

 assumed that the area washed would average 5000 

 square yards per hour. 



The wages paid in New York are materially higher 

 and the cost of maintaining horses considerably greater 

 than contractors pay in other cities. The street 

 sweepers received in 1906, $2.19 per day. 



At the present time the hand sweeping is done in a 

 very simple, not to say primitive, manner. The imple- 

 ments employed are a push broom, a push scraper, a 

 short-handled broom, a short-handled shovel, and a 

 can carrier. The scraper is much used on asphalt streets 

 and is a peculiarly serviceable tool. In shape it is like a 

 very wide, flat shovel with a long handle. Its dimensions 

 are usually 36 inches along the scraping edge, 18 inches 

 long, and 3 inches deep. The handle is about 8 feet 

 long. The scraper is pushed ahead of the workman 

 who walks rapidly after it, thus lifting the refuse from 



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