MODERN METHODS OF STREET CLEANING 



the pavement and carrying it to the curb. The. can 

 carrier is a light, low, two-wheeled, carriage framework 

 in which metal receptacles for refuse, about the size 

 of a barrel, are placed. The sweepers' various cleaning 

 implements are carried in this way. The sweeper works 

 from 7 A.M. to 4 P.M. and is expected to keep his route 

 clean during this time. On Dec. 31, 1907 there were 

 2930 sweepers in the three boroughs of Manhattan, 

 Brooklyn, and the Bronx. 



The special commission which investigated the con- 

 ditions of street cleaning in New York in 1907 found 

 the quantity of dirt, mostly dust, which remained on 

 the surface of the streets after an ordinary sweeping, 

 averaged .4 cubic foot per 1000 square yards of pave- 

 ment. The quantity which had been removed was 

 4.9 cubic feet. These figures relate to asphalt in good 

 condition. The work done by machines and on other 

 pavements was less satisfactory. The mileage and area 

 of different kinds of pavements in the whole city of 

 New York are given in the table on page 171.: 



Each laborer is assigned to a certain area of street 

 varying in length from 400 feet to one mile. This he 

 endeavors to keep clean by scraping and by sweeping 

 the dirt toward the curb and then gathering these 

 collections into piles. The dirt is either immediately 

 placed in cans or bags on wheeled carriers or later the 

 sweepings are taken away in carts to the water-front and 

 tipped into barges. Most of the sweeping is done in 

 the daytime and is not preceded by sprinkling. 



In a few of the most densely crowded sections of the 

 city the streets are cleansed with water from a hose 

 and by a water-cart known as a flushing machine. The 

 work is done during the daylight hours. It is said that 



170 



