Cleaning New York Streets with Modern 

 Mechanical Appliances 



COMMISSIONER J. T. FETHER- 

 STON, of the Street Cleaning De- 

 partment, of New York City, re- 

 cently began the operation, in a so-called 

 "model district," of machinery for col- 

 lecting refuse and cleaning streets. There 

 is nothing just like it in this or any 

 other country. The ideal which the corn- 



economy and efficiency suggested that 

 the tractor be designed to meet the needs 

 of all these services, and be available for 

 twenty-four hours a day, if required. 



The tractor, therefore, is a power 

 plant on wheels and provided with a 

 heavily constructed fifth wheel by means 

 of which the different kinds of trailers 



Huge tractors of this type have recently appeared in New York streets, and have aided 



wonderfully in the refuse removal work of the Department of Street Cleaning. They are so 



built that the driver has no control over the gasoline engine. He simply operates the 



electric current, thus making the power machinery more nearly "fool-proof" 



missioner undertook to demonstrate in 

 this district, which took in many phases 

 of the city's life, Fifth Avenue stores, 

 wealthy homes (such as that of J. P. 

 Morgan), tenement houses and factories, 

 was a dustless job, with refuse collec- 

 tions made in a given locality day after 

 day with the regularity of a train 

 schedule, at a minimum of cost and a 

 maximum of efficiency. For refuse col- 

 lection, for instance, he replaced horse 

 carts with motor trucks of great capacity, 

 and capable of transporting every kind 

 of refuse simultaneously. 



Flis problem was solved by the com- 

 bination of a gasoline-electric tractor 

 and trailers designed to perform the dif- 

 ferent functions required. As it is in- 

 tended that the streets shall be cleaned 

 by power, and that power plows shall be 

 employed when snow is to be removed. 



can be attached. The tractor has a wheel 

 base of only seventy-two inches, in order 

 that the long trailer may be swung 

 around in a thirty-foot street. The 

 power plant consists of a four-cylinder, 

 forty horse-power gasoline motor coupled 

 to an electric generator on the same 

 shaft. The generator supplies power for 

 driving the tractor and the motors used 

 in operating the flushing and sweeping 

 machines. Such a type of tractor com- 

 bines the simplicity of control of an elec- 

 tric vehicle and the relatively large mile- 

 age capacity of straight gasoline equip- 

 ment. The motor is equipped with a 

 governor and special devices which auto- 

 matically regulate its speed according to 

 the load. The motor may be started at 

 the stable. It runs slowly until the driver 

 moves the controller, turning the elec- 

 tricity into the driving motors or into 



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