In our century

The October 1915 edition of The American City featured an article about the lessons New York had learned from previous snow storms and how it had improved its response to winter weather. “For years, New York has allowed the snow storms to control the city,” wrote Raymond Parlin, engineer with the New York Bureau of Municipal Research. “Every winter, snow has made life miserable for the street cleaning department, and the people have ‘knocked’ the commissioner for his failure to make good in this matter.”

From Feb. 13 to March 8, 1914, repeated snow storms hit the city, covering streets with snow and ice that could not be cleared quickly enough, the author wrote. “For over 40 days, some 3,000 vehicles and 9,000 men … were unable to place the city in presentable condition.” New York spent $2.5 million digging out from those storms, and the public demanded better response next time.

The street cleaning commissioner implemented new snow clearing practices after negotiating for cooperation from the sewer bureau. Instead of carting snow to the rivers and dumping it, workers would shovel snow into the sewers through manholes where possible. The city enlisted 40,000 emergency laborers to supplement the regular street cleaning force and would mobilize them in shifts to continuously clear streets during storms. Street railway companies removed snow on streets with their tracks; private trucks and teams of horses were contracted to remove snow where sewers were poor; and automobile snow plows and horse-drawn scrapers cleared important streets every two hours.

According to Parlin, the plan worked the next winter. “Eight times as much snow was removed per dollar spent, compared with previous years, and four times as fast. Where it cost nearly 55 cents per cubic yard in 1913-1914, it cost 7 cents in 1914-1915.”

Parlin’s main lesson from the experience was that cooperation between city departments could accomplish greater outcomes. “One of the greatest defects in municipal government today is due to the narrowness of the view of many department officials,” he wrote. “Let the test of success in the public service be whether the public has been benefited, not whether the department or office has made a record.”

Previous “In our century” Stories

• In our century — January 1911
  As aviation takes off, cities make use of the quick mode of transportation and secure their spots on the aerial highways
• In our century — May 1928
  Police departments adopt radio technology to dispatch patrol officers more quickly and catch, deter criminals
• In our century — December 1913
  Cities adopt the city manager form of government to improve administration and bring efficiency to operations
• In our century — October 1913
  Cities take action in the earliest days of motion pictures to regulate content and ensure theater safety
• In our century — July 1935
  Cities install parking meters in business districts to improve traffic flow, reduce car damage and generate revenue
• In our century — April 1910
  Cities organize July Fourth events, regulate fireworks to reduce Independence Day injuries and deaths
• In our century — May 1915
  Cities seize revenue-generating opportunities to provide ice and refrigeration to residents and businesses
• In our century — May 1914
  Officials invest in maps to guide public projects, improve city administration and communicate plans to the public
• In our century — September 1915
  Technology develops to ensure the safe movement of trains, cars and emergency vehicles through city streets
• In our century — July 1914
  Among the early efforts to improve public health, cities invent and seek weapons of mass fly destruction
• In our century — August 1913
  When bond issues fail, cities seek alternative funding for infrastructure improvements and other public projects
• In our century — August 1914
  Cities improve cleanliness and public health by strategically placing public restrooms and encouraging their use
• In our century — December 1914
  Cities begin the tradition of decorating enormous public Christmas trees to celebrate the holidays
• In our century — June 1910
  Government accounting methods and reports mature from vague and incomplete records to standard formats.
• In our century — October 1909
  Investigations into corruption and mismanagement lead to (some) reforms in government policies and operations.
• In our century — January 1913
  Cities experiment with road surfaces and set out methods for funding road construction and maintenance.
• In our century — September 1909
  Limits on outdoor advertising are set through cities’ hard-fought battles over billboard sizes, messages and locations.
• In our century — August 1911
  Fire departments gain authority, modern equipment to prevent and improve response times to structure fires.
• In our century — June 1910
  Street lights become symbols of communities’ economic success, and lighting technology efficiency evolves.
• In our century — September 1909
  With urban growth comes city leaders’ desire to control and direct it for the community’s greatest benefit.
• In our century — September 1909
  Cities embrace playgrounds as valuable public assets for children’s safety, health and social development.
• In our century — September 1909
  Women embrace public causes, work to improve their communities and expand their societal roles.
• In our century — March 1910
  Cities develop methods, mechanisms and regulations for residential solid waste collection and disposal.
• In our century — November 1909
  Occupancy laws and social workers emerge in the early 1900s to clean up inner-city neighborhoods.
• The way we were
  Publisher’s son remembers American City & County‘s roots.