MR. HENRY A. SMITH writes from New Britain, Connecticut:

"For a number of years I was interested in the Contracts for Cleaning the Streets, Removal of Ashes, etc. in the old City of Brooklyn. Our contract for the cleaning of the City expired and the City of New York bought the plant and took over the job. Our contract said between the 1st of December and the 1st of April each year we were to clean only such streets as were possible to clean because during those three months most of the streets were covered with snow. On March 10, 1888 we received orders from the Commissioner of the Department of City Works to put our Street Gangs out on Monday, March 12, 1888 and begin our Spring Cleaning. I made a remark to my wife to the effect that I would like to wake up Monday morning and find six feet of snow on the ground, not anticipating that my wish would be gratified. On Monday when I awoke I found six feet of snow on the ground. It continued to snow all day. At twelve noon the horse cars stopped running. When I reached the office the following day I was informed that the Commissioner wanted to see me at once. He wanted to know what I was going to do about the removal of the snow. He wanted me to give him a figure what I would remove the snow for. I told him if he would give me a list of the streets he wanted cleaned I would give him a figure. At two p. m. I called at his office and he asked me what I would do the work for and I told him $250,000, and he refused to sign the contract for that figure. He then called in to his office a number of outside contractors and made separate bids and I finally agreed to clean Fulton Street from Brooklyn Bridge to Bedford Avenue on a basis of 10% over the actual cost, he to send out his own timekeepers, and I to do the same. The cost of Fulton Street was something like $20,000, and in the course of ten days we started to clean the streets."