New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-03-22
THE CELLARS OF LIVERPOOL.
The Negotiations Of the Authorities for their
OceApalinn as keAldenres.
Public oncei corn,Vei. Street Medical o ss Of

a. t0lo eGlton.
TIE greater liability Of the cellar population
to disease had been long notorious, and Ia par
ticulsr il VAS found that they suffered from fever
in proportion IS per cent. grester than the rest
Of the working population. so long ago as lsO2,
the late DR.. CUrrie lBurnss blograperl called the
attention of the Common Council Of Liverpool 10
the unheslthnets Of the cellar DWELLINGS,; bat
uothing was dOns Ia the matter until forty years
sftefvard when In lslsD the council obtained
poWer IS and Vic. c. 44) TO prevent she separate
occupation Of any cellar less than feet Ia hight,
or the floor Of vnich Was more than feet below
the level of the street or which had not an area
in front of at LEASE feet wide, from inches be-
low the level OF the floor 70 the surface OF the
street
The occupation Of cellars in courts was declared
Illegal
Under this act about 3 900 cellars were cleared
of their inmates up to the end Of 1916 bat 1t
being found frat the provisions Of the act Were
not sufficiently comprehensive to embrace many
cellars unfit lor hebitstion, the council, in their
local sanitary ac. ~ and 10 Wet, c. 1917 which
came into operation on the las January, lsi',
took powers to prevent the separate occupation
of any cellar, the foor of which was more than
fovr feet below thc level Of the street, or which
had 10. an area in tho front OF not less than tc0
and n half feet in width. Cellars built or altered
under the Grmer act, were, however, exempted
from the operation Of this clause.
At the tine Of the passing Of this act, there
were in the borough Il 1854 cellars, OF which COS
were inhabited, and the remainder either mad
been let or were intended 70 te let Tor separate
occupation.
The Inhabited cellars contained nearly 10000
inmates.
on the entire number of cellars l9,s77 Were
found 10 De, under the provision OF the act, unut
for habitation bot Of these about 1900 have
been claimed rs having been built or altered IN
i, a. cot and
occupied, 50 that the total number OF cellars IN
LiyerpooL which may be legally used as sepa-
rate ha5itstiops az the present time, IS ABOUT
. 500. After tho passing OF the act Of lsf', the
clearing Of the Illegal cellars was rapidly pro-
ceeIsd with for some months, when, 1t appearing
that il had the effect in many instances, OF over
crew ding Inc court houses, the health COMMITTEES,
at my recon mendaton, Gn order to give time Tor
the supply OF new hebiLatlons TO overtake the de-
rnandi resolved that not more than 100 cellars
per month should be cleared OF their inmates
Up TO the present time, upward OF 400 cellars
have been thus cleared, exclusive OF 800 cellars
in courts, which had continued to be Inhabited,
notwithstanding the prohibition Of the act OF 1872
The number of inmates elected amounts, IN round
numbers to 2000O. The illegal cellars still In
habited and which remain to be cleared are
1886, containing about {, 500 inmates
Of the 7 COS inhabited cellars, 1869 were found,
on inspection, to BIO damp, wet or Filthy. good
ing out the act, from the reluctance oil the In.
mates to leave their miserable sbodes, and the
expedents to which they have recourse-l In order
to evade the Law. Their reluctance seems TO be
founded chiefly on the convenience ohered oy tue
separate entrance 70 the cellars and the facilities
for selling cakes, fruit vegetables, chips, &c ana
go strong is this feeling, that were 1t not for the
constant vigilance OF the police, and Of the inspec
tors employed for the purpose, the cellars would
be reoccuped nearly rs fast as cleared.
In 1881 cases, where the parties refused to
obey the notice to leave their cellar habitations II
has beer found .s sn "a 20 cases. cellars which
had been re0ccupied after having been cleared,
have been cleared second time. To bring eel
Lar within She PTOyisions os che cot. the nasgiG
trateB require proof OF its being occupied during
Ike might and, in order to withhold this proof the
parties are in the habit of concesling in the day
time, the beds, or tue sacks, straw or shavings
which they use as bedding There can be no
doubt that many cellars are, at the present mo.
ment, Inhabited in Liverpool, which in this way
evsde the operation of the act. Many illegal eel
lars, also, are occupied during the daytime only,
the occupants finding accommodation during the
night ia the house above or u some adioning
dwelling. Although this ID q compliance with the
clause, az interpreted by the magistrates, it is
clearly an evasion of the spirit of the act.
With regard to the effect OF this measure on
the health Of the 10000 elected cellar inhabitants,
history il their new abodes no direct answer can
be given to the question. An approximate an
swer may be derived, however, from a COMPARE
son OF the rRyageE in particular district Of the
epidemic fever OF lS47, which visited us before
the clearing OF the cellars was commenced, with
those OF the cholera epidemic Of lS49, which did
not come upon us until nearly 5000 cellars had
been cleared OF their inmates. The district in
question is selected, because it il the one with
regard to which | AM in possession Of the most
accurate statistics respecting both epidemics and
the Cne Nklch formerly contained the largest pro.
portion OF inhabited cellars of the worst descrip-
ton.
In lsi7, the cellar population formed about 10
per cent OF the entire population Of the district
and az the present time 1t amounts to less than
per cent. In connection with this fact, | submit
It as significant Of The sanitary value Of the meas
ure IL dlEcuSsion, that While the epidemic, which
ragged previously to TIE clearance OF the cellars,
carried Oft upward Of 500 OF the Inhabitants Of the
district, that which prevailed after the cellar
population had been reduced 10 one sixth OF its
former amount, caused only "a deaths in the same
district; The total number OF victims throughout
lie 6010HsA, from. each epidemic being very near
ly alike.
10 not wish it to be inferred that the sohole Of
this marked difference is to be ascribed to the re-
duction Of the cellar population, for there is no
doubt thai much mad been done In the interim, an
CLneT r"ys' ~ Ahp.oFe the sanitary condition OF
this, in common with the other districts of the
town; but ia this district the cellars were of the
y orst description, and the election of their in
mates had been effected to greater extent than
in any other.
am aware that, from the different nature Of
the two epiiemics which nave been compared
this may not be considered very satisfactory
proof Of the sanitary value OF the cellar clear
snces bat the nature Of the case admits of no
better proof and l. is to be remembered that the
two epidemics, although differing in name, have
generally attacked the same districts. In conclu-
sion, may stare, that, although instances roust,
10 doubt, have occurred where parties elected
from cellars have taken 40 their abode IN dwell.
lings even more injurious to heAth than those
which they were comp lied to qait, ian evil, per.
hsps, iDSepsrGbe from a measure OF this nsture,l
vet no one, Who has personally inspected the