The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-04-06
DWELLINGS FOR THE POOR.
Report or the Committee ON Tenant Ho SOS
In New York.


Brooklyn, with view to suggesting action of the
Legislature in the matter Of electirg reform in the
constIuc ion and management OF such buildings, pre-
aented their report to-day, follows
The Special Committee, appoin ed under resolution
OF tie Assembly to visit snd examine tenement housss
in New York. beg respectfully TO repo<t:-
That, In accordance with the above rssop tion they
proceeded to New York the 18th March sgsin ON
the z2d March and spent the frst visit three days
and on the last four days. 10 personal inspection Of
some OF the bsst known tenant houses in the city and
= ftceyifg from the proper authorities such infsrma
ton connected Herewith 1t in their po fur
Dish. In the brief space time allowed them for the
Investigation, ycur Committee have been enabled to DO
40 oIe than TO glance OF evils Of such magnitude to
'mpeTaiysiy demand tho7orgh ana searching scrutiny
AID they sensible that thor Iabors will be
by any particular result unless they succeed impress
Ing upon your honorable body conviction of ths ne
cessy that exists fof extension o. their po ye.s with
view 10 PerectiDg some plan OF reform upon which f
ture lsgsisticn nsy be based
AT this late peiiod Of the session. and whsn legislative
schon cannot be taken, it would needless encroach-
you Ia detail ali the acs they have elected ana all the
shts they have witnessed in the exploration of the
they eeem it sucn their present purpose to state
generally that the examination they have MADE as oon
WINGED them that the y sought TO be remedied of
serious nature requiring the attention of the State
legislature and densncirg such sion the hands OF
sLe present Assembly will their Ultimate re-
noval.
no,der, however that your honorable b.dy may ap-
piac;ae 'hs magnitude Of these evils and the Injurious
iDhrt,ce they must exer: upon the prosperity health
a5c happiness of the community yosr committee deem
i tx!stiens set before you the following condemned
fac.s:-- 0>
Pr.a returns, made hurIiedly by the cap aims of
poce Tor the use ofhs committee show that in twenty
80 districts there thousand two hundred
tenement houses Of the ,west 6escrption occupied by
not lees than ten families each. In of these as
many as seventy different families reside and into few
ara nvda A
these dwellings, were visited by your committee In one
building hundred ana twelve families are gathered
some Of them numbering eight ten members occupy
Ig ore close az afartmen aud others hudoed ndscrrni
natey IN damp, foul cellars to breathe the air Of which
"a TO II hale disease Here III their very aspect
a.e to be the hor1ors Of such a mode OF living
Here are TO teound dIuIkn and diseased adas both
stxes ,yng IN the midst Of their ath iictlc and Grip
PIED cnilaren suffering frem neglect and i'll treatment;
gTis, just spingDg into womanhood, living nd scrimi
rsteiy ia the tane apartment With Of all ages and
Of all coors babes left destitute Of and nourish
neat as 10 be fitted only for Jail hospital 10 after
eaIs, they escape the BILE ipg Of early grave In
deed, no language could faithfully depc. the suffering
snd misery Witnessed in The hurried visits paid by
the committee 10 these hotbeds of immortality dranken
Nn,h 6isticr cut Of seventy houses reported by
me Captain Police as feirg let in tenements to not
!!.ss than ten s families, forty are designated
habltacn and all Of tee occupied by fom sixteen
to thirty Ave families each In the Tenth district out Of
.syeriy ds,iIct families ami reported as in filthy
e x it'oa wthcst vesis,i+s asAS-ututs u me 20.
ia ths Eleventh disilst, iawacb Avs sons seventy
houses Of like descpa the rsrcrt s~y" OF all ths
Cottages ase the NOS. v. sebed and ai,by~alixs dis
such sa ses n. 70 Be- s' ;Atss Ass
them tia the occupants "a nas all ois of IN pestiene
ptteiated ~ 'hsr upsptskas Althi habits
In the Thirteenth ward IL building known "a Man.
haitian pace there nipstJsix separate apartments
n e0 NH berfnO I'm
perstus-cr ebtut six individuals to each single rom
iho report c the Health waseen, setting forth these
facts, Pays =: Thee premises tnrse stories high
,ns cflos lIe in bed ndiiop, tie sipls filthy and
the ventilation poor In the summer these pre-
ten'ion is psd to them Whatever nv either owper or
gen'-'her sole aim apparently being to make money
whatever
In The houses visited by your COMMITTEES sights were
refented to them alike startiirg ard painful to behold
n many, hites and blacks living scrminatey
teetier, negro men with white men, ard white men
With negro women Youna faces, hsggard with want and
bearing that peculiar lok CT piemaurs age impaired by
early peed at from every isery and vice
n theit most Iepulsve features them every step
Scarcely apaf tment free from IS and disease
sLd the bghirg of drurksnness lad fallen upon
almost every family. Here there might be found it
i tue some Atten pit :. ceanIipssa some display Of
1--we OF home some evidences of industry and soorety
with ,her internal Accomplishments, cheetfuIness rs and
coca health But these. your committee found we're In
4sns Of the neigbborhsods in which they lived. The
demoiszation and run apparent all arouLd had not
tk& too the missmal air viii creep into their s,s
tens undermining the sturdy constitution, aud posra
ting i's victims sn bed OF sickness. Healh failing
them. want viii follow; and then mus. come crowdirg
rspdy upon Them negec. Of home, Legle,s Of children
unclennliness, drunkenness and sin This is f.ncy
sketchno future Of the imagination stern real
ty-enacted every day the midst of luxury wealth
the natural and fearful result of the rspsity of sno
lords in on city, ieslranedb by cence
ard wholly unchecl ed by legislation.
Mtny Of he buildings that thus rented to the poor
aDze fer Their owners larger snnuai than do
u est arts pf he
cry. And yet they estimated by the al
ms. yaaeess ana escape thing Ike fair taxation,
-otwihstancing they are ths principal Of the
leavs burdens imposed upon the czsns Of New York
ier the support ofths ual and the poor This is Of
itsef chile argument in Of active legisla
tion upon tie subject OF ter eme mt houses.
In these buildings, thus crowded with human beings
stairway ard egeis to the multitude Inside, in case Of
lie, is an mroattility Common humanity demands
seme law against thir evil.
Every Underground cellar in these tenement buildings
That u not absolutely Hooded by water and fifth is made
logging room for one or mCre wreched families All Of
lhe.e are destitute Of any species Of ventlaon
of them the Hooisa thick with putrid mus and the
pipes and sinks communicating with them from the mp
per sTartments give out their offensive and ceadly gas
and poluts the air Of the whole Deighborhood One Of
the provisions o. law regulating these matters should
re diecied against PEI mtng al, andergroun nd apartment
cf any desc1 ption 70 be rented used tepcnnen
II would be an unnecessary encroschment upon your
time to pretent in detail the numerous suggestions
BY practical builders, and by the pnhcs spd health Off
GERS CT New York who appeared before your committee
IN to the best mode Of eflectrg the much
tenement houses, with 20 removing the evils re-
sung em their present filthy and dangerous condition.
cnired in legislative action a, the e,rest
possible moment, and that they unanimous in the
pnen that only through the interference of the Assem-
bly,, ard the OF law regulating the style Of
ennent buildings, and providing for their manage rent
coad the existing evils he properly reached eecuay
nmefd in the views OF these parties the entire New
Yok press has con,urrsd for there paper pub
ed in the city that has not warmly approved Of the OBJ
jeet fer the attainment OF which the COMMITTEES was
n AucaO Of ia
powers during the recess OF the Legislature, and upt
ttme definite plan OF reform he's been perfected to be
submitted to the next Legislature for action
The beIs OF the Legsa u,e, very properly DESTROYS
of protecting the State against edess expenditures
apt TO the extension Of mmtees powers after
The adjournment, but your committee would be remiss
in their duty, did they fail to urge upon your honorable
be6y the necessity that exists Tor such action in the prs
ssnt instance That the evils complained of in reality
exist p, will deny that they need the ntorfe
renee Of the Legislature for their removal all will asmi
II the matter should be ended for the present year
The expenGure that has been thus far incurred would