The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-03-17

The Tenant Houses o. New York
THE LB0IsLAFIvH C0OuTTEx BEGINNING sHxn
rOUR or INgPDC1T0N-A VISIT 10 THE BARRAOKs
-RA0PICU1s now AND BA0DAD HorRLOTm
COMMITTEE GET INTO wR0N0 LOCALITY "A
LEGIsLATlvK LUNCH.
Ths legislative Committee, appointed 10 invssisste
into the condition Of ths tenant houses OF New York INST
on Saturday morning. at 10 o'clock ct the Mayors o.
fes pursuant to adjournment Of the day previous.
full committee present There quite numerous
attendance Of landlord and tenant houssbudsrs who
we're expecting to bs called upon TO give their knowledge
Of present general construction Of snaat houses in
New York. together with suggestions the most suit
able plan to b adopted for their construction hereafter
After private consultation between The members Of the
committee was agreed however, to postpone hearing
psns for the q s.sns houses until the
committee had made personal inspooeaon into the
ua condition Of the leading houses Of every cAss
that ibis course was decided upon Is some
of the members Of the committee proposed to leave for
when further investigation resumed. The chairman
announced that pursuant TO such action the committee
would entsr st into the work q persona. imposition
At few minutes after IL O'Clock three carriages hAv
Ball, the members Of the committee, accompanied BY
Mr. r. 0. Downing, Superintendent of Sanitary Inspec
or q
the same and were driven away to commence their tour
Of inspection. The carriages we're ordered to drive arst
preliminary TACT that though the committee rst visited
No. 81 Cherry street. the carriages did not drive them
cumulative Cit and garbage sDstruons this thorough
fare bars al attempts at passage way BY carriages.
To scale the hey summit would indeed b An act OF most
hardy and fearless adventure. The carriages according
ly hal ed ct the into Cherry street. the
c.mmittee walked the remaining distance.
presented no very striking features i was
three story brick house, 2S BY 90 fsst. The halls,
M ss.s IN the and S s.
and bedroom, not uncomfortable In Dimensions
ventilation. large accumulation of ashes in the yard
he only special for revealing ITSELF
The committee proceeded from here to the tenant
house Nos So and 50 Cherry street. widely different
picture presented itself that OF the previous tome
ment The building two lots having aggregate
front of fifty feet and extending back two hundred feet
Deep On either side eisconnecng IL from the
neghboIipg unements. The courts eight feet wide
end bear the respective Of East Gotham court and
North Gotham court. The building five stories hign
single roof gathered two hundred and sixty families
making an aggregate OF over one thousand persons.
teen by Ten feet in dimensions and tSs latter fourteen BY
feet The rents vary from "a to 80 per mouth.
The rooms are all Of low ceiling, and damp and dark.
The basement Is the general receptacle Of every kind of
filth The committee attempted partial exploration of
recesses had from sskenitg task.
look into the apartments and breathing their un whole
air proved indeed test to the unted sensi
biies Of the committee The agent stated that the In
'front.' was $500 month. tr 5000 year. The inmates
were mostly German and Irish, and taough some looked
rugged and merry the majority looked sorry and doleu
enough.
To No. 40 Water street the COMMITTEES were next
driven seven st ~ brick house. with basement. pre-.
scented sef OF comparave recent construction, aud
Is by 60 feet in dmeniions. The basement was first
looked into. Here apartment 10 feet BY IL. with
bedroom adjoining seven feet square was found TO be
occupied by and his wife, his wiies mother and
four children Tho rent charged was 81 . month.
having been recently reduced to that amount from S.
ntfralv undRr fri
water closets above lead through the apartments and
they hid stated during the cold weather. burst
mepts below to view the rooms in tie upper stories,
class Of tenant house occupants was stumbled upon for
the smeoraon OF whose condition the COMMITTEES hardly
quiet taking the lead mot ventulng hardy TO ask
question Without . pe'atoay apology when passing
into Q the fourth floor, he proceeding to
open the bed room door =
sNc SIR don't you do il" uttered big coarse woman;
cont care who you are-no one opens that door un-
less he pays first ~
The chairman did not open the door, but while he
locked smszed together with the other rural members Of
up ger ersl laugh the import of which unms-
takea0e. The chairman beat hasty retreat followed
by two other members of the committee and Mr. Down
7where have you been taking tor" he asked M.
"Reaiiy, said Mr. Downing 81 knew the house itsef
Was rot decent but ddns know otherwise Of its occu
In few minutes the remaining visitants issued from
the premises jocose the recital OF that
had Iell under their observation.
This semi partial examination having been terminated
rather bastIly to accord with the views OF some,
word was given to the drivers to take the committee
around 10 "the Barracks" in Goerck street. Here
Geerck street from No. "a to No. y inclusive,
and extending back to Mangin street depth Of
800 feet The frcnt and rear was l2s feet: A
narrow couIt through the centre. The buildings
four stories, bas marrow, rooms low, small damp,
Hrtby and unventlated In the buildings were l46
families contain ing b77 persons OF these only Ave ia nj
lies were Amsreans. The rooms Win acoommodate over
LOO persons when fall The rent varies from 50 to 90
smonth A glimpse through the PREMISE: only showed
every step increasing deveiopeont OF poverty and
Wretchedne.s.
A visit TO some tenant houses occupied mainly by
ragpcsers now followed The frat place entered
% kherif street rear house 1t wMa two story tene
nent II difficult to tell of which there was pre-
ponderaney Of tenants.dcgs or human beings. The
Welcome" while the latter skukingly sought Keep
themselves unobserved. The rooms were Shy IL feet
mostly with two beds in them. The building, though
small formed shelter And home for some dfty rag
pickers and full double that number Of dogs The rags
in their frtteied condition and varied hues hanging
from tho windows and decorating the ba SKIS Of chairs
presented unusual tatered aspect. The tAttsred
aspect extended set to the costume Of the wretched
amid the tat cred shreds, At enbems Of their own
faced worn out, tattered existence.
FAT No. i1s wi'lst street, : two etory edlAce was
foune-a counterpart picture II tbs last.
Nos SO and SO Clinton street Of Stanton street.
the next locality visited, showed two SIX story tome
ments having throughout contracted apartments with
prevailing dampness and gloomnea caused By want Of
sufficient light end ventilation. There IS suts Of
apartments IN both buildings, occupied BY 176 persons
suit ccnstitu ed and bedroom, the main room
Ia L, 10 feet the varying from 80 80 to Is .
month Tae spectacle here was alike painful an. repul
sive with previous LOCALITIES.
Cottage row-slso Designated Ragpickers' row-lo-
Gated at Nos. 1874 and 1856 Third street., was iooA.
ed through rext In order. This row occupies Q lot
100 feet square and includes three buildings Thsy
each four stories hgh, and have piezxss each
story front and They filed up With occupants,
eco In number, large thare Of whom srp ragpci
A suit puN n nd had VT
IL feet square and the bed by 10 feet fhe5
rent Atfrom % 80 10 $b so month Toe ceilings arc
low, the wells black and damp logs superintendent
lines and ,ichs stretch in every direction bearing rags
Of every In sg,nabls hue. A including larger number
of rsgpcksrs than the places before visited IL evidenced
Attn and destiiuiion The owper meanwhile 10 George
Folsom, formerly State Senator. and at tlne United
States Charge 'A6atys ct the Hague.
The committee at his stage Of their visitation Is 90
r. M from the protTacted exploration through dubious