Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-10-01
SQUALID POVERTY IN THE NORTH-HOW THE
POOR LIVE IN NEW YORK.

! Tho New Yok Evsnigg Post calls attention to the
increased mOraht' in shat city, aud tho causes thai
prciueo t. O7e ferils cause Of disease and dea h !,
the ovsroFoWdsd condition Of toe population, resry
three quarters OF a million Of whom, it is estimated
&c ia mGe,able, Dir y seremerl hOuss, where clean
lines. and comfort are utterly impossible. Speaking oil
.1e d.h Of ihcss toEem5n; house,, the Post Gays:
Toe iumataa throw their rlop5 and reuse matter into
tho stress, and Of lefs than 500 loads are carried
away diy Besees this perpetual nuisance, there are
tVg undred and hltT daughter tousJs in he dehsey
Iuia'cd sections Of tho city, from which focal matter
Gldl it way along tho Eu,;e.s to the s,wers. The
SO. c. emsnsGrg rom chese estabi shmeuts render
mauy Llulss in their ueighbOrhood unlnhabtable Ad:
d.t % .hsse denominations are numerous fat boiling,
siie md Csl all shments, whose o. ID e1halauons
uttc. o. atmosphere. With such a catalogue OF lie
ds5toyog agele,es Il is wonder ha; psstilsnoe doe
| do not sweep "a the population by thcu;aods.
Tie Post gives the following Startling figures RELATIVE
to the Classification Of the population, taken from sta
;,sic4 published five years agc; siaoe which time The
tsni n5nt evil has gone on increasing;
OF ll5 ESQ families residing in New York CITY, only
900 ,rs a05 10 enjoy tho luxury OF independent
home Il S62 other families live in comparative ccm-
Tort svo u house 4l5 buGiuge contaa three ismi.
lies Cech, Yet under the head eftene
n MS; aid the IL 955 dReilr hSuses which remain
are hc homes of ~ $50 families, beng an average of
5aVsn families o; thirty Ave souls TO each house But
Jh.z ia only s7sragt. Ia the Eleventh Ward Is
houses (dou5es built tho bscks of deep ots ana
sCpNs'cd only by a narrow and nece Eariy dark and
fuzzy fsom The front house, which sre also "bsr.
rscks) contain 653 families, or nearly 10 ames or
10 scus eachi "a O.le,s contain 407 ismle, being an
a-trfg OF 50 sOus 70 eaef; ald another ward ~
81 houys contain no lss than 10 amias OF IS sous
each Tlis seems shcckis &
Bi this is by no means the worst. There are $50
-eLeu7lt sogsss ID NV York which contain by sc.us
ur' IL g3S families, or about Sc persons each 1913
Oaer5 ELiCa scc0mmoGa.e l4l petsons each II uther
-io1 40 each; and finally, 20 these mus. Do
500 most prof able-Hheh have q total population Of
no les tlau 449 souls, 1877 to each house. The
P'Tt ct t. A,esu5 which hClds tie chief paIt Of tie
la and isth..n Of New York has an extent of about
two miles, CT cJu7l both sides OF the street. four
mites Gao four miles OF stately p1lsoss are occupied
b 800 Ismi e.; lle single bCck OF 1enem snt hcusss
no. twp uuudeo yards cut OF Fifth avenue contains 10
l.1i THAI 200 temhes, o. $500 souls scvou such
blocks, Ar. bAiQap Deftnently remarked would oJu-
ala more people than the city OF HArsford. which
csFer= "a c-ea OF several miles 20 Iae.
A tenement h0pse is thus described by the Post:
/. "a commonly structure of rough brick, standing
upon 1t twenty-five by hundred fset IL ia from ic u
20 SIX stories high, and is divided iuernsly SO to
o-1tsn four families on each h)or-sach family eat
ing, tdgkrg, sleeping, cooking, Washing and lighting
IN room oignt feet By ten, and bedroom Zee, by
eri unless, i7deed-Woic1 very frequently bappens
says H. Hsldsy-,hs family renting these two rooms
aAo Guo Her family TO board, subjects ons room 70
ons o. even Two Oher tami!es. Ole Of ths lrcej,
these brraeks" has apartments for one hundred and
svsnty-s amiles. L. standA on a 10. itty BY two
hundred aud fifty ,ea. s entered at the side3 f-on al
legs Gig & feet Ej5 end by reSsol of vicinity of
sl-thf b1rrsCk Il CqIal height tho are 20 dark
eCsd that On CLOUDY day is impossible to read or
ssH IN them without artificial light. Il hss not one
TO which oAn 10 any way be thoroughly .tlaied.