Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1864-10-20
squaiid Poverty In the North-How the Poor Live
N


IN New York.
The New York Evening Post calls attention to the
increased mortality In that city, and the causes that
produce it, One fertile Of disease and death is
the overcrowded condition Of the population, nearly
three quarters of million of whom, it Is estimated,
live in miserable dirty teneme Mt houses where ceani
meas ard comfort utterly impossible. Speaking OF
the filth of these tenement houses, the Post says:
The inmates throw their leps and refuse matter into
the Streets and not less than $500 loads are carried
away daily Besides this perpetual nuisance there are
TWO hundred and fifty slaughter houses 10 the densey
populated sections of the city, from which feca matter
finds it way along the cutters to the sewers. The
stencil emanatng from these establishments render many
houses in their neighborhood uninhabtabe. Added to
these denominations fat boiling, hide and
oal establishments, whose tid exhaations inject the
atmosphere. With such catalogue of life destroying
agencies is it wonder that pestilence does not sweep
eff the population by thousands.
The Post gives the following startling figures relative
to the classification OF the population taken from sta
tiscs published five years ago; since which time the
tenement evil has gone on increasingly
OF lis 986 families residing in New York city, only
900 are able to enjoy the luxury OF independent
home, IA 662 other families live in comparative COM
FORT two in house, buildings contain three fam
lies each and yet do not come under the head of tene
ments and the IL ,995 dwelling houses which remain
are the homes OF II 1856 families, being average OF
seven families or thirty five souls in each housed But
this is only an average In the Eleventh ward ho0
houses built the backs OF deep lots, and separ
ted only by narrow and necessarily dark and dltty
court from the front houses which also "barracks
contain 1853 families or nearly Is families or 20 souls
each "a others contain 4O7 families being average
of so souls to each and in another ward n hou
seq contain no less than l9 families 95 souls each
This sounds shocking.
But this is py no means the worst There are five
hundred and eighty tenement houses in New York
which contain by actual count 933 families, or about
sc PERSONS each 1913 others which accommodate l9l
persons each Il Others which lao each; and f.
nay, 29-these must be the most pro6table-which
have total population of no less than 449 souls,
1877 to each house. The part of Fifth Avenue which
holds the chief part of the wealth and fashion OF New
York has an extent of about two miles, or counting
both sides of the street. four miles. These four miles
of stately palaces occupied by 400 families while
single block of tenement houses not two hundred yards
out of Fifth avenue, contains no less than 700 families,
or $500 souls. Seven such blocks, Mr. Halliday per-
nenty remarked, would contain more people than the
city of Hartford, which covers an area OF several ms
square.
A tenement house is thus described by the Post:
1t is commonly a structure of rough brick standing
upon lot twenty five by hundred feet; it is from
four to six stories hgh and is 80 divided internally as
to contain foul families each hoor-sQch family eat
ing, drinking, sleeping, cooking, washing and fighting
n room eight feet by ten, and bed room six by ten;
unless indeed-which very frequently happens, says
Mr.. Hallid-the family renting these two rooms take
another family to board, or subjects TO
even two other families. One of the largest of these
barracks has apartments for hundred and twenty
six families. 1t stands a lot of fifty by two hun-
dred and fifty feet is entered at the sides from alleys
eight feet wide and by OF the vicinity OF another
barcack of equal height the rooms darkened tra
cloudy DAY it is impossible to read or in them
without artificial light. It has not one room ,ich
can in any way be thoroughly ventilated.
DEATH OF Col. w. M. BARBoUR.-We regret to
learn from gentleman, who has just received letter