New-York tribune., 1867-07-31
TENENrNr Housxs.

SAMPLES OF NEw-yQRK TENEMENT LIFE-oNE Z
THOUSAND PERSONS IN ONE HOUSE, IfTEEN
THOUSAND PERSONS LIVING UNDER GROo.ND'
An accurate sanitary survey of New-York,
made under the direction Of body selected for the pur-
pose found 1851 tenement houses of which CON
tanned less than three families There also 6i9 in
habted shantes and TO Of poor class
pot having three families each The population OF these
buildings was sol 224 Of which number I52A persons
lived Gnder ground The larger number Of these houses
utterly unit for human habItation. Built with only
the sipge Object IN view, OF large return per hhnum
npon tfle invesme. and crowded in such manner as
TO produce this result they have ceased to he homes and
TO be kennels the atural haunts OF disease ana
distance which cannot be accurately estimated
The responsibility for the wretchedness TO be iound IN
many of tenement houses rests mainly with the prop
Legislative Committee few years ago that MS n0.ss
built upon a speculation and for that reason built
not Considered In their construction every prho
pie of hygiene utterly ignored The largest NUMBER
Of tenements were crowded upon the smallest possible
space, and they stand until this day 10 she
Barracks" they have passed into the Legislative history
Of the State This s not isolated case only one
among largo number and has no peculiarly
that We are aware OF, save the confession Indeed
there very few houses In the city, built Ior te P
pose of accommodating three more families, In whcn
sanitary knowledge and architectural skill nave peen
combined for the purpose Of securing far perceng III
rents And yet this combination would vastly en.too
security OF the investment When tenants learn tha
life and health placed in jeopardy by to effort 10 Ve
In certain tenements they are only selected as pctaU
human habaon when IL is impossible to procure better
Thus eventually they become the recognzea seoaes o
worst we'll the poorest ana send forth 70
the AlmsHouse and tho TOmbs vast ,ma)orlty Oh our
paupers and criminals IL is but step from s1cn tens
and Police Courts merely intermediate points. Inc
cost of this destuon and crime Is levied ID taxes upon
through law utterly beyond the power Oh repeab the
cause e made TO pay for the effect ~ .o,,,v ,vont
to Europe, he told friend, merely to escape the an
built upon speculation but they became troublesome
and he grew old. He leased his property for long term
midde-men three deep, between the owner ana the
tonant The rents advanced enormously the h%ouses %
became out OF repair and tenements which originally
were endurable became absolute nuisanees For AL
these evils there Is but one radical remedy SANITARY
ever when the health of the city is in the greatest dan
ger and transform impending pestllenoe to slight
meet the enemy whenever II returns to the attack ana
always with success but with such AID as wealth. En'
suppy even In the present state OF sanitary knowledge
q pesenee could be made an utter impOsslDlllty ana
violent epidemcs exceedingly rare We do not pretend
causes Of our enormous deathrnte or that tenement
houses breed all the diseases we have cause 70 Tear 9
that their conditions often cause, and always nNlte us
and that in them death secures with innnis ease
the larger proportion OF ms 40, nx otSsr rsults
could not reasonably be expected as the ionoNng OK
ampes of some tenement houses abundanty prove
In East FUnrth-st. between Avenues and b. an IN
stance OF OyercToTdng may be 1Ouhd Whcn IN eoue ~
YoTs and alleys is i25 feet front by 81 feet deep
IN other words, r. l25 square feet More thsh tyoSus us
OF this spaee--nane oSS1s t Siuars The houses
are "a In number and arc built back 10 back and side to
side. Thus four have front on Fourtst OF 20 Ieet
each and arc 27t feot deep Immediately behind ana
adjoining these are four OF the same size, having
their entrances from alleys each 10 feet vide upon
the extreme rear OF these lots leaving space Is feet
wide 10 be used M yard common 20 all the houses aro
stlll four more having front OF feet each upon the
ward and being "a feet deep. Adjoining tho twelve
houses upo the east two more tho house facing we
street having front OF 25 feet by m feet deep while inc
rear houe R q feet front by 26 feet deep The open
space these houses IL therefore 70 ny 2t ee
We give the population OF this ground space Desnhns
with the houses last mentioned. and going WESTWARD
through the remainder c...
TotAl etofa AT