New-York tribune., 1867-05-16
DEATH AND THE TENgMENTS.

| -Four hundred and sixteen deaths were re-
| corded in this city last week, and QUO hundred
| and forty -four in Brooklyn. About one-fourth
| OF these deaths were from contagious diseases,
while 2S.37 per cent of all the deaths IN New
York were of children under one year old.
| Coupled with these facts, and bearing upon
them is the statement that there is popuia-
tion of $4,000 in the Seventeenth Ward, which
| represents density of almost 10000 to the
square mile According to the report upon the
sanitary condition of New York, made in 1865
| by the Citizens Association, this Ward con
tanned no less than 1 800 tenement-hOuses, hold
ing 63766 persons, divided into 1894 families.
One hundred and fifty-fve of these houses, IN
which there lives 1896 persons, had no sewers,
and in the same Ward the number OF persons
living in cellars was 2,44l. In the entire city
the cellar population amounted to 1924, and
the total population living in tenement houses
and cellars in the city reached an aggregate
of sol ,224. BY the last years report OF the
Registrar of Vital Statistics, the population OF
the Seventeenth Ward afforded but POI square
yards to each person, while the average Ill the
Tenth Ward was bat 17.2, and in the Eleventh
but 1G1.
The pestilential term will soon be upon us
again. and the question of cleanliness and ven
tilation of these lodging places becomes of uni
versal interest The tenement house bill passed
by the last Legislature lgOes into effect on the
1st of July, and, if rigidly enforced, Will do
much to lessen future danger from what have
hitherto been breeding pesthOuses. BY the
requirements of this bill every tenement or
| lodging house shall have in every room ven
tilating passage communicating directly or
through an adjoining room with the outer air,
and every hallway shall have at the roof an
adequate and proper yentilatOr of form APP
proved i'm New-York by the Inspector of Public
Buildings, and in Brooklyn by the Sanitary
Superintendent of the Board of Health The
roof of every such house shall have such APP
pendages that the rain water shall not drip
upon the ground or cause dampness In the
walls Every such building shall be provided
with sufficient water-cloSets, not less in number
than one for every twenty persons, and proper
connection shall be maintained between these
and the sewers Of the street. The details OF
the construction of privies and cesspools (where
the latter are necessary are fully described in
the bil and are founded upon common sense rs
well rs in accordance with sanitary require
occupation of any vault, cellar, or underground
room as a place of lodging or sleeping unless
such room is at least seven feet in hight IN
every part thereof, and is eifectually drained'
and also have a space of at least two and one
half feet wide extending between every part OF
the front wall and the street Or ground in its
front. Every such sleeping or lodging room
shall also have an external window containing
at least nine superficial feet, one half of which
space shall be so constructed rs to open for the
admission of air.
One of the best features of this bill is the
section which puts upon the owner or lessee OF
any tenement-hOuse the responsibility for
thoroughly cleansing it rs often as may be re-
quired by the Board of Health, and requires
them TO whitewash the walls and ceilings at
least twice in every year. One great cause Tor
the filthness in the tenement-houses hitherto has
been the laxity of the owner or agent, who
has been content TO rent the constructed
and illy-kept rooms to wh0msoever would pay
the requisite stipend, the prompt payment OF
the rent being the sole requirement enforced
upon the tenant.
II is further required that every hahitable
room in any tenement-hOuse Except IN the
feet in every part, and attic rooms shall be
| eight feet in hight for at least one-half their
area Every room shall have windows or ven
| tilat0rs SO connecting with the outer air as To
| insure n cross current, while every haDrtable
room of a less area than one hundred super
fetal feet if it does not communicate directly
with the external air, and is without an open
fireplace, shall have special means of ventila-
tion by a separate air-shaft extending to the
| roof or otherwise, as the Board OF Health may
| nrescr;be There are various other require
| ments which it is not necessary to particular
| I've here. but all of which 60 to induce the be-
lief that when this act shall be fairly and
strictly enforced we shall have tenement-houses
wherein a mechanic or Il laborer may ma
| shelter for his family without seeing them
| diving before his eyes with slow poisoning OF
| foul air. Violations of the provisions OF the
| act are punshable with fine of from S9j to
400 with or without imprisonment not longer
| than three months, at the discretion of the
| Court.
! What effect light, air, and cleanliness have
upon the average mortality is best shown from
this one fact that whereas death took, last year,
| in the six warm months, one inhabtant out OF
every thirty nine and three quarters IN the
Sixth Ward, the proportion in the more cleaniy
and well-housed population of the Fifteenth
Ward was but one to one hundred and thlr-
teen The mortality lesson of last year IL to
be either repeated or needed this Yeas well
! for us if il is the latter.
National cemeteries are established in several
places Of the South but what evidence have