New-York tribune., 1867-06-12
TENEMENT HOUSES.

tVyO
.roDois that are exceedingly detrimental 10 lhe lo
80, a., comfort OF citizens. One fills up the super
go sroa of the city with houses so as TO oOS'i"g
ro,slv the free circulation OF aT; the other 80
ma bnildngs with human occupants as 10 'o'hF ,,r
,os,on OF bodies and bodily functions when i'A' , ,
,l,hsr physical or moral utter imposSI'! ,,rohlo
tner Is a misery economy OF space WIN -. ,,,,s q
a., tina presont state OF knowledge; the mV'' s =,
,reckessness Of life and health wLlcn, VIZ" , ~, ore
their value ia utterly inoxplcalle' Coin - trot
,tne most ingenious cOntri'ahoe lOS'' ,icb alone
harmony between man and his ehNlio'u'' W - o,-o,
80 ,,t rossible Where these two i9ilns 5 U5 9notb
rodinc exist together disease - of fbe individual
hrerey a question between, e the vai'9 - '''
"d t6e aefyity of morbid poisoh q ,,isorlv ccono-
IhistraOns OF what We nave @ Io,uo artdr OF the cy
,,v N space may be found IN ever! t Gsan fancies
y man WHO owns lot Is mont O{ ~ teyt v to e
his title eI!enGS s pSor the Zenith as
20 With the assistance OF the butuet, tiIr ouy
yo stores deep, and his h0useslX sthies ti5n mis-
scends to the stars but ne deeenos nv e builds three
iouses upon his lotonc In fr0nt, alO & m t,t even
40 40 ran cannot fan between them. Sunshine oiiy tee
Without finding his windows, ana @oli @ ts and si,s
o.nd and over his houses in vain These tenencn1S
Smmediaoiy become the4 d%eiS P.V ocafa Ills apart.
,nanL that pays rent ana VIII hV 49," - ,iliab
fmcmts at the bidding Of any agent save 'n"' WV
'aS 0wnsF c as these fitted only for the most Gesruc
tive fermonts known TO meOch 90 r,,,-ics tbe
ti1ne VIII hold is the smallest number Win NnIh we te
Kwncr.will be satisfied The question as TO % nOT on Vii
S9rSns tcr Si ah does not concern in the least
of these houses 50 inhaD'G @ Iii me y6eessItes Of
kahe are unavOidaby open 10 the gaIS o. % or hsi,s
aud old male and female alike: The sairways a anu s s
re ,on,non TO all occupants Of the house, ana arc
Elthy for reason that the duty Wnon & GTk oS n
nyory bodyis performed by nobody. me b ou sc no
hnu6usly foul and the waterclosets, WI weh az o; p m
ne cleans Byandby these Deeoe Crt S tune the ccaris
SfansfOrmed into a cesspool The eNhaHM3ionS M iiV S
snix with an atmosphere sarcady viti@tci' ana S
Partially confined. making " the I@l.t ] T TtcT room
houses is the ally Of disease anu 10 man! - '''
Why all the inhabitants OF this class OF ehsinen EN- @
30 not instantly die gan only DC aefpITu INV t't work IN an
Hort 10 adapt their internal relations 10 itlr % m
hugs There is wonderful heAiolty IN & n'e ~ t ars
trdualy wonderful adapaDlny Al Ai OUS St c r,oriiS
eeldom sufficient Tor the purpose &ha atcr iZs,,e Z
swhilc in constantly increasing state Ol ~.
naturo is finally ovorpoweTed and man becomes me
n ctin of disease. Under the condition we nane Uv
fro children such atmosphere is partielai{ Ini i
Ind their birth, under such inhuences, - ~! ~, ,
tno of our leading writers has terncdlI NCI1 p"4
th s nS ncrH ia not ovcrdrawn We hNve given above
oil,"e i for which hundreds Of houses IN this city viii
furnish ample details Indeed there Is an 9.Lo % DION &
ono OF which furnishes all the REQUIREMENTS 9 cur M GI
forpon save perhaps III night IG nT f61r t,e iSh
with cellar under each one Our Lcpol'Sa M
GSc SetrSpoan @ Board Of Health Tho base Of the
SeIar2oO found to be an nIcscIinanV, r
sr,sssI through The ceilings on level Win l'e
kreet aud scarcely more than six feet hSh-tney c'n
ssiy a cs no sn closets showed that the had been
t4tsnded for'h9maa hanatos @ 5 5e Seeae seEsing
suan who had sounded this mass OF nqVu nun III o "a "a
fse collars told writer tAat il was Is inches aee" dne
foors I'm some Of the cellars. and IN az VI the cio M
thosewhich had been recently cleaned Te1 re e. ooT ~
human excrement. The walls were ulfy in io
pnd the stairs broken down and aaldageu. from tls
part of the building lrst VISITED inc in3psfs n Il was
here glad TO escape, although upon @ od ,,re
Tound 10 be the least bad Of five. Each one Veg pre-
sSnsea .sS same 70 ge In the amount OF h tho dsa
sreSabenoss of odors These houses seemed 70 nave nave
but the waste pipes were out Oh oIOeI
In all in one, at least, the & pi% Es S
{Token stream OF filthy water trciIed thouga t,o nc
selling and the walls were moist with water lh"t Tue
wastepipes failed to carry away .. oo o.,,r,oa ,s
Tho 6rst or ground floor OF these houses are occupied S
small retail stores. One is beer saloon some OF % tne
walls damp with water that had cpea from SAs
rnd inundated the overhead. Gach house mas q
,srrow hall and stairway, both Ct.wheh are common 70
nj. the tenants aud iTsoine sort an no 10 thei uhun
sess The yulearity and Of some OF ting IN
tabsnts pictured upon ths w MslS ;1 9 ,c NO sCnS
M soon as he thrcshhod OF the haldoor crossed
he stars were eTeSts sod was horGie The word she
sd docs not sznst sfIslS az we found
.losst that contained the sink Our guide RrQNg
Che closet was that tho candle burned vtl dnt
slf Of wafer and that the floor was damp but the
"but man ls but patched fool If he wiz oer to say
syhat" smeft. Nick Bolton was MOI half 80 puzzled
b. his effort to describe his dream as one would bc 10 DE-
scribe this stencil. IL was nausoatlnG scEenG ana az
he memory Of the ofense then and there offered our
sense osght and smell it was % aDonnaHie, ana "a Wien
slcr was that she had not died
ynade WISH TO the rear yard Notwithstanding the inni-
bent risk of being drowned in eatacysa Of foul water
which descended from OF the ripper floors
st tke moment he made his exit from the house The
tho rear OF each house, originally three or four
bes the level Of the yard had become The pta
sle OF all manner OF hth and kitchen oifal Pools OF
water covered with and miasinatic scum stood
Restoring in the yards, exhalng poison ana making e
seehborh0od nuisance The priVics were the ultima
thule Of ofcnsiveness They had been used in common
by tho inhabitants OF these d0miclary feycrbrccdcrs
tntil they had become unusabe. Their condition ac-
counted for the fact that the cellars were e better ta
been dug the yards to receive the contents Of the
Wore cheaper than those Of the nghtscavanger Tho
trs ard areas to these houses, and the houses them
StLy, None OF the living entered but 10 Is
1ot t6be expected that they were tidy While the balls
buildings had left its place upon the ceiling aud walls
u nd gOno no knew whittier. Every step seemed 10
sSoSerSd SS"S some fresh a6oninato no SPOT could o
found any part Of these houses whore could stop
conscience and the reporter did stay long enough 10
what has been imperfcey described No words can do
radiation and moral uneleauness to which such external
th mast necessarily lead subject for the courts and
ns block Of buildings frontson one Of the widest nu.
nerca streets In the city, avenue to OF tic ferries
space in the vicinity not crowded that houses
nnd their Inhabitants have certain advantages which
readily bo seen that bad they are others are worse
Theres deeper depth to the slums Of NewYOrk than
Grcates freely and fresh from tine hudson and the
hills Of Jersey; but it soon becomes contaminated,
ihs additional weight Of the tamt OF cOnta-
Eions fever Nevertheless It has space N which
she evils We, have described The atmosphere
,Grugd for thereas% tSa is in mo
tiOn which gives the people certain immunity from
Of the effects OF decomposng animal and vegetable
matter which the residents OF less favored localities do
possess St the perpetual presence Of all manner
sf pntreseeace even ~ IA an S"spsre taI ina efSnptes &