New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-02-04
OrR TrNENENr HOUSES
CONDITION OF DESTITUTE AND 0UTCAsr GILL
DBCN IN THIS CITY.


Anderson pastor VI the BToome-t Baptist Church, was
called 90 the CHAIR and Oliver Dyer, esq the Chairman
Of Committee appointed az previous meeting, 10 re-
port upon the condition Of The destitute and Outcast
children Of this city, submitted report Of which the
following IL the substance;
zGE TrSANrHOUsE AID CELLAR TOPCLATiOE or NEW
YORK.
According Survey made by the Sanitary Inspectors
81 tie Council 81 y gieLe az the Citizens AssOga-Oh u
Ncw-YOlk ond verified by subsequent inspection MADE
by the Metropolis Police al the close Of the year lo
ngIioSss finies Numbering 100 souls. The number
II cellars n tis yty which a. that date we're lhIaOleu
l5.;2 mA,ns tl,e total cellar and tencntHose p oEe
tou o. the e! ig22i-a number saNcISntc - com,
b.led s1ch the condition Of things tItto bn
dirac he last three wears cannot De accurately aseer-
tanned. because complete census mas heei
III Twelfth Ward. comprising thaI portion OF 30" 9
uorr az the Sauuay Inspectors report
Gf5 inhabited sIanc., ana llU OtDi ~ " 49,
GLASS. nakpg la,s IN gu which iyg s ~ e nlTo
houses. Al through the city are sc't'eIed oIo sLe,ls'
ardflctorics ana tumpcdOwn rookeries " every de,
abOdcs j. said 10 De ~ least l3V0 whlcA aGth 70 Smo
8G5OlNus Do tenant houses ana cellars, sSes me mum
her 20 the Enormous aggregate of 5l2O me nuDet ol
children uuder ten years OF age oopll'ou ~ ~,
zion Sigt5 little than OucsoVChth OF the Gu
fire The children under u years OF age are est
Irt o b. 1iG 90 little less than Oneffth OF the en-
ire number OF persons living m teanthOuscs. g., a..
Eleventh which lie. between Hivngtou-st on tie south
Fourteent-s the north, the East River On the Glsti
Jn no tcnan: non.c@ containing 1888 families
}25+ persons. Next comes the seventeenth ""I Iits
directly OF the Eleventh, running nom Avenue - 10
he Bowcry and from Rivucion Ourtce1thst IL has
Los tenanthouse containing 1894 pilles and ts5CS
Twenty first Ware nave me ne4t i'iest ei'@t iu,so
Der os ftacs aud thc Eistecnth me greatest number
4 reig5S q house, ~ ali the wards IN the cy' Inc
acyt il number IN tIc Sixteenth Wharf.-The two Wards
having ccl!n ropulaOno VI sol Particular atithuo1
H called 10 these facts, because y ~ koHe,'S M,
tla, the tcnautouse and cellar population ~ New 1orE
IS conf sea 10 tao uciClb0rhuOd q the ffe FOiu~'
az most 10 tho Fourth aud skin wards whereas e
truth Is there aIe not buildings enough III uVst TWO
olatfer Of our moor pomlatiJn. The Fourth ward, IN
winch HOwusd Mission is situated ana WAieh Is
~ ts,ltS bSs S4e tba1tboss WLich contain $3.50
families. and i7Cli iersOus those living IN cellars nun
Df he End ider Reconsideration ~ IS So The tenant
house and cellar population OF the FouJh ward IL INC
dense Of any the city being packed together at
the rate cf 10000 10 the square nile ILL., ward WhlcA
wa8 originally "A swamp, contains more denS OF lnany
than any other spot equal size America. The number
Of children IN IL under the age OF ~ IS $780, Heedt I'VE
institutions large IS the Howard Mission 10 care Tor
person who has never seen q New York tenantlouse
form idea Of chem They are usually c~ht stones
Which is onS lo0x2I feet in size The basement IS usual
iy crowded with families and sometimes the cellar mn
Hooded by tAe tide, s~Irms with sluahd women ana
children buTTowng in niasm1tic iaIs hdlt aDout IS
feet IN width ruus through the center Of tie 1uidlg al
Vidng IL into two tiers ~ apartments on each tO0i from
basement to attic, ana hose apartments arc srIdllctd
front middle, aud rear making suites on tatl
floor The hrst-nOOr Fronts are often uscd 20 low GoS-
- tSe,n and te Tiai,der OF the Inidng is paC Ecd xix
families floor TO tire roof. These houses are some
times built twice and three deep NJ hc one We
have been describing, with and even eight suites
Of apartments each side OF ihc HAIL. n King from ~
10 10 sues TO floor lhe c%iic sioL ht1ies o. tl.it
mfnts will be certain TO miSlead ne reader as 10 me
real character Of the rooms IN which These people hNe
without special saieneht OIL iy Hui9GS.' S..ia
really be called sets ~ items They usually consist o Two
rooms, lyirSrOon AMI sleeping r9o' the NJ u.lns
about eight feei 10y ten ana w e"iI '' ~ 90
aud averaging seven l,,tin hight Ile bedrooms have
10 ventilation except what they g. through thg H9or
opening nom The hllnel0ol Nh ch h,s 10 IsI.lisUn
lght except what i gets tuv0us te door aha WHO"
opening mo lAe hiIlO" hui it' 80 " St. ,,5
Is used 10 coon ana Ws I'D, anu - as0 litquc4,,9 .
shoe shop taiOrs top. and for other uIactrri%
purposes SOr unfre Iueuty two families ana el en Jo'
1--we in of ihcso s.l IS Ol dcns, AID IN this han4eF
many 1876 famiiies numbering over 500 solS, LFt
taking boar'eIs and dodgers ~ that Around many al
these tencmcnis, or - close pIoNln!t{ 20 ls' @tJ
s.aughtC houses stables, tatIeslcs sOaliac'oft5 anu
bOuc-bOiliug establishments.
Kew-Yerg Isiaa may be eoiapared to great 10 t9po
Scventecntt the lusiep at tbv NeN-holh If4sIai y,
The foot BATTERY being the great tGe-lh VIC
poor pcYie caiy al snaheh GOV" GOV, w. , ,1 sli, nv,
crushed ~ the superintendent, mass on Iespc.td''y az
in the iee through they vaiuiy struggle - Sct
Ttdr eNtSi hat when foct is ntecctcd aud allowed
tobecune badly diseased, the leg above H. ana Also the
hody and head suffer the penalty According TO enc re-
pOr boai0 OF Excise, there are now oH3 licensed
lumsois MS this city. III the year 1853 superintendent
Kennedy Of thu Metropolitan Police had oncers stationed
t g2 Kin ssioOs with orders TO count the hHmnel
of visits made 10 Thorn 10y Their customers delt,s
selected and tie total number OF visits 10 tho ~ places
during consecutive hours as found TO Oe 1880 an az
average hy 529, the present number Of rnshops III NE
city, und that the total yisitalOns amount To OFF,.
day 20 4.ls.23 week, aud 10 2lSZl4,l2o year Tie
money taken in week NJ the rs saloons ac-
U0rfing To statements made by thef pioe'oIs 10 ne
police. s5l5o2, when Il an average OF -! -
multiplying TINS ny ~: ,,Ie i,it5ti.t NUM-, o l,,Sl
the ciy We nud tiiat me Oli amount o. AVnc tIlu
for drinks The bar ana At TIE cibkms tables
OF the liquor shops OF New AoIk IS si62s0 % Week VI
sSs2s6.5g0 6S a year. The expense o. carrying on
these 5.29J ruasLOps, including rent salaries or
fuel ana license; and the "swcat money" which they
nave 10 l the official loaiers and black naiers OF tie
city amounts average OF $500 each, which gives
total a. Sb,Ccj0 year. The number OF persons eIu
poyed ia running these places. including those WIo
inns ,c"n,uIued Aud of this waste on TINE ana money
and Of tle DRUNKENNESS which comes 81 ltOI the pow
city, brutality, wee, snd widespread decentralization
when como oi H. in vast proportion 30 the des
tutc and children OF uts city Tie lineage OF
children Is almost Is various as the 4aOns OF the
Site OF the ncu but nearly all lands and all seas
Ghpre is not province 81 Europe which, not represented
among them they also nave ION 9ouaa
America. Africa and Asia, TIE sandNich Islands ana
other isiads o. Inc I"Sihc SDG t@ Ian S NJ
hanne dams and fetch woi rers from the sOnth
pcope Az uot only hudded together under one roof but
rcquentl room, ntennarTy without the slightest
SlIitgd |bo11sCtrr NiSs"nares and Other visitor
TO these wroiched aho3Cs often strange thugs III
The rcl .ous way. IL is not uncommon 10 INA frOies
tanis. Catholics, ana pagaha al s' m one rom ana
each carrying his worship after n own Deef and IN
dependent OF ms acknowledges The Rev Thomas W.
Hughes found family in sevcnhylne cellar ia
the Fourth ware. where the Catholic wife Was counting
her ing her prayers her knees before
ulcturc Of Virgin. while the Chinese husband pro
ptiatin lis pagan deity with offers OF rice administered
with chof,sticks. and the two little children 81 this
.rrure assorted pair singing the mission song
fesns loves o. this know,
Fcr thr Ba.t tell
children from the OF fourteen years down to infants
VI four, are daily net u stdte OF mt"Elcauon Ihey
,ac rnnk 10 lie mission erh0Os The little
nave many a tine lam i tened upon the benches OF
ri. insfiffion QIOwald -!oJ sleeping off their dc
,auch Hundreds OF these children have also become