New-York tribune., 1869-06-26
FAIR PLAY FOR THE TENEMENT no USES.
DENSITY OF POPULATION.

SOME ERRONEOUS STATEMENTS CORRECTED.
The Times, in an editorial entitled New
York the Most Densey Populated Of all Great Cities"
readers to the following specimens Of vast and
various mislnformation:
The statement Of the proportion Of inhabitants 70 the
houses in the lower OF the city, given in the re-
port published. startling enough, but become mere
when compared with like statistics OF other cities
The percentage Of persons TO the dwellings the whole
City Ot NewYork Is fully as great as that OF London
averaging about 7s persons each dwelling but there
is no part OF London Paris dcnsely populated as
certain districts Of NewYOrk. In 1900 dwellings OF TINS
city used tenementhouses less than 6s3 persons
dwell, l725 persons to each dwelling i will hardly
be wondered at after this statement that the deathrate
every twenty of the population the sckrae Of
those in tenementhOuses nearly one In four
The Times gives authority for the above fguresan
deduc ton the recent startling" report Of the Health
Board The report Of the Sanitary superintendent in Its
effects the mental powers Of our neighbor seems to
have worked sopori1c rather than startling way
IL careessy crowds tenement houses with some thous
than the entire population OF the city, as given
by the OF 1865 In treating OF the subject OF tene-
ment houses Mr. Norton, who prepared the article from
which The Times processes have derived its informa
on divided the city into three districts, the population
OF which, given of them from the census Of 1885,
and stated in round numbers at $4,000 for the third oos
up 73063 He did not stop add these figures since
he had occasion the total or he would doubtless
have corrected estimate for the Third District as TO
make the total harmonic with the census which gives
even by the arhmecians OF The World The Times man
brought out his total and straightway set 1t down
as the number Of persons living in tenement
houses in "certan districts" in the lower
partp. OF NewYork. Since there are upward Of
forty thousand dwellings in the city which are not ene
ments including all the hotels and boardnghouses and
account taken, according to this Interpretation
Of Mr. Eorons report Of the tenement houses only In
certain oyercrowded districts. in the lower part OF
- kf,u fyr.,u 70
formed that they scattered all the Island What
a popuous city this must be. Two millions at the
very least and that too in the face OF SUCH horrible
death rate.
or course the average number Of inmates TO each tene
much too high. Even one Of those unfortunate
individuals whose wretched lot it TO live year in and
year out in the hall bedroom OF ghouse, might
DO pardoned incredulty when told that threequaT
OF a million OF the population OF this Island
slowed away at average compactness OF Jortyseue'
aud quarter human beings to each dwelling especially
II he pleaded that large proportion, perhaps major
ty OF the enements less than 20 feet 'front.' and not
than three stories high In fact the average num-
Der OF tenants TO each house hardly exceed 2 which
is surely bad enough. The philanthropst might we'll
despair II three-fourths OF million Of inhabitants
were content live where the sick rate isneary one In
four"
Again. even II "hese overcrowded districts" embraced
the whole OF the CITY, annual death rate Of
zone person IN every "a OF the pOpuauOh WOuu give LOT
T3O6s3 persons less than OI5 deaths or, accepting
The TeSs statements 10000 deaths for the tene
menthouse population OF three districts in the lower
part OF the cty The remarkable saubrity Of the forty
and odd thousands OF dwellings in the city, other than
tenements, may be family appreciated by the reader
when he reflects that the entire number OF deaths In New
York City last year exactly 2AsS9. Deduct from
this number S5 for those who die in tenements, and
be grateful OH fortunate reader whose chambers
occupies but yourself and family.
Finally, the average number Of persons in each dwell
ing in NewYork is not 7s-how could it be with 4725 in
each tenement -but at least double that number The
average for the Metropolitan District OF London is 7s If
the average number Of inhabitants to each house IN New
York wero not more than fully great the average
OF London could not be said that NewYork was the
most densey populated OF all great cities" since Bos
ton and Paris both exceed London In the average number
OF individuals to a dwelling In conclusion may
mark that the porentous condition Of that large class OF
our population who live in tenemenhouses is deserving
the attention OF writers who do not to sleep with their
fingers still moving the pen.