The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-05-22
BEDFORD STREET.

what has been Done During the Past
Year to Rid it OF its Whisky shops,
Thieves Dens, and Pest-houses.
We have been favored with advance copies of
the eighteenth annual report OF the Bedford
street Mission, and make the following interest
ing excerpts from the annual stateraent of the
missionary, Rev. John ID. Long,
No part of the city of Philadelphia should COM
mand greater interest than that portion Known as
the Bedford street district. 1t is the great moral
and physical ulcer Of otherwise beautiful city.
ts whisky shops are the lowest its thieves are the
meanest, It's houses of i-fsme the vllest, and its
tenemenl-houses the poorest In the city.
The building OF the Bedford street Mission occu-
pies the centre OF this locality. About the first OF
March, $780, pestilental fever broke out in tene
ment-house nearly opposite the Mission building,
called the relapsing fever 1t gradually SPREAD and
by the frst of May the Board Of Health found it
ceseaTy 10 close all the schools OF the Mission and
they occupied the building as temporary shelter
for the sick, till they could be remoued to the City
hospital. 1t wac thus used for four months The
Port Ply sican, DR.. Goodmand, under the direction
OF the Board OF Health, was faithful in his labors
and rendered valuable assistance to the missionary
in relieving the sick. About four hundred persons
were sent from the Bedford street district to the
Hospital 1t is estimated that the free public bath of
the Mission diminished the city expenses or tax
some three or four thousand dollars, besides saving
July and closed the 1st OF October Baths taken by
women, 1885, girls Ass; men, &c., boys, 1865; total
146S7.
Tne fever rapidly declined during August and
September, proving that hlth If not the cause, was
the fuel that fed 1t. The missionary was his post
OF duty for i've weary months.
The hot baths were opened the 2lst day OF Febru-
ary 1871. Number Of baths taken by women 246,
and hot baths was Is, ,455 A new feature of the
mission work this year has been the opening OF tenn
porary lodgin houses free to the homeless. BY the
kindness CT the Bene1cent Building Association OF
Philadelphia two Of their houses adjoining the mis-
sion building were secure at a nominal rent The
number OF nights lodging given to women was 1893,
to- children 127 to men 169, total 1895.
Free dinners given to the children of the Mission
School, 1900; to adults 375. Free suppers on Thurs
day and Sabbath evenings were given to $50 persons
Food Clothing, or money distributed to 1862 persons.
given to the poor. In the medical department one
thousand and seventy-ejght sick persons were pre-
scrbed for gratuitously by Drs Barr McSheane, and
Winsow.
Religious services were held three times on the
Sabbath and twice during the week. The Sabbath
school has twelve teachers and eghtyfve scholars.
Week day schools two teachers two hundred and
seventy five scholars; average attendance, one hun
dred and twenty-five. The spirit Of improvement is
abroad in this section. In Dougherty's court, a
notorious place In Bedford street, several shantes
have been pulled down and brick houses built in
their places The old tenements In Bone alley, in
Baker street. have been torn down and replaced by
a brick stable. The two notorious pens just above
the Mission, called in buresque the Grard and Con-
tinental, have recently been demolished. The Foun-
tain Society have placed fountains in several streets
in the vicinity. The police arrangements have been
comparatively good To the EDITORS aud proprietors
OF the newspapers OF the city, the Missionary re-
turns thanks for their sympathy and assistance in
Bedford street will never he what it should be till
its old dllapidated houses and damp cellars are
swept away, and neat and comfortable buildings
substituted for them. These would draw class OF
industrious persons who would teach by their ex-
ample what Is much needed In that locality. Oh.
servaton has taught the Missionary that laztness or
ndispostion to follow some useful occupation
s the cause of two-thirds of the crime in Bedford
street. Paul taught that he who would not work
should not eat" 1t may be added that he who can
work and wont work should be made to work.
BOARD OF SURvEYs.-The regular meeting of
the Board of Surveys was held to-day at noon,
Strickland Kneass, President, in the chair.
The entire session of the board was mainly
occupied in the discussion of sectional plans
among which was the plan east of Front street
and north of the Navy Yard.
The construction of the following sewers was
recommended:--A section of the Mill creek
sewer across Chestnut street; one on Hutchinson
street, between Columbia avenue and Oxford
| street; on Maple, between Eighth and Chester;
| on st. Mary, between Sixth and Seventh; on
| Locust between Sixteenth and Vaughan; on
| Master, between Lawrence and Fifth; on Haver-
| ford, between Thlrty-eighth and Thirty-ninth.
FIRE IN PICKER-RooM.-A fire was disco
| vered at o'clock this morning in the picker
| room of the cotton and woollen mills at the s.
| E. corner of Twelfth and Thompson streets. 1t
| was smouldering fire, as the wool had been
wet down. The loss will not exceed $500.