New-York tribune., 1871-12-16
THE HOUSELESS AND HUNGRY.

THEIR STEADY NCREASE-THE ACCoMMODA-
TIONS OFPERED-TIIE NUMBER OF LODGERS
AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS.
The sudden advent of Winter crowds the
naSs M au$ $i arSkde 1HF Ana
mendicants, but occasionally poverty compels honest
men and to place themselves in the position OF
asking public charity shelter them from the piercing
cold The police stations regarded the centers Of
relief but many instances the provision there made is
totally inadequate. All Of them misera-
bly, poor and filthy In their accommodations.
and 1t is only in the number Of applicants
they can shelter that they differ The now station
houses, notably those Of the Fourth, Fifth. Seventh
Eighth, Ninth, Tenth. Twelfth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth,
Sixteenth, Eighteenth, Twentieth. Twenty second, and
Thrteth Precincts have for from IS to 40 lOdgers
The furniture is Of the most primitive kind, and Ia tho
same In the mems rooms in the omen's-conssting
simply of inclined platform, occupying the gr ater
part Of each These platforms are well scrubbed
every morning by the dOormen attached to the sat0n
house, but the atmosphere, in consequence Of
the large number Of persons gathered together In
small space. is foul and vtated On close rainy night
the steam arising from the drying Of the m by clothing
and the exhalaons from bodies that have been innocent
Of the application of water for months produce
bnaton Of smells that absolutely unbearable to
or woman used decent living. Many persons in tho
incipient stages Of zynOtic Diseases more especially
typhus and typhoid fevers and smallpox, crowded
in and nearly all the occupants infested with vermn
1t will readily be seen that respectable person. except
In one OF these places. Decent people have TO take
their chances with outcasts and professional mendicans
worn suit Of black applied for night lodging in one Of
the downtown staton-houses His language was good
circumstances The serssnt in command at the time
told him the accommodations Of the poorest but he
must put up, with them. The doorman showed him to
Hs and Ss but s S n1 door
within. he exclaimed. family staggering back,
can exist in such place. would .ooner was tSs
streets all night than pass hero The sergeant gave
a% to PIX S n
he was on his way to some relatives In the East BY the
to his destination. Recently the writer saw modest
looking woman and her two children in the female
was Unused to sssocisns with the hadrunHen msna
and, having failed to pay her rent promptly, had been
elected by her uneeng landlord. Casos OF this kind
might be multiplied indefinitely.
THE NUMBER OF LODGERs.
Notwthstand their repusiveness the lodgingrooms
arc crowded and frequently applicants have to
be turned away for this Late ut night applicant
may have to visit two more staonhOuses before he
can obtain sdmittance. In some OF the odfashioned
station In which provision originally mado
for odgers and cells have to be used half dozen of tho
unfortunates frequently cooped up in each one and
should there be an unusually large number OF prisoners
some dodgers arc transferred from the iodginEr to
That the pauper class this city the increase
each s shown by the number OF l0dgors accOmmO
dated for the past 10 years as follows 1851 1884,
lO5 6O 1865 l 070 1852 to Nov SOL; NOv. I, 1852
~ April g. 1870 1870 M M78O The part Of the last
given represents the time that elapsed from the
date Of the last Metropolitan Police report to the begin
ming Of the municipal regime 1t Will DO noticed that
the total number OF dodgers accommodated for these 10
years Is llo4s The years 1862. 1885, 1854, and 1885,
show great decrease In the number Of lodgers This
owing to the all dodgers who could pas the
aminng surgeon being drafted into the army. The num-
ber IN 1865 nearly double that Of the
The Fourth Precinct erooms have. on stormy or
cold nights had many 30 lodEers the Fifth co. and
tho Sixth, seventh, Eighth, Tenth, and Fifteenth fully
many.
CHEAP LoDGISG-HoUsEs.
The idea has long been entertained Of buifng several
cheap In various parts Of the city TO
commodae the better class Of lodsershose who couJ
afford to pay ANAL amount for bed, but not thehi
prices demanded at hotels And those casua Of tho
ter class occasionally to he within the precincts Of
staonho lodging These refasss should be - near
seifsupporng az possible tho prices ranging IRONS to
Of the proposed founder Of these model lodging houses
prevented the cOnnImmatiOa Of she project. 1ho~
possibility however, that others may tAko up the tea
and snccessfully execute t. 49,
The Commissioners OF Chayfuea and Correction have
on several occasions devoted porson OF their nndA for
feeding the poor In the Winter OF l8gS thoussnds OF
poor people daily fed as the varpeus preoincts
correspondent wishes to know whethef PORTION OF the
1ntrusted 20 tbs department would s os wfseiy
uscd M enecfiue iOd ~ hOussa, wAfe semethy& eSt4T
might be obtained. and the association of cent people