New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-03-07
THE HOMES or THE BEGG4RS.
UNDERGROUND LIFE UNCOvERED-rwENTY-Tw
PERSONS SLEEPING IN ONE CELLAR-BREED-
ING-PLACES FOR PEsTILEECE.

UNDERGROUND LIFE NORTHUMBERLAND
PERSONS SLEEPING IN ONE CELLAR-BREED-
ING-PLACES FOR PEsTILENCE.
mysterious sort of romance has always
seemed TO attach itself to the homes OF beg
CARS ragpckers aud others of that class who CLEAN an
honest or dishonest living from the scattered crumbs OF
the city The idea prevalent that the poor old blind
men and the pitul ippes 10 be at every corner
during the day. at night assume their rghfu forms OF
young and able bOdled men, aud minge in the widest
scenes of dissipation aud carOusal Few realize the
miserable truth of their utter restitution, nor can
imagination paint the truthful picture OF their wreched
homes In that part of the city east of the BOwery and
between Canal and HoustOn-stsr known as the
Eleventh Ward, there of misery
little dreamed Of by the more fortunate resi-
dents Of this city. Hundreds of people are living
there unacquaintsd with any better resting place than
the corner damp and DosOme cellar Into these
quarters il was the task OF TRIBUNE reporter TO 20
Gently.
Descending into a cellar at No 3SS East Houston-st,
through door scarcely large enough 10 admit his en-
trance the reporter found a small close 81 by III
feet in size and containing only two chairs, and a
broken down bed on which lying woman, sick and
evidently IN great pain. In the Of this apartment
was another room of the same size, lighted and ven
tilaed by a very small window and contaningtwo beds
These two rooms formed the home OF family OF five.
The next place visited No 226 Stantonst in the
OF Of low, brick tenement houses. Here the
residence a family of four discovered in cellar
divided by board partition into two rOoms one IA by
&c. aud the other by in size. Next door found
the dwelling of a man known in the neighbOrhoOd as
odd Foster" One carpetless apartment serves all
the purposes OF this worthy, who makes comfortable
living by renting the cellar beneath his at the rate
OF IS cents per night for each lodger Into this cellar
which parOnized almost exclusively by beggars old
Foster" occasionally slows away fifteen sixteen
Here IN died within az
months, one dying only last week OF consumption. The
atmosphere OF the place is indescribaby nolerable
and the fact that dirty water is continually dripping into
the apartment from above may assist III giving an idea
condition Of the place. AT No 30 SheTln long,
narrow aeyway was found, and passing through II a
brought to view, built the borders OF an enormous
mud puddle and looking as II the slightest breath OF
learned was "rag-pickefs.row," and in these
six sheds, and the cellars beneath them. with a
frontage of not more than IS feet there dwell 20
families including fully 80 children. In cellar were
discovered five little children who had been left by
themselves during their mothers absence on rag
picking expedition. stove in the cellar was almost
red with heat. The entire population Of Rag pickers
row. are in the ragpckng business and long strings Of
different cOlOred stretching from window 10 window
give TO the place peculiar appearance and stu more
The reporter entered several houses in the row and
found that the nsides correpOnded with the exerOrs
In one Instance a family were discovered at dinner
their only table being the unsweDt floor and Their only
d,e ,ooIdv bread crnsts with ltte dried beef Ipon
leaving Rag pickersrOw" the residence OF an
old blind German, at No. ga Rvlngtonst. was visited
The reporter passed through lagerbeer saloon and
down pair OF rckety stairs into almost dark cellar
Here shut out completely from the outside world and
almost from the sunlight, Is beds nightly accommodate
as many II not more persons In one or these hunks
poor, fOrlorD fellow discovered, suffering from
building No. 49, Attorneyst, seven beds crowded
cellar and "a dodgers were crowded into the beds
restitution manifest, and the Health Department is
now making an investigation