, 1874-09-20
4 Visit to a Few Filthy Cara
vanserais.
Inspection Of The Old St. James
Hotel on Clark Street.
The Italian Lod dging-House On Four
teeuth Street.
Filth, Foul Air, VerE1in, and all Un-
cleanliness Reign Supreme.
The Nests Of Future Pest1cnce.

Il haa been very common bosst among citi
fens Of Chicago that the peculiar human resi-
dcnco known as tenement house" +" did no
flourish in ther midst. II the great cities O
the Atlantic seaboard the tenement" is recog
uizcd institution, chiefly noted for vile construc
ton, miserable ventilation. aud uugpeakab
filth. From it hare sprung moro diseases tins
from any other agency 1t has been the nucleu,
OF couta5ioa, and the recruiting-sergeaut ol
death. Who that Is familiar with tie great city
of New York, does not remember those drcarJ
dirty, lofty. narrow buildings extending in long
gloomy rows along Mott and Mulberry streets, ant
many other locA1itlcs inhabited chiefly by ths
poorer classes? They we're, indeed crying
evil; filled from basement to roof with disease
and misery; crowded with Wrctches who could
lever hope to breathe healthy a!r iu III ai:nos-
phero go vile; ovcrrun with yern1in, aad rank
"itL the foul odors Of slors and foul ordu1c.
For many years tie tenement nuisance stunk II
the nost1iis Of the American metropolis, until,
finally,
An ORDINANCE WAS PASSED
placing the establishments under the control OF
the Board Of Health, and granting to that body
the whole force Of the Municipal Government to
mitigate the evil The ordinance made it legal
for the Board Of Health to condemn and cause
to be vacated auy filthy or pest-r!ddcn
tenement after, in the first place. notifying the
landlord or agent Of the same that such course
was about to be pursued Notice could be served
that tho premises must be vacated within forty
eight hours, III the case was particularly urgent,
and, should the landlord or tensnts refuse to
comply With the order, the Health Officer was
Frls!leSed to call upon the Chief Of Police for q
IF r. f1tNt }SS,3k
still under tlle direction OF the Board OF Health,
the place ls thoroughly cieapsed, wllitewGshed,
and dlsiDfected and the tenants are allowed to
return to their rooms. il they feel go disposed,
after the Health Oticer has pronounced tnat the
place 's ready for reoccupatiou.
This vice municipal law has entirely modified
tho aspect OF affairs In most of the tenement To-
calltles Of New York. There is still, OF courae,
considerable crowdiug, and the yeptilation il
very little improved, but there is au absence Of
tile utter dltn thai formerly almost universally
characterized tenement-houses. While poverty
exists and wliie great cities e3lsi,-both travel
ing hand in hand as it Were,-the1e must he
cheap lodgings for families who lavo no homo
s.eads OF their OWL and who are too poor to Pay
rent III good boarding houses In old cities
the evil is recognized and inevitable; but in
our comparatively new Western cities it il
hardly necessary, and it is certainly
not desirable, that such places should be en-
'Eus Chicago has 10 tensmeut-
houees,"
TIE s.sGr1xE AMI Esonsnc.1 c1r7zry
WHO has not studied tle matter, will observe.
Hold. good citizen, AMI do not rashly assert that
which NAV bring Won confusion, it NAV. ncr-
haps. astonlEh D!nctcnths OF our respectable ill.,
haLitants 10 learn that We are curacd with q |
v ayitep Ts osb sa9h S,a bot 81 fb
New York. Several thousand inhahitants Of |
Chicago are
Cou7ED IT IN DESs |
rs3f z IN ha ir1.n nl,,41 y 1.v
and indeed in soro ri thcn fiors 1vo,,J |
Llisdain to slaep for a nirL1- Thcso nlacas |
are net confined to one section OF the city. Int
are scattered rhr,nch ito ,vLola ...e+t' ~.
lenro.y is disnerscd fhron" ti,a h5'],,
Some of the tcoore,ts .re raana.,.,t,,a n1ao,, |
nav onee more eensc;a11tMn1. |
though chcaply constructed and ba11T snnn1icd |
nitI tha ;ni;snanaah1o accommodated ~ ~ |
rnncp1 r;v1l,y,t;on Aro4i,ar cjoca :. ;,,u4 - |
ser1ne on vile. but does not 20 ouite tlaf far.
ant there r. n Iovar cI,as ~ }o ~ s,,;r1, ea,,
not bo imae;ned onfs;da t1,a ro.1,os ~ tI1o
lamned-piaces in which tho ,11ma, l,oi1v fns-
era. and in Which tho soul cannot fail Of hei1,e.
,orr,ntad -n,nccd t1,,t ~ v,s;. worId dos,rn1
.ho annciitn of tc}icata stnmnchs and tan5sr
.:m;fl neonlo 1iah1e tn na1jrnnnt t1iaeaso srha1,
Ira un5er no control o1ccnf thc oT1inarv a17a:.
lisnehin OF the board Of Health wlic,, q en-
'rely insufficient, although some good has been
Tor sanitary o,,rnosca no !, Nav Wi. 49,; u,
Ia avent of .n an;.,a,a, rn,sor;,r ~. -
n1e1 n uon1J II Wv 0~1' -"
rnnr.D nr. ,,,o,,, ,~.,
,vo,, 40 ~ unarI.a a1 -. 80
a,,J ,rhsr49.~1s c,rne5 ,.'a+at; o.l na"-lnt,ls
hn1dnrs 1r.;,,es e,l ~ aionS tno
onan4a e,a--oi ~ ~ ne1losanle ~ urea ne tene-
that 4,;..,'. ~ s4o'esyue1s nlaepus,-
,no,'e 11,a hora5z ocsy e"o!ation
- % ~ nott9:a ~ ou -. 01!es
7aad .;.53 ~ sl4S' " fafs. IN
saa o1e. saGs 81 so 9ttetiy uesona oranarS COM
rs. ~ !s' alnelacan conp1enenslon-
+ia ,rtia 20 ~. ' eas; special cnaptef OF
~ rnrortar n.us' vs. ~ ~ oesuaeu re 70 snen.
~. s'.o ~ ,,n, " . VAS 0e1ss.eo leS
~ .,c,, ~ ~ t,lo tne - SHlGa6o tene-
sncc;mnns ~ tha;r c1sns ,sa ss 1nt eerse as
bs e1neriencc Accnn,p,s -1iu ei's I've 81 aecognt OF
Lhe Chicaco Roari of HnsitI, IVY - uascoel "
,eeded on LIS mission and wrnt ot onea ~ pto-
Tnr ~ ..,-.s, 4,,u "1av ,1ar,.1 ~ oiee ~
so-cz]led. M. 41D South Clorl atraa+ x,1;ah ,.
obtained the upenyinblo no.orietv ~ han-r ~ tIa
most pestilcntio1 abo1o nf -nank;nd ~ uEu sue
that section Of tho ctv Tic st-,1n.,1sa ~
story building. con,nnsed ~ h,ic. ~ .aoI
painted brown externally and nrascntinr, "o,u, ~
sery uad annearauce tn Tia ca-eiasa ntna,a ~
within. however. sr this IL csneaI ,,ere
tight Of stairs conducts the vis;tor to tna rrn
oors-tLc rrouud storr he;nr cbioSv upHes
by Jews aud Gcptilcs of tha Tarv 1nvost a}osa
engaged in an endless number IT :. nnravi.o s:
Tie explorers wero met On the secor1
Ifnnr 1,. i, .,,to o|Hc44A |