The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-05-16

uOrrOF8
TIE LODGING DENs OF NEW YORK
the basement Helisn as they have been for.
these dens Of misery and in,quity. has ever hae1s
disgraceful blot on our civillzatlon and or iate
years every effort has been made to reform ma
evil
some idea OF the extent to which these .aodo.
ing dens' and dens OF nameless iniquty were
scattered over the city Will be derived from the
following offical figures Last year l32 OF these
dens were forcibly closed by the Board OF Health
sI tns wSd IN the seventh warS IN the
Eighth ward; so in the First ward, and l13 in the
Fifth ward. These were all lodging cellar-dens,
in which men. women and children eat drank,
(when they could get anything to eat and drink
and slept or tried to sleep. In some OF these dens
thirty men and women and children at time,
and the average number OF people 70 easements
spite OF the efforts OF the Board OF Health. now.
ever. these basement dens have only nomiDally
decreased for as fast as they ale closed they are
their fine oil $50 as the penalty not closing. and
thus gabu temporary immunity. BY the by, the
proprietors Of these lodging cellars are generally
recent tour OF inspection along James street.
Cherry street, &C., has convinced the representa-.
tives OF the HEIsALD that the underground popu-
aton OF the lower wards OF New YORK is still some
thing terrible TO contemplate.
One OF the worst basement dens In this locality
Is one In James street, kept by Mrs. Foilen- 4
REDDY THE BLAsKsAIrHs SISTER.
To the rear Of this front basement, which p
lodging den OF the lowest, dirtiest and most
crowded sort. Is 0 back yard, full OF garbage, to
the rear OF which, again, is a cellar in winch is
bed and SINK IN fittingly filthy companionshtp.
In these cellars, indescriDably vile, 1--we four or nve
women and a man. r mf
In James street Is quite an aristocratic lodg.
ing cellar il consists OF a kitchen and Jour
bedrooms and eight beds. The sleeping rooms
smell OF the kitchen and the Kitchen Is Ioul with
the efiiuva from the sleeping roo ls. But It's ten
or so Inhabitants are quite proud OF IL aud put
on airs'' over their less fortunate neighbors
In Water street there Is a terrible basement
den-fou. damp, narrow, not six feet high,
carpetless, with tumble down walls, with the fifth
with four beds IN it, and the Giving place" OF -FOUR
women. res-
In this street also there is an indescrlbably vile
basement DARK Us pitch dirty, damp polluted
with all kinds OF garoage and nlth and yet this -
the abode OF one man and four women-their
"hOme. sweet h0me.n
And literally hundreds OF dens OF this sort are to
be i0und IN the city OF New York at the present
time. IL Is not the iauit OF the police; they can
laws. 1t Is not the FAULT OF the Board OF Health;
they can only close the cellars when their ceilings
are less than two feet above the surface OF the
ground, and even when tney close them they are
soon opened again. IL Is simply iact In some
turned their easements INTO lodging dens, notably
one undertaken IN Cherry street. ana In this case
IL seems the law y 70 suppress the EVIL
But vile ~ are tnese lodging dens,
1.-THE DOUBLE DECxERS,n
as they are called, are worse. Really the only
man who could do full justice TO the horrors OF these
institutions Is dead-his name was Charles Dick
ems. These sdouDe deckers" are in reality double
cellars or double easements, one basement under
another and o0th Easements occupied as .'human"
habitations. or course the under basement has
absolutely no natural light and no ventilation
at ALL
There are two .'double deckers" now in full blast
OF iniquiCy in the Fourth ward, and both Of them
are owned by one man, VINO IS quite rich and who
de1eS the Board Of Health and the law with I'M
punlty, paying the trining fines imposed upon hun
with nonchalance and perslsting IN doing ~ he
one OF these D. DIS, as they are styled, is To-
filed with drunken women. Back OF the bar are
three or four little holes Of bedrooms, without any
possibility OF air. 10 the rear Of these is winding
STAIR, descending which yon ind kitchen ana
three bedrooms OF the vlleSt sort, absolutely dug
out OF the eartn and without the slightest possi-
vie as this place is, the Board Of Health are not
able to touchit because the law s SO worded as TO
apply to cellars whose ceilings are less Than two
feet ABOVE the surface OF the ground and here
the ceiling OF the front cellar happens to be little
In North William street is the locale of the
second u. d. Tnls Is larger and viler than its COM
panion Ia intoulty. The hrst basement contains .
dens airess, ligntless bedrooms. Below this Is =
basement, the ceiling OF which Is six feet under
| ground, winch contains q Kitchen, foul sink and
| four foul bedrooms. The whole place reeks with
filth and Is literally alive with corruption. 1t has
the Board or Health, and yet the rich proprie,o OF
laughs at the law. Cannot public opinion 90
But, passing Il ON this disgusting portion OF our
theme, let US glance at
SOME CHARACTERISTIC BAsEMENrs
4 Perhaps the largest cellar or basement in the
| city Oh New York Is that OF the Windsor hotel on
Fifth avenue. This immense cellar occupies nearly
and Itself Perhaps se most sne
gestlve Easements are those which contain the
presses wniSh print the leading newspapers Of
are "works OF art" in themselves, triumpns OF
mechanical ingenuity applied to intellectual pur-
Oe'seis. They are long, dark. rather gloomy look
ing and quite peculiar absolutely destitute Iur-
nture ana supplied with murderous looking In.
StrumeutS. which. after ALL are very harmless
Here all SORTS OF cnaracters-sporting men,
men aSoa and
Easements are those occupied I'ai IL az.
District teesTapa c These ce sns
az bare looking and as uninviting as the shoot
human element, waiting e. be summoned at e a sn
moment to any por non OF the city upon errand Of
life or death. Here and there is to be seen some
fragrant basement-some garden oil a cear-some
cellar fled with howers and Q basement occupied
by florist Several Of our largest and roomiesE
Easements are devoted to literature and the ne ws
business. One basement on Broadway has Tor
years been half drinking saloon and half dra-
Otner easements, deeper and darker, are 'c care
July guarded night and day, by men prepared
for any emergency, and contain Within their re-
ments worth far more than their weight
in gold-being "the safe deposit vaults"
most precious portions O. their. wealth. Then
there are other easements or cellars whica are as
Hec 10 al as LuOSe last mentioned are closed to
all Easements which are the haunts OF Bohemians,
cellars which are devoted to cheer aud good TEL
lowship. Or these perhaps the most noted is one
on Broadway, which was IN its day the most
noted resort Of the once famous "Bohemians' or
this city, ere the days OF the Lotos and the Area
dian clubs 1t Is only long, narrow, rather dirty,
uninvlting looking, deep cellar, entered by very
PERCEPTIONS staircase, with little attempt OF 3
dining room in 'front.' right under broadway; bur.
such as 1t Is, 1t was tue fav0rite haunt or Clapp
Frank Wood. George Arnold aud others OF that
CLIQUE, long since dispersed, almost forgotten, but
very brilliant and quite influential In their day.
Among other characteristic Easements must be IN
Guided such as 1.-THE rig cears'' In James street
and other kindred localities These are filed with
refuse and rags, and some times men pass the
night here among the litter.
What may be styled "rhe miscellaneous base.
ments" must not be forgotten. The cellar Of No. 65
old curiosity shop under ground. 1t Is a combined
rag store, shoe store ana boarding house, WITH
poultry running about through the whole essab-
lishment.
Lastly, II must not be forgotten that as there Is
bright Side to everything else, SO there Is even
a n n nj Anil nd pntvfn