The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-03-09

sulting from the lack Of rapid transit, and the
necessity to the future growth of the metro
polls OF steam railroads from the Battery TO the
Yonkers line On this map we have divided
the city into four compartments, giving the
surface area in square feet Of each, and the
population according to the figures OF the last
census. The first Of these compartments Is
from the Battery to Fourteenth street;
the second from Fourteenth street to
Fifty-ninth street the third from
Fitty-ninth street to One Hundred and
Twenty-ffth street; the fourth from the latter
street. embracing the new wards, to the pres
ent Westchester' boundary 1t will be seen
how the weight Of our great want has pressed
down and huddled together the people in the
lower wards of the city, driving out health,
morality and comfort, and causing the popula-
ton to burst its natural boundaries and over
flow the suburbs Within the first compart-
ment we have surface area of LIS, 90, 900
square feet, or about At square miles,
and population of 497, 1872 souls,
being nominally 23ls square feet to
each inhabitant If every inch of the
street were covered with dwelling houses we
should have within this area nearly 100000
inhabitants to the square mile. But at a
moderate calculation one-fourth Of the space
is taken up with business houses and open
places like the Battery and City Hall Park
hence We have the startling fact that the popu-
lation of this part of the city averages over
$50, 900 to the square mile. The second COM
partment as laid out on the map, between
Fourteenth street and Fifty ninth street, con-
tains surface area of 40, 1898 square
feet or about 4 % square miles, and
population of 315, 152 This gives a ratio Of
400 1-6 square feet of surface area TO each in
habitant, and makes the population average
little over $1,000 to the square mile.
In the third compartment, between
Fifty-ninth street and One Hundred and
Twenty-tifth street. with surface area of
1913, $50, 140 square feet or nearly seven square
miles, We have population under the last
census of 116,252, being a ratio of sur
face area to each inhabitant of 1858 1-5
square feet and an average of about
1900 population per square mile. But
out of this space comes the area embraced
in the Central Park which is about one-fourth
of the whole. Above One Hundred and
Twenty-ffth street, including the new wards,
the surface area is about double that embraced
in the three divisions we have specified south
of that street, and over this large area is
spread the balance of the population of the
city, under the last census about II, 000 and
the $4,000 added by the annexation of the
towns of Morrisania, West Farms and Kings
bridge.
The crowding of over one hundred and thirty
thousand human beings into square mile of
territory in any city is destructive of health,
morality and self-respect Yet in some local
tiles in our lower wards, where the poorer
class of tenement houses may be found, this
average is probably nearly doubled, the people
being huddled together more closely than in
the poorest neighborhoods of London, Paris
or any other great metropolis. He who runs
may read the reason Of this on our map. From
the City Hall to Fourteenth street the distance
is under two miles, yet the time consumed in
making the trip by two of the most direct
horse car lines in the city is twenty-five
minutes by one line and twenty-six minutes
by the other. This is about the extent
of time workingmen can spare at the outside
in going to and from their places of employ
ment, without great sacrifices, inconvenience
and absolute injury to health; hence we find
the densest population crowded into the un-
wholesome and demoralizing tenement houses
~ xub oh hot rfio II he o,fx dc
The running time Of the two horse car lines
between the City Hall and Fifty-ninth street
is respectively forty-thr ee and forty-six min
utes, the distance being four miles; and we
find the space between Fourteenth street and
Fifty ninth street also crowded, but not SO
densely as that south of Fourteenth
street. When we get above Fifty-ninth
street, between that and One Hundred
and Twenty-ffth street. the population thins
out, for few can afford to spare the one hour
and twenty minutes or the one hour and a
half consumed In the passage of the horse
cars between the City Hall and the latter
street. Above One Hundred and Twenty fifth
street the territory is practically lost to the
active business portion of the community, and
will remain so until we secure some means of
rapid transit. Passing from the city to the
suburbs reached by steam railroads we find
that the eighth mile circle, the circumference
of which, with the City Hall for the centre,
reaches about three quarters of mile above
One Hundred and Twenty-ffth street, passes
through Newark, N. ]. To reach One Hun
dred and Twenty-ffth street by horse
car, within the city, takes, we have seen, from
one hour and twenty minutes to one hour and
half; while to reach Newark by steam cars,
outside the city, takes only thirty-6ve minutes,
including the crossing of the North River.
If we extend the journey by horse cars to
One Hundred and Fiftieth street the time con-
sumed is two hours and eighteen minutes and