Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-08-24
Sleeping ON the House Top in
New York.

| the hot, dry summer closely resembles
that Of the holy land, and some at least
of our devices for mitigating our suf-
| feringS under the heat are not unlike
the ways of the generations that lived
when the mummie5 We're fresh. The
ancient Hebrews cooled themselves on
the hOuSetOpS, and at certain seasons
| lived there in temporary booths. The
ArablanS from the Euphrates to Jeru-
salem sought the refreshing GOODNESS
Of the evening breezes on their roofs,
| and the Egyptians habitually assembled
| there; the MOOrS WOrshiped there,
with heads turned toward the setting
sun, and with them the custom of
using the hOusetOp as a faYorite place
Of family resort Travelled along the
African coast, into Spain, thence to
Mexico and South America. Perhaps
it even ante-dates, on this continent,
the Spanish invasion, and the extinct
race of Yucatan may have aired them
selves on their lofty roofs when Tx
NAL was in it's prime.
During the last heated term in this
city the roof became the place of ref
uge from the close foul air of the mar
row tenement-rooms, and many were
| the roofs on which slept the entire
population Of one of these houses,
whose numbers rival those of a small
village, and on Sunday evening when
the sudden heat again beat down on
the city the roof was again the place Of
refuge. On tenement-hOuSe in Canal
street, towering over all others in the
neighbOrhood, eight families slept on
Sunday night. eve have camp
ed up here all summer" an
| old man said. about four
weeks ago, when we could not sleep
down stairs, we drew lots as to who
should have the best place; then came
q few cool nights, and some gave up
their places. Tonight / see all hands
back again. You see there are good
and bad places UP here. just as in a
theater. Near the chimney is the
poorest place, for the bricks are some
times warm. We gave the unmarried
fellows, what amt got no jim-jams,
the outside berthS, near the cornices,
where the women folks are afraid to
go. One wants this, and the other
that, but we Strengthened all that long
ago. Tonight everyone has fallen
into his place as a good company of
soldiers would at roll-call. A week
ago forty-nine souls slept soundly up
here"
On one housetop i'll Macdonald street
the father had raised a canvas tent
over his mattress, and thereon lay his
two children, smiling at the future,
while his wife served tea and cake.
Walking along the roofs of a row of
ten houses in East Broadway, the
scene was that Of as many vast I'M
covered dOrmitories. On one of them
a little wasted child, with the hectic
flush of death on it's Sunken cheeks,
rested in its mother S arms, victim
Of the former heated term. Around
the sorrOwing group the b0arders slept
as though death had not chosen one of
their number. The father assembled
the marrow stairs with a glass of water
to cool the little ones Darched lips, it's
eyes closed IL death, and the cry of
the grief-stricken mother broke the
stiffness Of the night.
1.-The hot weather did it, the father
said, while tears Streamed down his
cheeks. q knew we should lose her
as soon as we had another spell Of
warm weather. All she wanted was
country air; but we are poor, and [
couldn't afford it, even to save my
child's life"
"This is the best part of the house."
| said a TeutOn in RivingtOn street,
land if the landlord would only
stretch an awning over the roof it
would be blessing to the poor ten
| ants. The woman are afraid of rain,
and though they know it will do them
| selves and the children good to come
up here on the roof, they keep them in
the hot rooms rather than run the risk
of their catching cold up here. Dur
ing the last heated term the roof was
covered every night for over three
weeks"
Il have slept up here every night
for five weeks" said hearty man on
a roof on William street, and / have
gone to work in the morning as fresh
as if we didn't have any hot weather,
while my companions in the shop
looked tagged out and tired 9 Yes, )"
added his wife, land I believe we have
saved the baby by bringing him up
here"
All along. the Bowery, through Lit
tie Germany" in Sixth, Seventh,
Eighth and Ninth avenues, and in all
the cross streets where the tenements
| roofC 1x-o,.o oJ;1-o