The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-09-21

the foul and sickneing smells fonnd
therein precluding a more thorough
inspection.
From here to Bull Run alley the Off
GERS led the way. Arrived there, con-
siderable difficulty was experienced in
gaining admission to the houses, which
were found closed and barred. The
tumble-down rookery in which live
three Celestial lepers was broken into
by the officers, and the loathsome and
repulsive occupants were exhibited in
all their responsiveness. The room in
which the lepers live is about twelve
feet by fourteen and some seven feet in
height. The whole party, which by
this time had increased to eighteen
person, crowded into this small space
and examined it at considerable length.
one of the lepers who acted on this oc-
casion as the piece de resistance. He
was ordered to take off his clothes,
which done, more revolving sight was
possibly never seen in San Francisco.
The entire flesh covering stood out
prominently in Jumps and ridges, with
scarcely human feature recognizable.
1t was stated by the officers that this
Chinaman is engaged in the manufac-
ture of cigars, which he sells from the
various corners in Chinatown.
A curiosity amid this scene of filth
and slime was shown, it being a grape
vine loaded down with ripe and lucious
fruit. 1t was found growing in nook
in the deepest recesses of the alley, I'M
der the fostering care of an aged
trenchman, who has charge of the
various tumble-down shanties in the
vicinity. Sullivan's and Ross alleys
were then gone through, but little was
found to attract the official paze.
Oneida place was then examined. The
officers, followed by the entire party,
penetrated far below the surface of the
street, finding dark and vilely-smelling
rooms, each containing six or eight oc-
cupants more than their actual capaci-
ty. This alley is burrowed in every di-
rectiOn far into the bowels of the earth,
and wherever space was found suffi-
cient for Mongol. to stretch his pro-
portions it was inhabited. Considera-
BILE attention was given to this locality,
as, like the rest of the district of which
it is but small part, the facilities for
the commencement of a conflagration,
which, when once started, would de-
Stroy not only human life, but sweep
over large district, were found to be
abundant.
The buildings on the east side of
Dupont street, about fifty feet from the
corner, were next entered. The party
were led down, down, deep into the
bowels of the earth, and when a halt
was made they were informed that they
were two stories below the surface of
the street. Each story was built up IN
rooms, about five feet by eight, and
containing from two to six occupants
each. Many of them were locked at
the time of the visit, the sight-seers be-
ing told that the occupants were away.
This was found to be a Celestial false
hood, as an inspection discovered that
the keys were on the inside. With
great difficulty the doors were forced
and the occupants brought out. In one
of the closets was found new case of
leprosy. The repulsive object caused
many of the party to beat hasty re-
treat. The stencil of this underground
habitation was overpOwering in the ex-
IRENE, and when the official examiners
were once more piloted out into the
fresh air, it seemed impossible for them
to take in a satisfactory quantity of the
life-giving oxygen. The party by this
time had become so surcharged with
the foul odors inhaled during the exam
nation that they refused to continue
their Investigations further. A portion
of them, however, were prevailed upon
to visit one more place. Again they
were led down flight after flight of
rickety steps, far below the surface, and
into places, that were it not for the
guiding hands of the officers it would
be impossible to emerge from again.
The examination was necessarily brief,
because of the foul sights and eXecrable
smells that greeted the senses at every
turn caused rapid and hasty exit to
be made to the comparatively pure air
above. This abominable hole is in the
rear and below the buildings in the
center of Sacramento street on the
south side, and between Kearney and
Dupont, was the worst of any of the
places visited during the evening. The
officials present expressed themselves
as satisfied with the little they had seen,
and said the repulsive scenes they had
been eye-witnesses of would linger with
them for some time to come, and make
them think that the liberation of such
a plague-spot in the heart of the city is
a disgrace to the State and nation at
large. They also said that with the
power given them by the law they
would exert themselves to eradicate it
if possible; if not, at least to remove
many of the greatest nuisances.-
Francisco Chronicle.
A Wornin o. IN Rows