The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-07-27
TENEMENT LIFE.
What Has Been Done to Supply
Medicine to the Poor.
SCENES IN PARK STREET
Fair Health in Spite OF Poor Ventilation
and Overcrowding.


district lying the City Hall and the old Five
Points, has solved for himself the problem loft I'M
solved by the Board relation TO tho hlling Of pre-
scrptons Tor the very poor, who have not oven Tho
small to pay for the preparation Of
the medicines prescribed DR.. Miles explained 70 tho
writer yesterday they were making The rounds Of
portion OF his district, that he kept small stock OF
simple medicines such arc most In demand, at his
house. No 33 City Hall place. which is In his district.
Those med ciues he gave out himself FREQ OF charge,
70 those whom he believed destitute to pay
for them He said he had also an arrangements
with a druggist near by. by which such pre-
scr,pttons az called Tor medicines In less common
use are put ND free charge the patient while the
cost prioe of the drugs charged TO the Doctors
private account and settled monthly. "You have NO
idea how IL runs away with the money" no said.
half laughing, s'but cannot see the poor people
suffer Dr.. James telling me, only this morn
ing, 10 send the people who were destitute 10 the
ONCE OF the Board for their medicines. but II Is In
many cases impracticable to send the people away
mp there 1t would be almost equivalent 70 telling
thew to 60 without the medicines, ior sney would
not 60 Ihere alter them"
els 1t not practicable" asked the reporter, 'ior
Tho Board 10 make arrangement whereby the
prescriptions can be put up some place in eacn
district At cost or In OF necessity. tree OF
shargsf"
.Certany 1t ls said the Doctor; .the Children q
Aid Society exaoiIy such arrangement, aud 30
long the Board Of Health does not make one like
tney leave their work partly undone."
Dr. Miles then ex planned he made his work Tor
the Board OF Health III into his work tor the Chill
dren's Aid Society Qor which, also, ne Is visiting
physiciAn) In such way that much good was done.
Whom he nnds OF destitution in his rounds fos
the Bo ard OF Health he said ne sends card TO the
aud In anil
ceives authority to make requisiton Tor Whatever
the s,ck child needs ..In summer" he said, ''tho
society sends medicine and i0od aud anything else
that may be required. In winter, Of course, tho
cipai need is proper clothing"
IL was further found IN conversation tnat Dr Nile:
had devoted great attention 10 the subject ot
bettering the condition OF the tenement house poor
he had been aiaed IN his Efforts IN tbat d.
recton by wife, who has already several tenement
houses under charge aud daily SUPERVISION. and
VINO has established day nursery Tor little children
whose mothers are Obliged to 30 out from ear homes
70 work.
YxsrIRDAY's INSPECTION
Tho ground sovsreu yesterday embraced q consid-
srable mari Of psrx street. which, although probably
unknown TO majority OF toe reaaers OF tue HERALD,
yet one OF the most pcpuions streets IN The city
Hall PARK. II leads out oil Centre street at The
corner OF Duane, and plunges at . somewhat sharp
houses on both sides are mostly tenement houses.
four i've six stories In height with stores on the
ground floors oil many OF them. Nssrly All OF them
are old and while their umpers soaked and rotten
with 6iLh their rooms. many VI them, nave boen The
OF disorder, misery and CRIME.
There Is litIc any oae 10 live there except
the convenience OF access 70 men ana women WORK
ing down town; but the rooms are lew OF them
empty and in two houses, size BY SIDE. were found
yhirtynve iamIies without counting The rear tene.
msnis, which entirely separate houses.
The first house entered was No. ~ Park street,
small building, apparently not Intended for tene-
ment house originally. but adapted long since 10 tho
only us. the owner found profitable neighDor-
hood ana now furnishing shelter 10 iour families on
the second and tnird stories On entering Is seemed
though more health ana comfort were 10 be found
nansf lana mAnI a aun
grade tor the halls were widc the stairs well quilt
and plan that gave promise OF ventilation; but
on incoming to the upper story 1t was found that
there was such Ventilation at the root Us ~ almost
always 20 be had IN tenement houses, and that tho
taller buildings around ON every sido cut OH
much OF inc breeze so that there really almost
NO fresh had On the second floor was found
n German family with SICK child, suffering from tho
invariable summer complaint and from the usual
cause. Although the little one 10 only three years
Old It's parents had bee giving fru and such irut
finds It's way into such quarters OIL me city Is
slmosl a sure provocation OF bowel disorder In this
room there was evidence of unusual noatness The.
bare floor was scrubbed t it snone, and the lew poor
articles OF furniture we're unexcsptionabiy clean. All
through the house. indeed, the noors were scrubbed
and there was no refuse OF any KIND
be done to make such a house, IN such a locality,
wholesome, was done. Another SICK Guild was found
on floor above but the trouble was teething, and
the Doctor lett no prescription out only directions AZ
A CHANGE FOR THE WORSE.
In No 81, however, different state of affairs
found. This Is a story tenement house, built In
regular tenement house fashion, with store on the
ground nocr three tne second an four
ON each Of the floors above. tenement IA this
md the adjoining houses means two rooms, and as
there are tenements on eithor sido OF
each hall follows that there Is way for current
OF air TO pass across the floor excepting through
the tiny trsnsoms above the hail doors. The halls
are DARK aud none TOO cean. though in some places
they had been recently scrubbed In each hall -
faucet from which Croton water may be had, and q
sink IRON winch refuse water should run OK Some
water aud more dirt, however, was found 10 zach
SINK, though old woman ON the NTH hcor declared
that she Kept sink clean II could be kept,
and added That she ought 10 know now, Tor she had
lived In her rooms Tor eleven years IL should DO
n woman. in the house would do so. There are
men and women in tenement houses; they are all
gentlemen and ladies'.
crowd followed tho visitors IRON ball to hall, and
good-natured sympathy was expressed In chorus by
the women at each compliant OF sickness "rhsps u
very delicate child said the Doctor to one mother.
"You should her COZ liver oil aud plenty OF frssh
air Did you take ncr on that excursionf"
"No, SIR, couldn't get away" replied the mother.
"But am gong next time"
"Ahi God bless ys. Doc,hsr. Thrue for ye, the
chd Is delicate and the other ornnst 70, she's DELI
cafe, too. Gould ye give Inc a ticketf"
"Ahi Docther, would ye give me = tickot 10 taKs
me little cousin out. she's delicate, too."
"Faitb, the chiders Is all wild TO 20 on the cxcur
sion. May have ticket Tor my little girl that's all
ing ,'s sss.s md dozen mors apni,ea,ons xer.
made almost muitaneously, and the Doctor patiently
aud dnaturedly investigated each case, giving out
she tickots freely, but beng careful 10 put them
where they would 40 the most goou.
Ills that chiid's appetite gooas" he asked Of one
mother.
Faith, IT'S remarkable good IN not he after
ten 70 lc, enc said, and the little crowd ghcd
uproarously. 'sfhats right" 'Surc, she won't lie. |"
aud half n dozen other EXPLANATIONS OF approval
were heard, each followed. by an application Tor "a
ticket Upstairs Two Old "iaaies" over SIXTY years OF
age applied tor tickets aud could hardly take dopiai,
even after they told tho oxcursioDs were Tor
children.
MISERABLE TENEMENT
NO. % was found 10 DO very IKE No 81. aud
through It's hall was iound the entrance 10 tue Two
rear tcpcmebta These were I'VE stories Ia height,
counting the basement, the floor OF when WAS per
maps twelve inches under ground In the basement
there tenement anu two on each noor above
These houses among the most outrageous spccl
nous OF cfowding that til. writer has ieuud In ths
cry. Scarcely fifteen In depth. their rear wall II
within eight inches vi the rear wall OF mousse OF
city Hail place. There arc no Railways, bu
10 front OF each ~ winding staircase from th'
ground TO the rooi. On each floor are two doors
On opening one the visitor socs a room perhaps
twelve .eet square, with window. Behind this !,
a smaller room, with window opening against th'
wall mentioned. There are no convenIences beyon'
a CHIMNEY and "A mantelpiecc. Water has TO b.